General Fiat 500 sport sticking caliber ?

[Shawnee29]

Hi I have a fiat 500 1.4 sport which is a 57 plate. Over the past week I have experiencing some problems -

1. Feeling that handbrake is still engaged when trying to pull off sometimes.
2. Screech/sqweaking when car is reversing
3. Wobbling of steering wheel when going over 60mph
4. Front passenger side wheel extremely hot after driving and smells almost burning?

No warranty - bought from evans halshaw in may 2012, took to them today who said potential caliber sticking and to take to fiat dealer as they couldn't sort it out.
Then took to fiat who informed me that I need new caliber and my wheel had stuck so they removed the seal that had broken on the caliber as a quick fix for now but now say that I need new brake discs and pads all around the car and of course a new caliber - the caliber alone will cost £250 I dread to think how much brakes will be.

When completing their diagnostic test they found that my rear shock absorbers were non existent and have said evans halshaw should of picked up on it when they sold and MOT'd the car for me. Also that my brakes should of been done by evans halshaw as I have only done 4000 miles since purchasing it and they were badly worn down.

I was wondering if its best to take to evans halshaw and demand they pay for the repairs? Whether it is necessary for all the brake disc and pads changes? And if I should stick with fiat.

Very confused and appreciate any feedback!

 

[jrkitching]

I was wondering if its best to take to evans halshaw and demand they pay for the repairs?

I doubt very much if you'll get any satisfaction from the dealership who sold the car.

Whether it is necessary for all the brake disc and pads changes?

Almost certainly yes.

And if I should stick with fiat.

Definitely not.

At this age, replacing the discs/pads & rear shock absorbers is really just routine maintenance. Sticking calipers are also very common on these cars since FIAT don't apply any form of brake corrosion protection in the factory. The topic has been covered extensively on this forum several times - have a look at this thread. The problem is especially common on the rear as the back brakes are very exposed to the all the muck chucked up by the rear wheels.

Sadly all this is fair wear and tear and won't be covered by warranty - even folks with nearly new cars have had to shell out for these sort of repairs out of their own pocket.

The good news is that it's bread and butter work for any independent garage and the parts can be sourced cheaply. Run away from the main dealer at the earliest opportunity and find (preferably by recommendation) a good local garage - it will likely save you hundreds of pounds.

To cheer you up a bit, I've had a quick look online and the EBC brake shop will sell you a full set of front & rear discs & pads for £166.20 delivered, and a caliper can be sourced online for around £130. I'm a bit out of touch with indie labour rates, but as it would take me around three hours to swap this little lot and change the brake fluid, I'm guessing you might find someone competent to do the job (it's easy and straightforward) for around £150 cash. So do a little homework and you should be able to get the brakes fixed properly and have some change out of £500.

 

[jnoiles]

Nice to see another 1.4 on here

I have a single caliper from a 1.4 sitting on the garage floor doing nothing. More than welcome to it if that helps you out. I can't remember what side it is though? And the previous owner painted it red. Don't know if that's an issue?

Also if you're in London I can pass you the number of the guy who does all my mechanical stuff on my 1.4 Lounge when I'm too busy with work to do stuff myself. A gent and has entirely reasonable rates and typically same day service. He replaced a set of rear brakes including pulling the calipers to bits, cleaning and copper greasing them for £120.

 

[Ralf S.]

Shawnee.. are you a girl or a fella? It sounds like both garages have broken the 11th Commandment "Thou shalt not take the p***..." They try it on with the Younger Mrs S. all the time..

First of all I'm not sure how the Fiat dealer fixed the "caliper" problem just by removing a seal. Did they free up the caliper at the same time? If they did, but removed a weather seal that was chewed up, then fair enough.. and it does need attention ... but usually just removing a seal doesn't miraculously cure a sticky caliper.

Don't worry about the rear dampers just yet. If the rear of the car bounces around then they could be on the way to Boot Hill.. but worry about that in 6 months time, just before the next MOT. If there's no oily fluid weep on the outside of the dampers then run them a bit longer.

Discs and pads keep dealers in business I reckon.. Have a look at your discs. If they're clean and shiny all over (though you may have a little rusty section aboot 5mm wide around the outer edge of the rear discs) then that's good.

When the discs are cold, feel for a ridge or "lip" on the outer edge of the discs. The disc should be perfectly flat and smooth from the hub all the way to the edge. If you have a little ridge or lip... how big is it? A few mm isn't severe.

Pads are about 1cm thick when new (front) or about 7mm at the rear. If you have a look where the pad touches the disc, you'll see the pad and you'll see the back plate. If it's more than 5mm then it's plenty. 3mm or less.. change the pads.


A new caliper... you can get a recycled caliper from the likes of Budweg. www.brakeparts.co.uk

They take an old caliper, clean it in acid and rebuild it with all new seals and parts. It's like a new caliper, except obviously the body of the caliper has been surgically cleaned/renovated and isn't technically "new".

Order one of those (aboot £45-£50) and get someone to fit it. You have to send them back your old caliper (someone else will get it once it's been recycled).

So my take on it is; You probably need a new caliper. You probably don't need new discs or new dampers.. but you might need new pads.


If in doubt take a photo and post it on yer and we'll be able to tell you.



Ralf S.

 

[ahmett]

Not to worry i have had the sticking caliper issue since the car was 6 months old and yes it is always worse in the rear! Do what the people above said, i have nothing more to add except that this is a common problem so dont feel lonely!