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Technical Fiat Grande Punto brake warped brake disc and brake shudder

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Technical Fiat Grande Punto brake warped brake disc and brake shudder

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PolyMathHR

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Hi

I drive a 2006 model Fiat Grande Punto 1.3MJET (75hp). It has 136702mi (220 000km) (I am the only owner) the on the clock and is still going well except for a brake issue which I can't troubleshoot or fix.

The car was serviced at 130488mi (210 000km service). The Fiat service centre replaced both the front brake dics and the front brake pads. Now at just over 6000mi later the front dics are warped.

I've been replacing the front discs and pads often as the discs always get warped and this is driving me mad!!! :mad: I have complained numerous times to the Fiat service center that something is wrong with the brake system but they have never been able to fix it - all they do is to replace the brake pads and brake discs.

I am now considering installing an after market brake kit to try and fix the problem. I am pretty sure the brake dics get warped when the brakes cool down unevenly (usually after a rough day of driving). Or I have to sell the car, which I don't want to do.

Am I doing something wrong or is there something else (suspension, bearings etc) that I need to look at?

One previous remedy was to skim the discs (not ideal, but cheaper than replacing them every 30 000km). This only fixed the problem for another 6000mi.

Please help. I am fed up with this issue.

Regards
 
When my brake were shuddering and there was a danger of the brake discs becoming warped, mine was fixed as it was the caliper sticking on the piston inside had become seized and I was going through brake pads quite often. Maybe this will help you with your issue :)
 
^ as above comments.

Another thing to check would be a sticking calliper, very rarely do you "warp" a disk during normal driving. If they are just replacing the disks and pads then that could just be masking the issue of a sticky calliper.
 
PolyMathHR said:
Hi

I drive a 2006 model Fiat Grande Punto 1.3MJET (75hp). It has 136702mi (220 000km) (I am the only owner) the on the clock and is still going well except for a brake issue which I can't troubleshoot or fix.

The car was serviced at 130488mi (210 000km service). The Fiat service centre replaced both the front brake dics and the front brake pads. Now at just over 6000mi later the front dics are warped.

I've been replacing the front discs and pads often as the discs always get warped and this is driving me mad!!! :mad: I have complained numerous times to the Fiat service center that something is wrong with the brake system but they have never been able to fix it - all they do is to replace the brake pads and brake discs.

I am now considering installing an after market brake kit to try and fix the problem. I am pretty sure the brake dics get warped when the brakes cool down unevenly (usually after a rough day of driving). Or I have to sell the car, which I don't want to do.

Am I doing something wrong or is there something else (suspension, bearings etc) that I need to look at?

One previous remedy was to skim the discs (not ideal, but cheaper than replacing them every 30 000km). This only fixed the problem for another 6000mi.

Please help. I am fed up with this issue.

Regards
Click to expand...

Surelly this is covered under parts warranty ?
 
Hi Guys

Thanks for the replies

@ jameshobiecat - I don't think the hub face have ever been checked. The service guys here usually fix the problem, but don't put much effort into finding the origin of the problem. Will I be able to check in myself?

@ Sean23491 - I will definitely look into a sticking caliper. I will have to go to a brake shop to get the disc skimmed as they are already warped. I will the have them look if they can find the stuck caliper. It seems like the main problem is the left front brakes.

@ RD55 DUN - As mentioned I will definitely look at a sticking caliper. Will I then have to replace the caliper set, pads and disc or only the caliper and skim the discs. The pads should be fine, I thinK :confused:

@ matty seasider - Thanks for the offer. Where are you based? I am in South Africa, so getting them here might be a problem.

Thanks again guys. I guess I have to take the car to a service station to get all this fixed and replaced. Will report back when I have a better idea.

Regards
PMHR
 
Hi All

I had a brake shop open the brakes the past weekend to check the brakes and skim the disks. I can thus report back on the mentioned points.

1. I checked the hub face, it seems fine.
2. Both calipers on both sides are fine. We checked the movement and it was also fine. They then lubricated the calipers again to avoid any future problems.
3. The left disc was completely warped. The took a while to skim the disk, and they took quite a lot of metal of the disc to get it straight again. The right disc was also warped, but less than the left.

I asked the guys if there was a specific reason, according to them, that could cause the disks to warp. The mechanic said the only reason for this warping would be excessive hard braking. I am not always an angel when driving and there have been the odd occasion where I had to do excessive braking a lot. Could this alone cause the disks to warp? Aren't the disks designed to withstand harsh braking to a certain extent?

If the disks are the problem, can I replace them without replacing the brake pads? Or do I need to replace both? Can I replace my current discs with higher spec discs, from a 1.9 MJET or something similar?

Regards
Henro
 
PolyMathHR said:
Hi All

I had a brake shop open the brakes the past weekend to check the brakes and skim the disks. I can thus report back on the mentioned points.

1. I checked the hub face, it seems fine.
2. Both calipers on both sides are fine. We checked the movement and it was also fine. They then lubricated the calipers again to avoid any future problems.
3. The left disc was completely warped. The took a while to skim the disk, and they took quite a lot of metal of the disc to get it straight again. The right disc was also warped, but less than the left.

I asked the guys if there was a specific reason, according to them, that could cause the disks to warp. The mechanic said the only reason for this warping would be excessive hard braking. I am not always an angel when driving and there have been the odd occasion where I had to do excessive braking a lot. Could this alone cause the disks to warp? Aren't the disks designed to withstand harsh braking to a certain extent?

If the disks are the problem, can I replace them without replacing the brake pads? Or do I need to replace both? Can I replace my current discs with higher spec discs, from a 1.9 MJET or something similar?

Regards
Henro
Click to expand...

cars are built to a price & spec
So you have an average car with average brakes vs a performance orientated car with performance brakes
If you are looking to upgrade then you need to decide on where you are going.
larger disc size/caliper(keying in wheel limitations) and/or aftermarket
 
Hi

Yes I understand the price vs performance problem. I just want to replace the disks so that they last more than 10000 km. I replaced both the discs and pads 10000 km ago and disks are already warped - so the disks are clearly the problem. I am not a racer and am not planning to upgrade my ride to racing standards, I just want something that will last longer and not warp after one trip with harsh braking....

Regards
Henro
 
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