My Ford dealer sucks. When I bought the car, they didn't fill the fluids. There was barely any brake fluid, as it turns out. I was convinced by them the brake warning light was just a faulty handbrake sensor and to not worry about it and take it in for warrenty work sometime.
I was niave and stupid.
I almost ran dry and lost brakes before I realized they were wrong. I peered into the empty reservoir and cursed, put more fluid in, and hoped for the best. I don't want to confront the dealer about it however, since it was my own stupid fault for trusting them and not doing something as simple as popping off the top and checking it.
So I noticed the brakes started shuddering under pressure. In cases of harder braking, the whole steering wheel would visibly shake and the car would shake as well. It was never really all that bad, but I have since learned how to rev match almost perfectly to slow the car. I figured there was a substantial amount of air in the lines that would bounce as pressure was applied. I hoped it was that simple anyways.
Being at home, my parents moved while I was in college, so I knew absolutely nobody. As a result, I bought a vacumme gun to suck brake fluid instead of usual two person job. This also allows the convienence of leaving the engine off.
So I'm at it, and as a side effect of no power brake pressure, the threads on the brake bleeder nut allowed air to seep in (this was also confirmed in the instructions of the gun). This wasn't an actual issue other than I couldn't physically see when the air bubbles from the brake line ceased (rather than the air bubbles as a result of the looser threads). I just took out a lot of fluid and hoped it was enough. When I got to the rears however, I got the bright idea of adding teflon to the threads. Worked perfectly. However I didn't have time for the fronts again so, again, I hoped that I had sucked out enough.
It was great, and frustrating at the same time. It DID help the shuddering, almost completely gone as a matter of fact. But it was still there. So I went back one day when I had time and jacked everything up and started to take off the wheels. I noticed it seemed a little more difficult than last time, but didnt think anything of it. I finished the fronts with teflon and readjusted everything for the rears. And thats when my god damn, piece of JUNK wheel lock broke. Apparently it's a two piece design held in only by friction. Once it gets loose, the bolt pattern raises a slight bit and, as a result, stripped the crap out of the actual lug nut. While it was just the fronts I didn't have tefloned before, it doesnt count for anything since the brake lines run diagonally.
GOD DAMMIT
So now I still have this damn brake problem and now I have a wheel I cannot take off. What can I even do about that wheel?
I'm sorry at the length of this, it was more of a rant than anything else. I could have said "I stripped my lug nut" I know, I'm sorry. But I do need to know what my options are at this point.
Thanks
