ARGH!!!... now I am ticked ( ford better step UP their QUALITY !!! )

[Tom Schindler]

Todd,



Honestly, why do you have Ford install brakes on your vehicle? Warranty or not, the stock brakes are junk. I pulled my OE pads on my Trac with only a few thousand miles on them. I now have over 65,000 miles on the original rotors and the last time I replaced the pads, I had them turned for the first time. The Machinist told me that I had plenty of metal there and he only took off a few thousanths to true the pad surface up. I figure I will get 100,000 miles out of the OE rotors.



It sucks about the steering wheel. Thankfully I don't have that problem and my hands are usually dirty and I hardly ever clean the interior of my Trac. I can understand your frustration with the steering wheel.



I do plan on having it detailed once a year. For $65.00, I can't go wrong with the detail job. Shampoo the floor mats and seats, vacuum everything. Wax the exterior, shine the tires, clean the engine. That wash job usually lasts me a few months before I decide to take it to the car wash again.



Honestly, do yourself a favor and replace the pads with a quality set and be done with it. The money you would spend on the pads will more then make up for the time lost and inconvience of having the dealer putting crap pads on. I know you have the ability to do it.





Tom

 

[Todd Z]

Tom, That works Until ANOTHER caliper fails, then what??.. Out another set of pads??.. I went rounds with the dealer on this. They would not be able to warranty my pads, cutting of rotors and everything I got if I put my own pads in there... IF another caliper goes south, Maybe I will rebuild my self, replace the pads with good ones and new rotors. The problem Is Every time a caliper goes bad it trashes something. If thats the case, then it would trash my nice new ceramic pads and the dealer will only put motor crap pads on their. I did already ask if they would install MY supplied upgraded pads, answer nope.... Lesson learned. Simply If any thing happens again, since I got the free brake fluid flush last time around, I will do the job my self... But IT sucks that I paid all that money and have to do the job my self...

I may even just put my own pads on there now, But I am afraid something else will fail and trash them...

Todd Z

 

[Tom Schindler]

What is causing the calipers to fail? Is it the slides sticking? How about the pistons? Are they binding up?



If thye slides are sticking, maybbe it is the calipers fault at all, but instead the technition that is not installing them properly.



I lubricate my slides with stuff called Castle Brake Life. It is a silicone based lubricant that does not wash off, unlike other brake lubes. If you get it on your hands, it takes a day or two before you finally get it off your hands. If interested, I can put some in baggie and throw it in the mail to you.



65,000 miles and I still have the same calipers.



It is unfortunate you live so far away from me. I would be more then willing to try to help you figure out what the heck is causing you to have problems.



I find it hard to beleve that you are the only person having calipers fail. If they were junk, we would all have problems. The real reason could be the dummy at the dealer doing a quick job because the faster he does it, the sooner he goes to the next job and the more money he makes.



I have a friend that is a Chrysler ASE Mechanic. You would not beleve the crap they do. If they do a plug change on a car and one plug is difficult to get to, that plug doesn't get changed...unless that plug is misfiring. Some of the things he told me scares me to death to trust any of those idiots from putting thier fingers on my car.



Plus, I like to turn wrenches.





Tom

 

[Bill Ellis]

38K miles on my 04 that I bought two years ago. Brakes are still good. Michelin tires have a lot of life left. Only warranty claim was for LS diff clutch pack. Maybe mine is the norm and those with significant problems are rare.

 

[Josh Langel]

One of the many reasons why I drive Toyota. And before there is a debate, I drove two Sport Tracs to one Toyota... I just wished that FORD could start making a better fitted vehicle.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Yeah but Josh, your first ST was great, wasn't it? Didn't you just make a mistake by updating to the Titan and then the lemon ST? :unsure:



I made a similar mistake when I traded in my first ST. My second one had a lot more bugs than the first, but the one big tranny issue with the first spooked me into getting rid of it.

 

[Deleted deleted]

I agree with you Mud Flap. I traded off my ST in April '03, bought a Toyota, kissed repair bills goodbye. Only had my Matrix in shop one time since buying it, and that was to replace a drivers door window gasket that had folded up into the window channel (no charge).



I can see why Toyota is poised to take over as the #1 car manufacturing company in the world.