About a month ago I had a brake job done in the van in anticipation of travelling this summer. My local Ford dealer replaced the brake pads, four rotors, and the rear calipers. I drove the van on a trip with my wife for a week and the van was fine.
Since that trip, because the Atlantic provinces have almost no active cases of Covid, the Atlantic bubble was formed, allowing nonessential travel across their adjoining provincial borders. My wife was back to work, so I decided to take a two and a half week trip to Newfoundland for some hiking and sightseeing. I had never been to St. John’s before.
While I was driving to the Newfoundland ferry the brakes started making noises (rattling and squeaking a bit). I caught the ferry and during the voyage I phoned a Newfoundland Ford dealer and asked if they could look into this. I told them that I was worried that the van might be unsafe. Bright and early the next morning their service manager agreed that the right front brake was making noise so they took off the front wheels and checked for problems. They could find nothing wrong and assured me the squeaking was just the new brake pads settling in. So I set out for St. John’s knowing that everything was safe, even though there was some squeaking.
For two weeks I had a great time hiking, canoeing, and visiting museums. The weather was surprisingly good (though maybe camping is just more pleasant in a van). Saturday I was on my way to four nights in Gros Morne National Park (and then back to the ferry), when the right rear axle just about came out:
![137689]( "137689")
I was lucky that I wasn’t on one of the steep curved downhill sections, was travelling reasonably slowly, and was able to stop quickly. Otherwise at the very least I would have written off the van.
Ford Roadside Assistance towed the van to the same Newfoundland Ford dealer (though due to Covid, I had to arrange my own $140 taxi ride) and I spent two nights camping in the parking lot waiting for them to open. They told me that my local Ford dealer reused the old wheel hub bolts, which on this van are single use items and must be always replaced with new bolts.
The Newfoundland dealer replaced all the single use bolts (about 30 in total) on all four rotors, as well as the right rear axle, rotor etc. They billed my local Nova Scotia dealer.
Unfortunately it’s not just my local dealer who is at fault. On the second visit the Newfoundland dealer noticed that the right front rotor was not seated correctly and that there was run out. They fixed this as well, but I think that they should have noticed this on the first visit.
And when the Newfoundland dealer had the wheels off the first time, I think that the rusty single use bolts would have been staring them in the face. They didn’t flag this as a (dangerous) problem, even though I told both the service manager and the mechanic that the rotors had just been replaced.
Looks like I’m going to have to find someone else to service my van, but in my small town it will be tricky. Last year I asked around, but the local independent shops can’t (or won’t) handle something this big (and exotic). I used to do my own brakes and engine repairs when I was young, but I really don’t want to become a DIY mechanic again.
And maybe I should have gotten a second opinion in Newfoundland. But as my father used to say: should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.
I’m on the ferry back to Nova Scotia. The big change when I get back is that masks will be mandatory in Nova Scotia for shopping or any other sort of indoor activity (despite Nova Scotia having no active cases of Covid for a couple of weeks now).
Since that trip, because the Atlantic provinces have almost no active cases of Covid, the Atlantic bubble was formed, allowing nonessential travel across their adjoining provincial borders. My wife was back to work, so I decided to take a two and a half week trip to Newfoundland for some hiking and sightseeing. I had never been to St. John’s before.
While I was driving to the Newfoundland ferry the brakes started making noises (rattling and squeaking a bit). I caught the ferry and during the voyage I phoned a Newfoundland Ford dealer and asked if they could look into this. I told them that I was worried that the van might be unsafe. Bright and early the next morning their service manager agreed that the right front brake was making noise so they took off the front wheels and checked for problems. They could find nothing wrong and assured me the squeaking was just the new brake pads settling in. So I set out for St. John’s knowing that everything was safe, even though there was some squeaking.
For two weeks I had a great time hiking, canoeing, and visiting museums. The weather was surprisingly good (though maybe camping is just more pleasant in a van). Saturday I was on my way to four nights in Gros Morne National Park (and then back to the ferry), when the right rear axle just about came out:
I was lucky that I wasn’t on one of the steep curved downhill sections, was travelling reasonably slowly, and was able to stop quickly. Otherwise at the very least I would have written off the van.
Ford Roadside Assistance towed the van to the same Newfoundland Ford dealer (though due to Covid, I had to arrange my own $140 taxi ride) and I spent two nights camping in the parking lot waiting for them to open. They told me that my local Ford dealer reused the old wheel hub bolts, which on this van are single use items and must be always replaced with new bolts.
The Newfoundland dealer replaced all the single use bolts (about 30 in total) on all four rotors, as well as the right rear axle, rotor etc. They billed my local Nova Scotia dealer.
Unfortunately it’s not just my local dealer who is at fault. On the second visit the Newfoundland dealer noticed that the right front rotor was not seated correctly and that there was run out. They fixed this as well, but I think that they should have noticed this on the first visit.
And when the Newfoundland dealer had the wheels off the first time, I think that the rusty single use bolts would have been staring them in the face. They didn’t flag this as a (dangerous) problem, even though I told both the service manager and the mechanic that the rotors had just been replaced.
Looks like I’m going to have to find someone else to service my van, but in my small town it will be tricky. Last year I asked around, but the local independent shops can’t (or won’t) handle something this big (and exotic). I used to do my own brakes and engine repairs when I was young, but I really don’t want to become a DIY mechanic again.
And maybe I should have gotten a second opinion in Newfoundland. But as my father used to say: should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.
I’m on the ferry back to Nova Scotia. The big change when I get back is that masks will be mandatory in Nova Scotia for shopping or any other sort of indoor activity (despite Nova Scotia having no active cases of Covid for a couple of weeks now).
