Eye Spy: Crazy Brakes

Bill Marr of Garrison Automotive Service in Fort Erie, Ont. sent us a very unsafe DIY job on a 2000 Dodge Dakota.

“The customer stripped the spindle for the caliper bolts, and drove for three weeks with the caliper zip-tied to the spindle while he decided the best way to fix it,” Bill wrote. “We helicoiled and replaced the bolts! Oh boy!”

Charlie from Charlie’s KW Auto in Kitchener, Ont. had a customer who came with a brake squeal on her 2005 Honda Accord. Her friend had installed the brakes two days ago.

“We inspected the front brake and found that he’d installed the wrong pads. The customer said it made all kinds of noise!”

Understandably, she was a little embarrassed at having trusted such an important safety job to an amateur.

Sharisse Delainey of Wilkie Auto Repair in Wilkie, Sask. didn’t have to look too hard to discover the brake problem on this vehicle.

“The customer came in asking us to check the brakes and this is what we found!”

Jake Makohoniuk (owner) and Justyn Marchant (technician) at J-Mak Auto Centre Ltd in Etobicoke, Ont., discovered a new way to machine rear drums from a 1999 Dodge Durango. Upon inspection, they found the brake shoes had cut perfectly through the drum. The inside piece was bouncing loosely around, causing a rattle and slight grinding!

“The customer swears the grinding noise only started two days prior,” Jake said. “Ya, right!”

Got something to share? Send a high-res picture to allan@newcom.ca and make sure to give us LOTS of detail!