Brakes Recent Dealer Visit...feedback Much Appreciated

[Wreckless]

I recently went to the dealership for noise coming from the control arms. This is the third time I'm going to the dealership for this problem. Brief history on car:

700ish miles hit by drunk driver
2600 miles LCA changed
5800 miles LCA changed
18,xxx miles both front control arms changed

There was additional noise that sounded like clunking coming from the car...metal on metal, and rep. told me that my rear brakes AND rotors had to go. Rotors at 18k? Only done one autocross around 10k miles, rest of the driving has been really easy on brakes.

What do you guys think? He also mentioned that he couldn't test drive the car to see if the CA's work if he doesn't replace the brakes, since he doesn't want to put his mechanic in danger. I was thinking...good thing he didn't notice the tires.

 

[earleys94gt]

How severe was the damage from the accident? It sounds like there is some componet in the rear suspension that might either be slightly tweaked, broken, or may have worked it self loose over time.

Unfortunately, when cars get wrecked, depending on the severiety of the damage, they aren't quite the same...

 

[Husky44]

Post up pics of the brakes and rotors. Is there significant wear on the friction surface (or putting it another way, can you run a fingernail from the center of the friction surface to the outer edge and feel a ridge)?

I'm not as familiar with the S197/SN10 chassis, but on the SN95 chassis, rear brakes would last for ever because they don't do much of anything. I don't recall huge changes in the rears on the newer cars. I'd be very skeptical that you have worn brakes in 18k to the point that the car is a safety hazard.

I'm also having a hard time envisioning a "clunking" sound that would be related to worn brakes. When does the noise occur? only when braking, or all the time? If all the time, or during acceleration, does the frequency or rhythm change with changes in speed? Straight line, or turning?

Is any of this work being done under warranty, or all out of your pocket?

Where was the impact on the car when it by the drunk driver? I'm somewhat curious that they're replacing control arms front AND rear... Did the dealership do the collision repair? I'd be inclined to find an independent body shop (preferably with good references from fellow car guys) to have them check out the car. It'll cost you some money to get a second opinion, but you're better off confirming/denying the dealer's diagnosis than just throwing money at the dealer to fix whatever he tells you next. It seems to me that the dealer might not be able to find the problem and is just throwing parts at it until the problem goes away.

 

[nwb818]

is the noise a slight squeaking noise? i had my rear LCA's replaced by the dealership (Galpin Ford in SoCal) and low and behold 1000 miles later the new LCA's started to squeak. Apparently the bushings are heated up by the exhaust and start to squeak.

However, my car was also involved in an accident, a Prius backed up into the rear right side of the bumper, where the LCA noise tends to come from. So its possible that in both our cases the accidents may have caused something to go screwy in the rear suspension.

hope this helped