Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Brake Question - Good brakes gone bad ?

1998 Mystique LS Duratec
Front Disc/Rear Drum

I just had the brakes inspected as I thought I needed rear brakes. With 73000+ on the car I am still running with the original shoes. The local Ford service department (Magarino Ford/Mercury, Sussex, NJ) told me I still had plenty of wear left on the rear brakes. All they told me they did was an inspection.

However, after I got the car back, the rear brakes drums are apparently out of round as I have a shudder in the car when braking. Definitely the rear brakes.

How can an "inspection" of otherwise good, well performing brakes be screwed up from an inspecttion?

The service rep told me I could drive with it like that and cause no harm. I don't like the feeling in the back end when braking and question the control I have over the car.

Please advise on the best course of action.

Thanks in advance

Andy H. North West New Jersey

Simply take the rear wheels off and inspect the shoes. If they need replacement/adjustment perform the repair. Never go to the stealership since they brake more stuff than they fix, plus this is normal maintenance that anyone can do. Also check the front pads while you're at it!

Possibly when they inspected they pulled the drums and cleaned some of the dust out and your rear's are now working more than they used to, so you can feel the pulsation more. Then again, this was at a dealer, so they may have dropped one of your drums or got oil on one of shoes. You'll probably need to turn the drums and/or replace the shoes to get the pulsation fixed.