Help mini brake noise/and BMW/Mini service centra
My misses picked up her 6 4 plate Mini Cooper S 2.0 Automatic on the first day of registration, and from the very start the brakes made a grinding noise when applied, the noise isn't very loud and is best heard when driving very slowly and gently applying the brakes, the same noise can be heard when braking, normally, or from speed, providing no one is talking and the music is off,
So it's a grinding noise that isn't very loud, and sounds like the noise you get when your pads are worn down to the metal, ( but not as loud)
I told the misses that because it was a showroom car, and had been sitting a while ( hopefully) that the brakes just needed to be used a bit, anyway it's now been 1499 miles and the noise is still there, the misses doesn't notice it, but I'm a retired mechanic, so pick up on things like this real easy,
Anyway we had a discussion and I was going to have a look and probably change the rear pads, as I believe the noise is coming from there, only because, if, when rolling very slowly, I apply the handbrake gently, I can hear the same noise, ( if I apply the handbrake harder the car stops lol )
But we phoned a BMW service centra and booked it in for a check, when we arrived, I took a technician out to the car and reversed, I applied the foot brake and he said he could hear it grinding,
So we left it with them, later that day my misses phones me and says,
" they said they have put it on the machine and tested it like blar blar blar, nothing wrong, but going to keep the car over night as a technician was goner look at it
( long story.... Short ) I phoned them up,
Look I say, it has got to be easier to take of the wheels and whip out the pads, and visually inspect them, than to keep plugging in your machines ( which by the sounds of some of the post on this forum, cant diagnose much anyway) plus your technician heard the noise himself, coming from the back,
From the back ??? Ohh it says here that the noise comes from the front,
No, say I, I'm sure it's the rear, as the noise is the same if you apply the handbrake,
No, says the service manager, at nine elms, all of them make that noise if you pull up the handbrake !!!!
Now, I thought to myself, hold up, does this man think I'm a mushroom, ?? My mates mini makes no grinding noise when u pull the handbrake up gently, and neither does my cousins,
So, told him I'm a retired mechanic, and as we all know, diagnostic machines are only as good as the person using them, and even then, they often misdiagnose , plus, how would there machine be able to tell me if there a small stone in the pad, or if there was a defect in the manufacture of the pads fitted to our mini, he then went on to explain in detail, how there diagnostic machines where at the leading edge, yer well, I don't think so, anyway, he then said he was getting another mini like ours in tomorrow to see if it's a feature of that particular model, ( the mind boggles, just whip out the pads and have a look )
So now we're waiting to see if the other mini grinds like our one, ( please, are u sure, ) and if it does, what then, oh and by the way, that was yesterday, the other mini didn't arrive, apparently there having problems finding one like ours, ( really??? Isn't the brake setup the same on a whole range of mini,s ?? ) so now the other mini, is coming in tomorrow at 10. am . and we are waiting to see what happens then, the thing is, if I was hearing this from someone else, I would be laughing so much, my teeth would fall out, why oh why didn't I just jack up the car and change the rear pads myself, ?? The real thing here is that I honestly feel like the dealer is just fobbing me off, not really even worried about how I may feel about the very poor service i think I'm getting,
Thing is, maybe it's just me, but if someone had just spent £32.000 on a mini with my company, I'd make sure I did everything possible to sort out the problem ( which has been there from new)
I understand that no one can just throw parts at a car in the hope it will repair it ( the service managers response to me saying it's got to be cheaper for you to just put a pair of rear pads on ) ( along with, the discussion about getting authority for the replacement,
So, latest news is, if it's the rear pads there not covered under the warranty, which I would normally except, but this noise has been from delivery of the car, so, what do we do now??
Maybe I should just go and get it and do it myself, the misses is even worried now that the car will be taken on extended test drives, ( please don't let there be more than 3 or 4 miles on the clock) test drives wouldn't be needed, the noise can be heard on the forecourt much more easily, all of which we explained,
Anyway if you got to the end of this post, thanks for at least bearing with me why I pour out my worries and thoughts to the world.
