silky wrote:There are two common causes for the brakes to seize up:
1 The hand brake cable outer casing has become brittle and cracked and lets in the weather, therefore the inner cable stick in the on poison, when the hand brake is released. 2 The rubber seal around the brake cylinder have corroded and the same thing happens as above.
As the pads and discs had to be replaced, that says to me that the car wasn’t road worthy. It is always a good idea to ask the dealership to give the car a brand new MOT before you purchase it. If you had done that, the vehicle would not have passed with the brakes in that condition.
People don’t realize, that though the car may have a current MOT when you purchase it. It is always wise to have another done if the MOT is over three months old.
The car isn't three years old yet, have a look at the OP.
Before I retired, I was running a taxi business. I purchased a brand new car on a Thursday and put it in for the council MOT for its hackney licence on the Friday. It failed the test, as the hand brake cable was adjusted incorrectly, and one of the back brakes was binding, and that was on a new car.
Though a car is under three years old, there is nothing stopping you from having an MOT on the vehicle. You are paying a lot of money the car, surely another £35 for an MOT and your safety for the following year is not a waste of money. If it fails the MOT then the garage would have to pay for the repairs.
Never realised that you could get an MOT on a car less than three years old.
So if you buy a new car and have it MOT'd and it fails then is it deemed too dangerous to be on the road ? what happens if you just throw the MOT away ? also if you have an MOT from day 1 do you then have to renew it yearly in the same way as a car that is three years old or older ?
A bit worrying to think that a brand new car wouldn't pass an MOT through a mechanical fault.
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Foggy, By law a car has to pass a certificate of roadworthiness every year from it's 3rd birthday. Prior to that it doesn't need one but there is nothing to stop you getting one done for your own peace of mind. Just because you have had one done it does not then need one doing every year as the only legal stipulation is from 3 years old. If before the 3rd birthday it was found to be unroadworthy it would not be allowed on the road. Some Forces would issue a form that would require you to have the fault put right and certified by an MOT inspector. If it was really bad then the car would be banned there and then and you would have to get it recovered to a garage, repaired, certified and attend a police station with the form in order that the ban could be removed. Dom PS Even if you got an MOT done, left the garage, were stopped and a fault found it would be you as the driver who would get done not the garage or the owner. Same goes for a hire car, it is down to the driver as the Law states it is the driver's responsibility to ensure the car is roadworthy.
PPS Our vehicle examiners reckon that they can find at least 10 faults on a car straight off the production line. Of course the faults won't neccessarily be of the sort to make the car unroadworthy.
Perhaps there should be some form of MOT from day one with the manufacturer bearing the cost of getting the vehicle up to scratch.
The current MOT maybe is not what we need, I have always thought it a bit dodgy that the same blokes that condemn your vehicle are (possibly) the same ones to profit from the repairs.
I would rather see a govt run centre that purely tests vehicles and carrys out no repairs.
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The vehicle I purchased was being used as a taxi with a Hackney Licence Plate. But even if the car is being used for private hire, it must have a test certificate from the local council, no matter what the age of the vehicle.
FH what is an OP please? (sorry to be a bit slow).
It sounds like either way i was being ripped off! Why do people take advantage like this - it's just not right. I had no idea that these things had to be done in "pairs".
I never want to buy a car again - i honestly just dont know who i could trust.
Thanks for all the replies - i have, at least, learned a lesson.
It has been said elsewhere that not all MOT inspectors are honest, which is another problem people who know nothing about cars have to contend with. My eldest son is a fully qualified MOT inspector who now runs his own workshop in North Wales. He told me once that when he worked for a garage (which went out of business) in Aldershot, he was asked by one of the salesmen to put a car from the used car stock through its MOT without looking at it too closely. When he refused, they made life so difficult for him, he left. He reported it to the DoT (as it was then) and the **** hit the fan. BTW, an MOT can only be relied on, on the day it is issued, and sometimes not even then.
What's right with this country is the freedom to discuss what's wrong with it.
roddelmae wrote:It has been said elsewhere that not all MOT inspectors are honest, which is another problem people who know nothing about cars have to contend with. My eldest son is a fully qualified MOT inspector who now runs his own workshop in North Wales. He told me once that when he worked for a garage (which went out of business) in Aldershot, he was asked by one of the salesmen to put a car from the used car stock through its MOT without looking at it too closely. When he refused, they made life so difficult for him, he left. He reported it to the DoT (as it was then) and the **** hit the fan. BTW, an MOT can only be relied on, on the day it is issued, and sometimes not even then.
have to agree, have seen the tenner left in the ashtray
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I'm confused why would the front brakes need to be replaced? Normally when brakes seize on its because the hand brake has stuck on. Most cars have the handbrake on the rear so it would be the rears that need looking at.
Unless your car is one of these obscure cars with a front wheel handbrake?
Also, as long as you have the required tools (socket set and a big hammer) brake discs and pads are a doddle to change on most cars and can be done for less than say £70 (depending on make model etc.). Its always worth asking anyone you know who might be handy with a spanner if they would be willing to help you out for a favour or little bit of cash in return.
I just had a guess at fuel/engine type, but heres what I'd have paid to fix the brakes if it were my own car:
In my younger days I used to work in a garage and "siezed" brakes were a common occurance because we were in an area which has an ageing population. The usual senario was that the car was left for a week and when the owner tried to drive it the brakes were "siezed on". Our boss was a ba**"?%d and would not give anyone a brake, sorry about the pun.
The standard way to repair "siezed" brakes under him was as follows:
1. Advise the customer that because good brakes are so important, any problem with them would be a safety issue. 2. Assure the customer that you have the professional knowledge to repair them safely, but it is is a highly technical system that shouldn't be played with by amateurs. 3. Make certain the vehicle's owner is not in sight. If necessary ask them to make you a cup of tea to keep them occupied. 4. Start the car and put it into reverse and "rock" the car on the clutch. That should free off the back brakes after a couple of moves, then hard rock the car on the clutch backwards and forewards in reverse and 1st gear respectively. That should free off the front disks, then switch off the engine. 5. Advise the customer that you have "undone" the brakes but the vehicle must not be driven by them as it is not safe. Instead you must get the car to the garage to repair it. 6. Drive the car to the garage putting your foot on the brake a few times as you drive to clean off any rust on the disks or drums, and park the car. 7. Make out a bill for the customer for the call out, your time in "repairing" it, and three hours additional workshop time. 8. Make a note in the diary to ring the customer the next morning to ask them if it would be OK to return the vehicle that day, and assure them that as they are a good customer you will not be charging them for returning it.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!
If someone asks nicely I will explain how we used to do a decoke.
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Putting it simply there are two reasons of front brakes seizing.
Both of them comes from non use.
One can happen with in a week or two and the other usually usually only on older cars with longer times of none use.
The first is surface rust causing the pads and pistons to stick a little but it will not stop the car functioning. It'll normally by felt like it's sticking a bit when you first move off and can cause a little noise for the first mile or two. This can happen in as little as a week non use. Shouldn't happen just because you don't use it every day.
The second is when the pistons rust inside the calliper and that is serious. Normally cause by one of the following or a combination. A very long passing of time in a well used car. A very long time of non use. Water in the brake fluid. Faulty material.
But non of these should cause or need the replacement of only pads and discs.
The first should resolve it self. The second will need new callipers.
