Good evening guys,

I've noticed something about the brakes which has alarmed me slightly. Under heavy braking (not light braking) there is a vibration noticeable through the brake pedal. I can brake fully with no problem (so not brake fade as such) and additional brake effort isn't needed, but it's the vibration which is alarming.

I could use a DTi gauge if I had one to check the rotors for run out. The front brake discs don't have any noticeable (to the eye) grooves/ridges or heavy rusting.

I'm wondering if it could be just a build up of brake dust and would it be worth stripping and giving everything a clean with brake dust cleaner?

P.S - I had a service in January and the brake pads and rotors were completely fine. The front pads were 9mm thick.

Matt.

Could it be ABS?

Hi SB1500,

Hi certainly hope it isn't, I'm only braking firmly when the vibration through the pedal is felt. I've felt ABS braking previously in a different car and the pedal stiffens and pulsates rapidly, which doesn't feel like this.

Matt.

matty23 said:

Hi SB1500,



Hi certainly hope it isn't, I'm only braking firmly when the vibration through the pedal is felt. I've felt ABS braking previously in a different car and the pedal stiffens and pulsates rapidly, which doesn't feel like this.



Matt.

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Ah right, just thought I'd check in case. Hold out for further replies as I know there's people on here who will know the likely cause

matty23 said:

I'm wondering if it could be just a build up of brake dust and would it be worth stripping and giving everything a clean with brake dust cleaner?

Click to expand...

Seen this lots of times, on many different cars.

Most likely one of the pads is sticking in the reaction frame due to corrosion and dust build up; the Panda & 500 are both prone to this problem as the parts aren't given any anti-seize treatment in the factory.

Stripping down, cleaning and lubricating will likely fix this issue if caught early. If left unchecked, it'll likely bend one of the pads &/or warp one of the rotors and then you'll have to change both discs & pads (only about £45 on a 1.2 Panda).

Follow the instructions in this post.

It'll be a warped disc.

It doesn't take much run out to make the brakes shudder under foot.
One tiny blip on one disc will cause the pedal to vibrate quite badly duing heavy braking.

I've known some that got it after replacing the discs and they couldn't work out why and sent the discs back.
It turned out there was muck and rust on the hub face causing the disc to not sit flush.

Make sure the hub faces are clean before fitting new discs.

Quick question, does the brake pads come with wear indicators as seen on the 500?

thanks, Matt

matty23 said:

Quick question, does the brake pads come with wear indicators as seen on the 500?

thanks, Matt

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Assuming you mean the wired wear warning system, then definitely not on my 2010 1.2.

IIRC aftermarket unwired pads are about £10 cheaper; you can also use them in the 500 if you don't mind sacrificing the wear warning system, which IMO is largely a waste of time since it's usually one of the unwired pads that goes below limits first.

Other years/models may vary.

A set of Pagid pads & discs are a shade under £50 for the 1.2 & replacement is about as easy as it gets; for that sort of money, it's not worth messing about if there's any doubt about the state of your brakes. Just be sure to clean & lubricate the hub face and pad carriers as previously described.

Thanks for all your advice so far. I'm going to start looking into it. By the way, my Panda 1.2 Eleganza is a 2009/59 so I assume it'll have no wear indicator.

HELP!!!

I decided to clean my brakes today and apply copper grease where necessary. The big problem was brake dust, covering everything and meaning everything was difficult to remove.

This is why I need help... On the Panda, the lower part of the calliper is held together by a long pin and inside the long pin passes a small locking piece. The small pin upon identifying it was facing at an odd angle, meaning I couldn't free it easily. So I thought I'd try and rotate the pin using pliers, it was solid and obviously I couldn't hit the pin with a hammer as the locking piece was in place.

Anyhow, I eventually freed it but in the end, it broke into two pieces. Now, my Panda has a small section of the locking piece in the hole. Is the locking piece vital, and does it desperately need replacing? The pin seems sturdy enough.

Also, just to add; The pads and discs after a good clean no longer squeak, grind or cause vibration. The issue was clearly dust and I could see slight rusting on the calliper holder which has been cleaned and has nice blobs of copper grease applied.

Matt.

matty23 said:

Is the locking piece vital, and does it desperately need replacing? The pin seems sturdy enough.

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Yes (you definitely don't want the pin falling out), but you can replace the locking clip (which IIRC is an R-clip) with any suitable non-rusting alternative which will perform the same function.

Rigging something up using stainless steel locking wire is one possibility.

Aftermarket R-clips should be generally available though; I'd suggest getting stainless ones if you can. Here's one source; any boat chandler's should have all the sizes you could possibly need.

A suitably sized pin punch should get any remnants of the old clip out of the hole.

Thanks,

I've just took a larger R-clip off an axle stand, I've clipped into place ensuring I didn't catch the pads or disc. I am on the hunt at the minute looking for a small R-clip for sale.

Matt.

matty23 said:

I am on the hunt at the minute looking for a small R-clip for sale.

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There's hundreds on the 'bay; most auto parts shops will have them on card displays; failing that, most specialist RC modelshops will keep a stock.

I'm wondering if these will do, any advice against them? If you think they're good, I'll get them tomorrow as I'm worried about the brake calliper separating.

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...cals-fixings/halfords-assorted-r-clips-hfx369

Matt.

Hi,

I have fitted the genuine FIAT clip onto the pin but I'm wondering if there is a correct way of it being fitted to the pin.

I have attached a pic below of how it currently looks. It appears to hold fine. Forgive my beautiful art piece. Haha

Hi guys,

I finally got around to doing the brakes and it seemed like a simple job.

Some before and after shots. I pressed the brake pedal after fitment as as expected, the pedal sank to the floor, but then it firmed up nicely.