From: hsd@swlrat.msd.ray.com (HERBERT DASILVA)
Subject: I HATE SHABBY MECHANICS (was: I HATE MY DODGE)
Organization: Raytheon Company, Tewksbury, MA
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 17:01:54 GMT

Janviere S Thuman <jt3u+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>I have  a problem that has been occuring for over 4 years with my 1988
>Dodge Daytona.(I bought the car new when I was 16 years old)

>At 12,000 miles (while still under warranty) my brakes began to pulse
>violently. I realize that normal wear and tear on a car happens, but at
>12,000 miles, no brakes should go bad! I didn't complain. I had the
>rotors turned and pads replaced etc, but began to experience the EXACT
>same thing in less than 5,000 miles. I am not an erratic driver. I live
>on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where it is FLAT and rural. To this
>day, the car is still in almost perfect condition (garage kept, cleaned,
>maintained, etc) (And I have a Jeep that I drive when the weather is
>bad) 

[...]

>If anyone has any suggestions for what I can do please let me know. At
>this point I have lost hope but it would be interesting to know if
>anyone has had similar problems.
>Thanks-- shellie

  Ouch!!  There's nothing worse than your situation!  The problem isn't
  actually with the car, it's with the people you've been dealing with!!
  It really sounds like no one has done you the courtesy of taking the time
  to analyze the problem with the car, and this is VERY common.  Here's my
  $0.02:

  Disk rotors these days are very susceptible to warping when the lug nuts
  holding on the wheels are not correctly torqued!!  Every time you get the
  rotors trued, if the the lugs are not torqued to factory specs (or at
  least torqued EQUALLY), you WILL get warped rotors in short order.  At
  shabby shops, you have to ASK to have the lugs hand-torqued, because it
  takes the monkey doing the work extra TIME and THOUGHT to use the torque
  wrench, and not the air ratchet.  When you're dealing with a particularly
  shabby shop, you'll even get a dirty look or complaint when you ask for
  this.  IMMEDIATELY find another shop.

  [pause for ascent to soapbox]

  The real problem is that all mechanics care about is your $$$$, and not
  your happiness.  After all, if they don't do it right the first time,
  you'll be back later to have it fixed again, and they get paid again!!
  It really pisses me off that if you don't know what you want, you'll get
  whatever they feel like giving you!!!  There is precious little
  professionalism in the auto industry, so when you find a good mechanic or
  a good dealership, it's important to tell the whole neighborhood, so they
  get all the business, and the shabby shops get as little as possible!!

  [pause for descent from soapbox]

  From my experience with Dodge front wheel drive vehicles, 40,000 miles
  should pass before rotors become warped, even under hard braking,
  depending on your braking style, with properly torqued lugs.  My sister
  can regularly warp her rotors in as soon as 25,000 miles because of her
  braking style (jam 'em on at the last second), and my Mom has yet to ever
  warp a rotor.

  So, here's your fix:  Find a mechanic/dealership/friend who actually
  cares about doing the job right, and ask to have your lugs torqued!! :-)

	Best of Luck!!

		Herb "Mopar Maniac" DaSilva