So I bit the bullet today and called the Rover doctor to set up an appointment to have the old girl in for a physical. She’s not very happy with me but what can ya do… smile, look pretty and get up on those stirrups. I think men call them lifts. It seems that Emma has a mind of her own lately and when I think I’ve advanced in one direction she decides to take me in another. This month it appears she is testing my limits of chaotic oscillation theory in mechanical systems…slowly working her way into synchronization of chaos (it takes two you know – EZ Rock). It all started out with one smoking, stuck caliper on the passenger rear side. Two or three days of noticing a horrendous burning smell (not unlike the one that permeates the room when I decide to dry my hair without a diffuser) - analyzing the heck out of it – is it my fan shroud hitting the belt? Is it a squirrel’s nest near the exhaust pipe? A wheel bearing going bad?.. did I realize that I was dealing with a locked up rear brake caliper. Oh goodie.. so much for the complete brake overhaul I paid to have done last year. Ugh.

This girl can be a little ingenuitive when she feels like giving something hell, so I pumped the brakes repeatedly (I mean really fast and hard), sending out an SOS to the CAN bus that my braking system had gone mad. That’s when the squeaking started…

Gone were the exciting, sizzling days of hot caliper closeness – it appeared I was in for another type of fun. Constant squeaking of the rear tire whenever I put the Rover in reverse. Oh how much fun can a girl have???.. I bemoaned. I didn’t know what else to do. It was cold and dark outside and the snow was starting to blow again so I did what any normal girl in this situational analysis would do….

I prayed.

I prayed to God to keep my friends safe from any misfit loud tantrums that may be overheard as a result of my ever building frustration.. I prayed to the Rover Gods that they bestow knowledge and humor upon my pity potting little soul. I prayed that those attending Winter Romp 2017 had the time of their lives and that Betsie, Barb, Patsy or whatever her name is, said ‘yes’ to Lucky 8’s spokesman’s repeated undying declarations of love. I prayed that maybe someday.. I would be able to share one of those humongous grilled, head-sized, half sandwiches with a person of my choosing, sitting side by side on a log in the woods. And I thanked God for all of the good things that I have, the people who share my life and the humor that is abundantly given.

And you know what?.. after days of praying and being good, the rear passenger braking mechanism stopped squeaking. Pure excitement!!! 50 Watts per Channel Babycakes!...kind of excitement. (I wanna rock right now.. uh! It takes two to make a thing go right…da da da da.. it takes to two to make it out of sight!)

Don’t mind me.. I’m just living in my own little world again

So as I was saying.. I forgot about two very important factors with Rovers.. Newton’s 3rd law and synchronization of chaos theory. When one thing stops acting up another will let you down. And in this instance it was my driver side rear caliper locking up just as the passenger side had two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any ‘unsticking’ this one which, is a shame. Good thing my parts are still under warranty and I have an appointment on Monday.

Does anyone else have this issue with their brakes? I don't know if it's all the crap on the roads or what, potholes, sand, poor quality calipers?.. I wouldn't think a caliper that is less than a year old would be prone to fail so prematurely.

Tootles!!!

 

Translations...

Passenger rear caliper was hanging up, released after several rapid foot pedal applications, however, started squeaking afterwards, but eventually quit on its own, now, drivers side is hanging up, and all of this started after being replaced or repaired one year ago.

Yes, unlike yours, my interpretation of said events will never win a creative writing awards...but then again...this is not my intentions, yet.

Anyhow, my first question would be...were the calipers replaced during your brake job last year? Brake jobs don't always include this procedure, replacement. If they weren't, odds are...they need replacing. If they were, odds are...they need replacing. Granted, most shops give a one year warrenty on parts and labor...so you may be dealing with an amount of time issue...and may have to dig deep again.

The reason I say the new calipers may need to be replaced, is because, most remanufactured/rebuilds are notorious for failure. Eventually, becoming the reason I quit doing "side-work". I'm a fleet mechanic and we have 100 drivers, so on several occasions I would do brakes, tune ups and such on their personal vehicles for extra money. However, as parts became cheaper and cheaper...the quality of the parts became less and less...and in turn...left me doing extra work. Started getting numerous "comebacks"; for reasons associated with part failure. I'd end up replacing the parts for free, labor, because I felt bad that it had failed. The final straw was when I replaced a front hub on a vehicle for the third time within 16 months. In essences, I was doing more and more "side-work", but making the same amount of money. So, no more "side-work" for me.

Although, as a favor to my buddy, who has a broken foot and couldn't make the repairs himself, I replaced all of his brakes last month, front and rear. Questioned/warned him twice about changing out the calipers, since they weren't leaking, moved freely and the vehicle was only four years old...but he said he wanted them replaced. Three days later, he calls me and says right front caliper is leaking. Seal blew out, after three hundred miles. So, there's Brian...again...with wrenches in hand...waiting to change out his caliper.

Now, your Discovery is probably a bit older...so...you really don't have any other alternatives. Replacement is your only options at this point.

Good luck,

Brian.

 

Ahhh.. I see you speak Pig Latin

Thanks for the response Deputy and as always it's good to see you. Well we'll see how much I'm in for on Monday. To answer your question I had the works done last spring - about 10 months ago. Calipers, Rotors, pads were all sourced locally and replaced by a professional. It seems that was the caveat that the parts store was hoping to catch me up on when I asked 'is there a warranty on your parts?' They said that there is a proper way to grease calipers prior to installation and I ended up saying 'they were installed by X auto - I would think that they would know the proper way to install it?' and he replied 'yes, of course'.

Soooo.. that's where I'm at. On a tangent that parallels your story about doing side work, an acquaintance that I've known for well over 10 years gave me the phone number of his mechanic yesterday. He takes his two racing Audi's to him and said he works out of his barn. $50 an hour. I don't know if he has any Rover experience but he may be a source for replacing parts such as my O2 sensors and power steering pump. Unfortunately I don't feel comfortable doing these things myself. I wish I had the kahunas that you guys do, but when my 'old' Rover is my daily driver, confidence in my repair abilities doesn't come without lack of emotion.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend

 

Kahuna: Hawaiian origin- "priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession"

Cojones: Spanish slang- "*****"


its a day of translation. It's ok, it takes 2(or 3 on your case) to make your post go right, it takes 2/3 to make it outright(understandable)... I'm on the mic right now...

 

Somebody give me the Cliff Notes. Something about a sticking caliper?

 

lol.. I see you caught my spelling 'mistake' Thank you I'm afraid I don't know much about them there Cojones.. That's a taboo subject in my very religious family...and now you got me all emoticoned.. see what you do to me?!?

Rougissant d'embarras pur!!!!!

 

The cliff notes to my life Fishsticks.. enjoy

 

Hey! Guess what? My caliper stopped sticking!!!

Woo hoo!!!!

one, two, three get loose now!

 

I like to believe that I am pretty up to date on most religions, but never have actually heard of one that forbids the playing with or mentioning of spherical objects, but I am learning every day.

 

ever heard of a little movie called 'footloose?' That town wouldn't even let the poor kids dance!

Kahuna: an important person; the person in charge.

What's that? You'd like to hear it in a sentence?

My dad, aka the big Kahuna, doesn't like me talking to men about Cojones.