NEW PUNTO- Braking

I have a 6month old Punto Active Sport 1.2 8v and have got problems with the brakes. When braking the brakes make a bad rubbing noise almost as if the pads were bare or nearly bare. This is especially bad with short town driving and when the car is cold- mainly at low speed or coming to a stop. The car has been back to the dealers twice and i have looked myself- the pads and discs are both fine. Whilst the noise doesn't appear to be damaging anything visible its really annoying and it is the brakes afterall!

Garage told me its cos the pads on the new puntos don't have asbestos(?) in them anymore. Apparently this has been substituted for a metal pigment throughout the pad and this is what causes the noise.

Anyone else have the same problem? Been told the same explanation?

Thanks.

yeah mate i have the same prob, wen i changed my discs and pads i found that my caliper had actually seized so id get that checked asap cos it wore thru the driver's pad and damaged the disc

Re: NEW PUNTO- Braking

scottga4 said:

Garage told me its cos the pads on the new puntos don't have asbestos(?) in them anymore. Apparently this has been substituted for a metal pigment throughout the pad and this is what causes the noise.

Anyone else have the same problem? Been told the same explanation?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

They are the boys aren't they

I complained to my dealer about something similar, and they told me it was the brass that replaced the Asbestos in the pads that causes this.

I told him that I work with Asbestos and manage it in a number of buildings. I also told him Asbestos is a material known for its heat-resistance and insulation properties, where as brass is a brilliant heat conductor, so you would not substitute brass (or any other metal) for Asbestos. I then told him that what he told me was Horse-s**t. He went all quiet and the other bloke waiting in the service reception started chuckling...

I think it is the heat-shield on the brakes not being fitted 100% straight. It got resolved on my car when I had the pads changed at 36,000 miles (despite Fiat having 2 goes before that). It used to make the most awful searing noise that would only be resolved by either a) an emergency stop or b) driving at over 50mph

Monkey

Re: NEW PUNTO- Braking

mines makes that noise teh first time i break in my car after after i have parked for couple of hours. it allways does it and sounds horible but this goes away in summer and comes back in winter. i have had breaks checked by fiat and independant no probs foudn so i live with it.

I had the exact same problem on my active sport also and had my mechanic friend look at the brakes and replace them if needed. He told me that the new 'metal pregnated' pads that are now being fitted to most new cars to do away with the asbestos content, mean that the small (sand grain size) pieces of metal get trapped between the disc and pad and cause the grinding and sometimes squeal as if the pads are worn completley down.

He simply cleaned the brakes and discs usuing a brake cleaning fluid and it solved the problem. My did start it again after about another 5000 miles but I just cleaned them again and nothing since again

The discs on my push bike do that. Only way to resolve it without changing pads to and organic compound or sintered compound is to clean em with disc cleaner (note Car disc brake cleaner won't work on bikes, as it has oil in it, and vice versa).

Interested by the use of cleaning fluid for the brakes- any suggestions as to what cleaning fluid to buy? Is it commercially available? Is it easy to apply or do you really need to remove the wheels- im not really mechanically minded or experienced.

Thanks for your feedback.

any car accessory store will sell brake cleaning fluid. It's just a standard thing like car polish or tyre cleaner etc. you will need to remove the wheel to get the pads etc out to clean then properly. Your best to clean the pads the calipers the disc's etc to prevent any quick re-contamination of the braking system that's gonna make the grinding etc come back very quickly.