Brake Caliper Binding

[Andy Kay]

One of my rear brake calipers is binding on the disk.

My local garage tells me (without inspection) that the caliper has to be replaced at a cost of £100 to £150 (recon caliper plus labour).

My question is whether it is possible that this could be something that does not require caliper replacement.

Thanks for any advice.

[billster]

Hi,

I had the same problem with my iQ and a friend and I took it apart, cleaned it up with a wire brush and then lubricated with plenty of brake grease. Seems to work fine now.

But you'd need a bit of experience to be confident that it's put back together okay. And I'm not sure how long it'll be before it needs doing again/replacing. 

 

Also, I doubt many garages would do this as it's probably safer to replace the caliper altogether. 

 

£150 sounds a good price. 

 

Don't risk on your brakes...

[fordulike]

1 hour ago, Andy Kay said:

One of my rear brake calipers is binding on the disk.

My local garage tells me (without inspection) that the caliper has to be replaced at a cost of £100 to £150 (recon caliper plus labour).

My question is whether it is possible that this could be something that does not require caliper replacement.

Thanks for any advice.

A diagnosis without inspection! That annoys me, as the garage has gone the 'fleece the customer' route.

As billster mentions, the caliper, pads and disc probably only needs a good clean, with re-lubing of the caliper pins. It can be a DIY job, but if you are not confident in doing it yourself, then a garage should charge no more than a hour for both sides.

[Andy Kay]

Thanks guys, you've confirmed my suspicion that I should seek a simpler solution before going for a replacement caliper. I will ask a mechanic to service the caliper first. And while I'm at it I'll buy a set of rear pads and have them replaced (they've done around 50k and one of them may well be heat damaged now).

[Andy Kay]

Update.

I took it in to a different garage, and they inspected it immediately. They found the caliper okay, but the pad had worn into a wedge shape which locked up against the disk. When the caliper released, the pad couldn't shift. They changed the pads on both rear wheels and charged me sixty quid. Drives like a dream now that the wheel is free to move.

[Kuneha]

Crazy how the diagnosis can be so different.