If you think you can answer any of my questions, or help out with some advice, thanks, maybe you fancy popping over to battersea to change these rear brakes. Lol
Thanks in advance MrA
My misses picked up her 6 4 plate Mini Cooper S 2.0 Automatic on the first day of registration, and from the very start the brakes made a grinding noise when applied, the noise isn't very loud and is best heard when driving very slowly and gently applying the brakes, the same noise can be heard when braking, normally, or from speed, providing no one is talking and the music is off,
So it's a grinding noise that isn't very loud, and sounds like the noise you get when your pads are worn down to the metal, ( but not as loud)
I told the misses that because it was a showroom car, and had been sitting a while ( hopefully) that the brakes just needed to be used a bit, anyway it's now been 1499 miles and the noise is still there, the misses doesn't notice it, but I'm a retired mechanic, so pick up on things like this real easy,
Anyway we had a discussion and I was going to have a look and probably change the rear pads, as I believe the noise is coming from there, only because, if, when rolling very slowly, I apply the handbrake gently, I can hear the same noise, ( if I apply the handbrake harder the car stops lol )
But we phoned a BMW service centra and booked it in for a check, when we arrived, I took a technician out to the car and reversed, I applied the foot brake and he said he could hear it grinding,
So we left it with them, later that day my misses phones me and says,
" they said they have put it on the machine and tested it like blar blar blar, nothing wrong, but going to keep the car over night as a technician was goner look at it
( long story.... Short ) I phoned them up,
Look I say, it has got to be easier to take of the wheels and whip out the pads, and visually inspect them, than to keep plugging in your machines ( which by the sounds of some of the post on this forum, cant diagnose much anyway) plus your technician heard the noise himself, coming from the back,
From the back ??? Ohh it says here that the noise comes from the front,
No, say I, I'm sure it's the rear, as the noise is the same if you apply the handbrake,
No, says the service manager, at nine elms, all of them make that noise if you pull up the handbrake !!!!
Now, I thought to myself, hold up, does this man think I'm a mushroom, ?? My mates mini makes no grinding noise when u pull the handbrake up gently, and neither does my cousins,
So, told him I'm a retired mechanic, and as we all know, diagnostic machines are only as good as the person using them, and even then, they often misdiagnose , plus, how would there machine be able to tell me if there a small stone in the pad, or if there was a defect in the manufacture of the pads fitted to our mini, he then went on to explain in detail, how there diagnostic machines where at the leading edge, yer well, I don't think so, anyway, he then said he was getting another mini like ours in tomorrow to see if it's a feature of that particular model, ( the mind boggles, just whip out the pads and have a look )
So now we're waiting to see if the other mini grinds like our one, ( please, are u sure, ) and if it does, what then, oh and by the way, that was yesterday, the other mini didn't arrive, apparently there having problems finding one like ours, ( really??? Isn't the brake setup the same on a whole range of mini,s ?? ) so now the other mini, is coming in tomorrow at 10. am . and we are waiting to see what happens then, the thing is, if I was hearing this from someone else, I would be laughing so much, my teeth would fall out, why oh why didn't I just jack up the car and change the rear pads myself, ?? The real thing here is that I honestly feel like the dealer is just fobbing me off, not really even worried about how I may feel about the very poor service i think I'm getting,
Thing is, maybe it's just me, but if someone had just spent £32.000 on a mini with my company, I'd make sure I did everything possible to sort out the problem ( which has been there from new)
I understand that no one can just throw parts at a car in the hope it will repair it ( the service managers response to me saying it's got to be cheaper for you to just put a pair of rear pads on ) ( along with, the discussion about getting authority for the replacement,
So, latest news is, if it's the rear pads there not covered under the warranty, which I would normally except, but this noise has been from delivery of the car, so, what do we do now??
Maybe I should just go and get it and do it myself, the misses is even worried now that the car will be taken on extended test drives, ( please don't let there be more than 3 or 4 miles on the clock) test drives wouldn't be needed, the noise can be heard on the forecourt much more easily, all of which we explained,
Anyway if you got to the end of this post, thanks for at least bearing with me why I pour out my worries and thoughts to the world.
If you think you can answer any of my questions, or help out with some advice, thanks, maybe you fancy popping over to battersea to change these rear brakes. Lol
Thanks in advance MrA
