2003 TAHOE HAD A BRAKE LINE LEAK ON DRIVER SIDE FRAME JUST BEHIND/UNDER DRIVER DOOR. SEEMS A "SOFT" SPOT FOR THIS TO OCCUR AT 209 K AND BEING A "SALT ON ROADS IN THE WINTER" TRUCK, THOUGH IN EXCELLENT CONDITION FOR IT'S AGE. GM DEALER CUTS BAD SPOT OUT AND REPLACES SAME.(SPLICED LINE) "REST OF LINES LOOK OK" I AM ADVISED. PICK UP VEHICLE, DRIVE LESS THAN 15 MILES, ARRIVE HOME AND DRIVER'S FRONT WHEEL IS SMOKING HOT AND RIM IS UNTOUCHABLE DUE TO HEAT. I ADVISE MY SERVICE WRITER AND LATER THE DEALER GENERAL MANAGER. "THE SLED" PICKS UP TAHOE AND TAKES BACK TO GM GARAGE.(FRIDAY) TODAY,WITH NO CALLS, I ASK WHAT IS STORY.........TOLD CALIPER ON THAT WHEEL STUCK AND I OWN THE PROBLEM.($) WILL NOTE THAT 2000 MILES AGO, I SPENT NEARLY $600 FOR ROTORS AND PADS, THOUGH THEY DID NO WORK ON THE CALIPERS, ETC. I TOLD SVC MGR THAT THE CALIPER WAS STUCK ON THE ROTOR WHEN I LET THE GARAGE, I COULD FEEL THE VEHICLE PULL TO THE LEFT AND THEY APPARENTLY DID NOT CHECK THE OPERATION OF THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM WHEN THEY COMPLETED THE SPLICE REMEDY TO THE SUBJECT BRAKE LINE. HE ADVISED THAT WAS NOT TRUE, ADDING "PERHAPS SOME DEBRIS WAS UNLODGED WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS REFILLED AND PRESSURIZED." THE SPLICE COST $292 AND I AM UPSET, PUTTING IT MILDLY. WOULD APPRECIATE ADVISE AND COUNSEL. TRUCK IS STILL THERE, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE SECOND BILLING, AND HAVE ESCALATED "WAY UP"............. :roll:
NEED A BRAKE EXPERT............
- Thread starter HAWKEYE#28
- Start date
Help Support Ruger Forum:
Sounds to me like they didn't bleed the new line and get fluid flowing back up to the brake CALIPER after changing the line the CALIPER froze up the first time you touched the brakes, air in the line closed it when you pressed the pedal and no fluid pressure to open it back up, also sounds like they charged you for their mistake, I would have raised hell over them trying to charge you for it.
BlackEye
Single-Sixer
Sorry to hear of the brake woes. More so, the garage personnel reactions to the caliper issue seem a bit slanted. Calipers very seldom stick. Damaged boots that allow corrosion to the piston could cause sticking at some point. An inspection of the calipers at the last brake job would have discovered any pending issues and they would have been replaced then. 2000 miles isn't enough time for them to fail if they passed inspection and the garage deemed them worthy. With the wheel getting that hot, any inspection now would be pointless. The heat likely destroyed the boots and the pistons which are probably phenolic material. The splice is highly suspect if any debris is the cause (they did flush after cutting the line to splice?). And bleeding the brakes should have alerted if there was 'dirty' fluid. Another possible is the type of splice could have been done in such a way to constrict the brake line causing the line to hold pressure to the caliper. It wasn't stated if the splice was done without removing the wheel and tire and brake components. If those were removed, there is also a possibility of something not going together right on reassembly. A visual inspection could possibly tell more, even with the heat damage. It is convenient it only happened after their 'repairs'.
Thanks for both your responses. This situation could have been very very bad. I had planned to drive the Tahoe on Sat., the next day, some 120 miles, loaded with Wife and "stuff" to attend a family funeral. Had I not done some minor trips when I picked up the Tahoe before I came home, the failure would have been at 60-to mph on the interstate at 7 am and I am sure the truck would have burned................ BTW, I had no brake system warning messages and "they" must have driven the truck after the completion of the splice..........It is my position that they "own" this situation and I am positioned to get loud about it....... 
At this point, I have no idea of the :? damage to the brake pads and the rotor................
At this point, I have no idea of the :? damage to the brake pads and the rotor................HAWKEYE#28 said:Thanks for both your responses. This situation could have been very very bad. I had planned to drive the Tahoe on Sat., the next day, some 120 miles, loaded with Wife and "stuff" to attend a family funeral. Had I not done some minor trips when I picked up the Tahoe before I came home, the failure would have been at 60-to mph on the interstate at 7 am and I am sure the truck would have burned................ BTW, I had no brake system warning messages and "they" must have driven the truck after the completion of the splice..........It is my position that they "own" this situation and I am positioned to get loud about it.......
I agree they own it, they have been maintaining your brake system and they turned out work with a problem they should of caught, get loud and don't let them push you around.
Thanks for your comments and support! 8)
Colonialgirl
Hawkeye
HAWKEYE#28 said:
Don't keep screwing around with the local yokels; UP GRADE to the Corporate Service Management level; He doesn't have ANY IRONS in the fire EXCEPT to customers such as yourself happy. I bet about a DAY after you contact him, you get a call from the dealer service Dept. If NOT then keep climbing the Corporate ladder !!
That use to work for people with a complaint about Sears when I worked for a supplier !!
