I have a 2004 Honda Accord with about 25,000 miles. A few months ago it felt like the brakes weren't right so I brought the car into a local dealer (Fairfax Honda in Virginia) for help. They told me that the rear brake pads needed to be replaced and that there was a surprising small amount of brake fluid left. I was upset, of course, since the warantee doesn't cover this. They replaced the brake pads and the cleaned the brake line to check for leaks (didn't find any) and refilled the brake fluid. They said that typically the brake pads would last longer than this but they couldn't explain why - I'm not a crazy driver with the car (especially since I have kids). I'm embarrased to say how muchit cost me- $400 or so. Maybe I was taken because I'm a woman.

Anyway, now it's a few months later and I now check the brake fluid oftenand it seems ok (at the right level since I see it looking "clean" and prettyclose to the very top of where the fluid goes in).Unfortunatelythere are two problems now:

- in very cold weather (right after I start the car) and roll backwards down the driveway applying the brakes, it sounds like I'm compacting snow / rolling over snow(that's the best descrption I can give for the sound). It doesn't sound right but after a few times applying the brake (after driving a few blocks) it goes away.
- also, while I'm going back down the driveway applying the brakes there is a girgling sound - like the brake fluid is filling up some portion of an empty area. I believe (according to the dealer) that the brake fluid needs to get to the back part of the car - is this a normal sound?

Thank you very much in advance. I'm planning on going back to the dealer to request that they look at and fix the problem, but I wanted to know more unbiased information before I do so.

Melissa.

 

You got totally robbed....$ 400,, Holy cow I would be really upset if i were you .......first off your car is still under warranty,, even if you had to pay for the pads which is a wear item,, pads cost about 50-60 dollars ,labor around 80-100 dollars depending on their hourly flat rate,, Anything else they did to the car is UNDER WARRANTY you should go back and DEMAND your money back ASAP..

clean the brake line ??? chk for leaks?? ALL UNDER WARRANTY , ask them how did they clean the brake line ???
and even the pads i would talk to the mameger and demand to talk to the Honda DISTRICT MANAGER for warranty consideration .. pad should last a lot longer than that..maybe there is something wrong with the car to wear the pads so fast .

As for the noise you hear , it is something i would have to listen to , which of course i cannot ..., to see if it is out of the ordinary,,
But if you feel something is not right take it back ..........
the brake fluid does not need to ge to the back of the car ,, fluid is already at the caliper piston...

 

What? Under warrenty? Is it really?

Actually I paid something like$200 for tech+ $60 for pads + $90 for tech + 25 for brake fluid flush.

Which part is covered under warrenty? I can't find this information on the web. They told me brakes are not covered.

I have a call into the service manager right now.

Please advise.

 

ok melissa..........assuming your car is not over 3 years old,,,,,,,,if you bought it in late 2003 car is past 3 years and out of the 3yrs 36k miles warranty.....But if it is less than 3 yeras old,, the ONLY thing that they should have charged you for was the brake replacement because it is a wear item ,brake pads wear at different time ,, depending on people driving habits ,, but like i said even than they should last a lot longer than 25k miles ,,and even if you had to pay for it,, YOU GOT ROBBED 200 dollars to replace rear pads is ROBBERY the most they should have charged you was around 80-100 dollars and even that is a bit high........
cheching the car over for other issues,, should be all under warranty chk for leaks ( warranty ) as for flushing the brake fluid,,, it is part of the maintanance service but it should not be needed at least till 30k miles ,find out exactly why they did that ,,,,but still i feel that should be under warranty ....

they cannot explain why the pads wore so fast ?? it is either driving habits which you say you drive normally or something ( caliper, piston,) is hanging up causing the pads to drag and wear faster and if so it is under WARRANTY ..........

I would if i were you get the phone # of the Honda district manager and give him ( her) a call and complain about the whole situation ...and how dissatisfied you are fof all that they charged you so much money and second that you feel WARRANTY should have covered it all ,,including the pads for wearing so soon
Ehy mention,,,,,,,,,,,DEFECTIVE PADS ??

 

400 is a lot, but i have seen some of the honda dealerships act shisty like that. i think your right though......about the woman thing. i never let any girl i know go to a shop by herself. for the low fluid, as the pads wear down, the piston inside of the brake caliper extends sucking up more fluid. if the back pads were completely burned down, the fluid would probably be near the min level. you should keep checking it though. as for your money i dont know. i just got some bad service at the infiniti dealership here in az and i demanded my money back and the general manager told me to go to hell. so i know just never to go there again. we have a honda dealership here in az too thats like yours. its called showcase honda, they are theives.

 

I just called my local honda dealer to see what they charge for a basic brake bleed and they quoted me $129.00!!!!

 

MALSR asked about a basic brake bleed, & Melissa got new brake pads along with a brake bleed. Still, that's a big difference in cost. Big difference in labor ratesbetween VA vs. wherever MALSR lives??

 

The noise your hearing is common. It is just moisture or the rotor and thats why it goes away quickly. thre is not much you can do aboput the noise, its nort going to hurt anything.

 

I went yesterday to the dealer again. The tech guy said there was nothing wrong. My problem with the noise (like crushing snow) is normal in cold temps (we've been having very cold temps 7 degrees in virginia). He assured me that the brakes were fine and the noises were fine. He said they happen often in cold weather and knew that the sound goes away soon after the car drives.

As for the cost of replacing the brake pads...I'm not sure I can do anything about that. I can try to go up the chain, but the brakes are not covered, the fluid flush may be different...we'll see.

As for the cost in virginia, I had called a local gas station for a price and they were similar. In northern virginia prices are just plain high.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

 

Close to DC? NOTHING is cheap if you're close to DC...

Just as explanation...
The brake rotors can rust - they're just cast iron. The grinding sound is your brakes rubbing off the little bit of rust that happens overnight or over a couple days. After applying the brakes for the first stop sign, that polishes the rotors so the're shiny again. If you wash the car & don't drive it (to dry the rotors) you'll get that same thing.

That gurgling sound? I can't imagine it being the brakes at all. The brake fluid is filling the tubes to the back of the car. There's NO air at all to make a gurgling sound. What about fuel sloshing around in the gas tank? That would be normal. A lot of us never have the stereo turned off so we don't think about that.