I had the dreaded highway shake related to the EPB over the weekend. I just had brand new OEM rotors and pads put on and the shop adjusted the EPB according to Bodsy's Brake Bible, so I took it back in, thinking it was just out of adjustment.

Apparently, they think the OEM rotors have a defect inside the drum. They said they can see 5 or 6 hot spots where the brake shoe was rubbing. They replaced the rotors.

So, Occam's Razor in mind, I'm a bit doubtful and I don't want to be nervous on future highway trips. Is this even possible? Isn't the EPB being adjusted incorrectly more likely?

 

Seems unlikely, but anything can happen with a manufactured part.

But I am sure if you asked Ockham he would say the repair shop screwed up and used the defective rotor as an excuse, as to not look like they did not know what they are doing...

 

According to my shops experience, they are seeing so many out of round drums and untrue rotors that they are trying to source a used brake lathe to fix them rather than replace with another potentially defective one. I had new rear brakes put on my other car this spring and one of them needed to be replaced because of this issue.

 

I ran into this a long time ago....after getting the EPB "Banchee Howl." I didn't try any adjusting because it was the original brake and it'd been fine for years prior. However, the dealer replaced under warranty. A few months later, I was hearing a scrubbing...and it turned out it was the park brake and I needed new rotors. They changed the rotors...and may have changed the EPB actuator again, I don't recall. I DO recall, though, that I took it in at least one more time to have it adjusted. The Tech at the time was one that I came to avoid later...not the one that eventually got dubbed the "LR3 Whisperer" who is now my go-to.

Moral of the story: I think at the time the techs (or this tech) didn't understand how to adjust the EPB. My first actuator failure was legit but I'd bet a dollar to a donut that it wasn't adjusted properly leading to its replacement and replacement of the rotors.

The good news is that it only cost me time.

 

I had an EBP in the left rear start smoking so bad that at first I thought something happened to the engine. I pulled over on the way to the airport, but decided I could continue as I had a flight to make. I did stick around for a few minutes to make sure my LR3 wasn't going to catch on fire before heading to the gate. Left the keys with valet and had the dealership pick it up and repair. Turns out the brake shoe within the left rear had suffered a catastrophic failure for whatever reason. I recall the noise, and the drag on the vehicle for the mile or so before I pulled over, but decided I could make it anyway. It was a critical sales meeting, and frankly I would have sacrificed the Rover to make the meeting. All ended well, but the paint on the wheel was never the same, and it's now my spare.

I have no idea if this was by chance, or if the tech at the dealership made a mistake, but the brakes had over 2K on them before this happened. I suspect something failed, as I've used this dealership for multiple Rover's and Jag's for 15 years without issue.

I would like to have all 5 wheels refinished one of these days, but haven't found the time to have it done.

 

Wow some sales meeting....must've been the Catalina fcukin' Wine Mixer!

 

The rotor taken off my truck had scorch marks in 4 or 5 places about an inch long. The metal had a bit of discoloration around them where it got very hot (rainbow-looking marks). And I didn't even get it hot enough to smoke or affect the wheel finish.

Has anyone NOT replaced the rotors after one of these events? It stinks that it can require rotor replacement, even if it was just the EPB out of adjustment.