I concur with them not bleeding the brake line properly. I also concur with CG. Pass it up the chain of command.
Brake lines are a problem in Maine also they corrode from road salt.
IMO the froze caliper should have been detected by the dealer letting
it leave in that condition is not good. The froze caliper being a result of their
work is unlikely imo unless it was on the same side of the vehicle.
Never Ever Heard of splicing a brake line it just is not done in these parts.
New is the way to go, I have mine done with Stainless yes a few bucks more for
parts labor is the same but you NEVER touch it again. ps
IMO the froze caliper should have been detected by the dealer letting
it leave in that condition is not good. The froze caliper being a result of their
work is unlikely imo unless it was on the same side of the vehicle.
Never Ever Heard of splicing a brake line it just is not done in these parts.
New is the way to go, I have mine done with Stainless yes a few bucks more for
parts labor is the same but you NEVER touch it again. ps
Agree the dealer owns it.
Going up the chain at GM is more than likely a waste of time. The manufacturer has very little power over a dealer. Once it is out of warranty where the mfr can cover the costs they have very little input. A 12 year old vehicle is out of their league. You are going to have to fight this at the dealer level. Sevice manager to general manager to owner. Are your most likely lines of argument.
Dealers are a private business. Their connection to the mfr is limited to sales and warranty agreements/contracts. Beyond that they can do as they please and unless it violates the agreements the mfr can only watch.
Going up the chain at GM is more than likely a waste of time. The manufacturer has very little power over a dealer. Once it is out of warranty where the mfr can cover the costs they have very little input. A 12 year old vehicle is out of their league. You are going to have to fight this at the dealer level. Sevice manager to general manager to owner. Are your most likely lines of argument.
Dealers are a private business. Their connection to the mfr is limited to sales and warranty agreements/contracts. Beyond that they can do as they please and unless it violates the agreements the mfr can only watch.
huntsman22
Blackhawk
HAWKEYE#28 said:
Then why didn't you turn around and tell them it wasn't right, when you felt the first pull?
It's your baby now.........
If they had the caliper off for any reason,they could have let it hang by the brake hose.
The hose has an inner liner,that is more rigid than the rubber outer hose,and if the caliper is allowed to hang on it,the inside will kink,and not let the fluid to return,keeping the brake applied.
Also,check the fluid level in the master cylinder,too much fluid with not enough space will not let the pressure return to the reservoir either.
Best of luck.
The hose has an inner liner,that is more rigid than the rubber outer hose,and if the caliper is allowed to hang on it,the inside will kink,and not let the fluid to return,keeping the brake applied.
Also,check the fluid level in the master cylinder,too much fluid with not enough space will not let the pressure return to the reservoir either.
Best of luck.
Poprivit
Bearcat
Replace the spliced line! Never, never repair a brake line.
radicalrod
Hunter
Just go down to NAPA and get a new rotor and loaded caliper.....maybe cost $100 and bolt them on...
At 200K I wouldn't even think of just replacing the pads....
I would also buy a roll of brake tubing and make a new line....
The rest of that line is only about 10% better than the spot they patched....
You might want to find an independent shop that wants your work...YMMV...RR
At 200K I wouldn't even think of just replacing the pads....
I would also buy a roll of brake tubing and make a new line....
The rest of that line is only about 10% better than the spot they patched....
You might want to find an independent shop that wants your work...YMMV...RR
steelshooterco
Single-Sixer
You'd think that after failure from corrosion, they would have power flushed the entire brake system and replaced with new fluid. To splice a line, especially at a dealership sounds like a bunch of hacks, would find a new dealership. While a dealership may warrant their work on paper for 30 days, the one I use and have stuck with for years, will make things right, long after 30 days. Now I've been a customer there for over 20+ years and that may have a bearing on things.
Had an issue with a Lincoln dealership that changed ownership, lost a bunch of customers, but I stayed with them. They pulled a "stunt" that really irritated me, so wrote an E-mail to Ford. It was s franchised dealership, and once Ford got thru with them, had several phone calls, and they were doing back flips to fix the issue, pleading with me to come in.
I'd try GM and good luck.
Had an issue with a Lincoln dealership that changed ownership, lost a bunch of customers, but I stayed with them. They pulled a "stunt" that really irritated me, so wrote an E-mail to Ford. It was s franchised dealership, and once Ford got thru with them, had several phone calls, and they were doing back flips to fix the issue, pleading with me to come in.
I'd try GM and good luck.
huntsman22
Blackhawk
6gun said:
They didn't work on the stuck caliper. hint........ Working on a burnt-out headlight, don't mean they have to warrant the frigging transmission. Same thing, they only have to warrant the splice, not a 12 year old caliper.
But then again, it's the American way..... blame someone else, entitlement mentality...
BlackEye
Single-Sixer
If they used compression fittings on the splice, and collapsed the brake line, the caliper could have been 'applied' from not releasing the line pressure properly. The caliper was said to be working when the garage took delivery of the vehicle. Yes, they should have replaced the line and not repaired it.
6gun said:
No they didn't work on the caliper but it was damaged as a result of there misguided repair, calipers don't lock up when their 12 years old they lock up when fluid is not reaching them, when they work on the brake system they are responsible to check the entire system to make sure everything is working proper, if the caliper was bad or had a problem they should have caught it.
Calipers rarely ever have a problem other than leaking when the seals are going out, that don't cause them to lock but no fluid will.
Big Old Boy
Hunter
$292 to splice a break line is nuts you need a new garage. As you can see they don't know what there doing.
