What’s That Noise? - Can You Guess?

​​Did you know that your car can speak to you? No, I don’t mean that fancy new voice activation feature. Any car, of any year can communicate with you via it’s own basic language. All you have to do is listen.

It’s amazing what info you can pick up on and what issues you can prevent by keeping a keen ear on your cars road noise and engine sound.
Here is a great example of how one of our valued customers was able to give us the information we needed to help diagnose a major braking issue before we even arrived at the garage. You can check out the video for yourself, to see if you can guess what it was.
This Mini Cooper from the Trim Co.Meath area was booked in for a full service to include, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Fuel Filter and FREE Electronic Vehicle Health Check.
The owner was also able to tell us that there was a noise coming from the wheels when it warmed up, and that the steering wheel started to shake at cruising speed.
It had been happening for a while and was getting progressively worse. You may be surprised how easily a major noise or vibration can develop so slowly that you don’t notice it or the effect on your cars health and condition.
As we were collecting the car for service, we got the opportunity to test drive the car on the way back to our garage. The noise was the first thing we noticed, and it was a terrible, heavy grinding. A short distance from the customers home, when the brakes warmed up the steering wheel vibration began and got much worse by the time we travelled the short distance to our workshop.
We ascertained that the noise went up and down in volume and frequency with the road speed as opposed to at engine speed, so it seemed it was either in the transmission, wheel bearings or brakes. We also noted that the vibration could be felt through the brake pedal when brakes were applied, which narrowed our attention to the brakes.
Once on the ramp, we noted very high temperature on the surface of the wheels, in particular the left hand front wheel. The brake disc was almost red hot.
Have you guessed the problem yet? 
​In the video below, you will see the difference in behaviour between the front drivers wheel and the passenger wheel.

You guessed it. The brake caliper was severely seized, causing the brake disc to bind which created lots of friction, heat and vibration.
You can see in the image at the bottom of this article that the extreme heat, caused the rubber protective boot on the caliper to melt. It was so hot that it also caused the insulation on the ABS sensor wire to melt.
So, what was the remedy? 
Our recommendation was to replace the front left brake caliper, front brake discs and front brake pads in order to restore effective braking and safe operation of the car. An added bonus of this repair would be a restoration of fuel economy that the stuck brakes would have been having a big effect on!
Our parts supply chain meant that we were able to price the parts and have them delivered on the same day so that our customer did not have to book in again.
We were able to get a great price which we sent to our customer with a detailed video explaining our findings and making the best recommendations to repair this fault and prevent further issues with the brakes.
This approach keeps the customer at the centre of the decision making process and fully informed on the issues relating to their car.
This was an extreme case of brake seizure which would have started as a minor noise and slowly progressed.  To avoid such an incidence with your own car, take some time every week to listen to the road noise at different speeds and during different manoeuvres. At the very least you will learn what normal sounds like. You never know, what trouble and expense you can save by catching unusual sounds and vibrations on time.
If you have noticed a change in your car, or if you have any questions about servicing or repairs. Feel free to get in touch via the chat button, or click here for a quote.

Brake Caliper Seized with Heat Damage to Rubber Boot

Newly fitted Brake Disc, Caliper and Pads