Murphy's Law Strikes Again

As luck would have it, I just got my brand new Tacoma, and my wifes cars proverbial wheels fell off. The back left caliper seized up, warped the rotor and did something to the hub which I cant remember what the guy said. It's a 2000 Nissan Maxima with 114000 miles. The repair will cost 650 bucks for the guy to replace both rear calipers and both rear hubs. She still owes 5000 on the car. The engine still runs well. So... what should I do with it? Should I get the repair done and continue to drive it? Should I get a minimal repair done and trade it in? Should I not have the repair done at all and trade it in? Advice please, I'm totally at a loss for what to do.

 

Around 3000 trade in I think. 6000 suggested retail.

 

I agree with Chris. Repair it and keep it a little while longer. The Nissan is a pretty good car.

Tim Glover

 

Fix it and get the loan paid down. If you replace the calipers and rotors everything should be back to good condition. A seized caliper isn't usually an indication of anything else wrong with the vehicle so if there's nothing else wrong with the car then drive it until the wheels really do fall off!

 

Is 650 a pretty good price on that repair?

 

Get the repair done. It's only 650; yes I know it's alot of money, but it really is not that much in the grand scheem of things. She still owes 5,000 on it...so if you do a minimal fix (which really is not going to be less money) and trade it in, your going to lose some money on the trade in, THEN what ever you buy is going to be more money and may mean a bigger monthly payment; AND AND AND there is no guarente that the next car will not have problems too. I am a firm believer is driving a car to the bitter end...that is the only way to get the most of your money! Especially if she is close to paying the car off (meaning with in the next couple years or less), who cares if you have the occasional big repair bill (well, we all do care) but it IS WAY LESS then a car payment.

My sugesstion...once you pay off the car, what ever the car payment is, STILL MAKE IT!!!!!!!!!! But instead of making the payment to the bank, make it to yourself. Meaning, open a bank account JUST for a car and deposite the money in there, and let it earn you interest (I know it wont be much, but it all helps and adds up). Your next car will have a lower monthly payment if any at all. Why should you pay the bank interest on a car loan? Why not get payed interest on the money befor you have to buy?

Yes I know it sounds easy, easier said then done. But if you are making the payment now, there is no excuse why you can't continue to make the payment to yourself after the car is payed off.

Also, make principle payments NOW. I don't care how small it is...litterally 1 or 2 dollars a month adds up to ALOT (and I do mean ALOT) of interst saved!!!

 

I agree

 

I think he is replacing all the rear calipers, hubs and left rotor.

 

fix it, and drive a little longer

 

I am going to chime in and say that words mean things. Sit down with the shop and ask them to list what is REQUIRED and what is RECOMMENDED along with why. Compare that to the estimate.

To give you an example, if there is a seized caliper it REQUIRES replacement to get the vehicle operating properly. The other caliper is RECOMMENDED due to several factors. It has the same age and mileage as the failed unit, and uneven brake force can cause a vehicle to pull during brake application. Does this make sense? I know some on here will argue that hydraulics "must always be replaced in pairs" and many of them are likely technicians. The question I always ask is hypothetical. If a shop replaces a pair of calipers and one of them fails under warranty, will they replace both of them or only one? The silence is deafening. They will only do one the vast majority of the time. Then I ask them......So when the customer is paying you insist on both but when it is your time and money, you can suddenly do one, right? Cars do not have needs. People have needs, cars have requirements and recommendations. These are based on inspection and specifications. Experience can drive recommendations and those should be your choice if you accept the responsibility for the outcome.

Do the same thing with the hubs. Are BOTH required and why.

All that said, this is not really high repair. Couple of payments. Heck, even the sales tax on another vehicle will likely be over that. Those cars, well serviced can go a ton of miles. A brake fluid exchange every few years or when a chemical test strip shows a high copper content can prevent those types of failures. My last vehicle was over 275,000 with original hydraulics. (Nissan Pickup) Fluid was serviced every couple of years and always when brakes were replaced.

HTH

 

So this is likely a result of not replacing the brake fluid often enough? Is there anything else I can do to keep this from happening again in the future? If it happened to my Taco, might ruin my whole day...

 

Repair it for now, with lavish promises of the car she could get later

 

Already done did it already.

 

the lavishing part i mean.

 

I chose my words carefully. I said "can prevent" not "would have prevented". That is not a cop out. Just trying to be accurate. There can be many reasons why a caliper seizes up. Many times on disassembly you will find corrosion inside a unit. Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning that is absorbs moisture. Over time the moisture can build up to a level where the boiling point of the fluid is lowered. You may not notice anything abnormal. If the vehicle was in a panic or severe braking condition, the temperature of the fluid could increase to the point where is boils, this will cause fade and a sinking pedal as the vapor now compresses. When it cools down the pedal may again feel normal. The brake fluid is designed to suspend and disperse the moisture to a point so that the performance is maintained. There are also additives that act as anti corrosion and anti foaming agents. The corrosion inhibitors can break down over time and fail to protect the insides of the hydraulics. The pitting and sediment can cause seizing of the components. The brake lines are copper lined and copper is a soft metal. If the fluid is degraded the copper content in the fluid will start to increase. It can be tested with as chemical strip. Any fluid with a copper content over 200 parts per million REQUIRES replacement according to MAP standards. (Motorist Assurance Program). This is a set of standards written for automotive service by a third party to help set what is required to return a vehicle to normal operation and what is recommended for performance and long life.

Look at it this way. We change oil because it wears out and can damage an engine. Fluids break down over time and use. Even if you pay someone to service the fluid, in the long run it is cheap insurance. The (usually) sub $100 service is helping protect potentially thousands of dollars in hydraulics on a modern, ABS equipped vehicle.

 

OK so I had the repair done and it seems the problem was not fixed. He replaced both rear calipers, rotors and left rear hub. When you drive it down the interstate, you can smell the metal getting hot and when you spray water on the back left rotor, it boils off. Not so with the other 3. Am I missing something? Is that just the parts wearing in?