Hi all,

Wonder if anyone can help with the latest problem!

When I parked up today after a few miles there was a horrible burning tyre smell from my driver's side front tyre, it was also really hot behind the wheel. :thumbdwn:

A few months ago the same tyre started smoking and I called the brake down people out, had a brake service etc.

Is there anything I can do to stop it going this far? I guess I'm asking if I need another brake service or whether it's something more sinister cos the last time I had it done the mechanic said something about the axel needing replacing the next time it happens!:(

Cheers for any help!

Laura

At a guess it would sound like your brake is binding on, or your wheel bearing is on the way out - does the wheel wobble or make any noise?

Sounds like it needs looking at quite urgently if it's getting hot enough to burn the tyre.

No it doesn't make a noise or wobble, not that I've noticed anyway. Someone said something about bindings the last time so that would make sense.

Thanks for that, I will take it to the garage in Leeds and not try to drive 200 miles home!!

Laura

It'll most likely be a binding caliper that's causing your problem. If so you'll need new pads too, and remember to change the brake fluid as it will have boiled by the sound of it.

Hi again, just thought I'd say thanks, it's all sorted now. Garage man has done some work to stop what ever it was from sticking and avioded the need for a new caliper. Car now has full power (was really sluggish and wouldn't accelerate up hill, i guess I wouldn't either if something was grabbing hold of me!). And I've promised to use it more than once every few weeks from now on, going to treat it to nice long A road runs to stop everything else from seizing up! Crazy how it does the car more damage to be stood still than to use it!!

It probably drives in a straight line now too rather than pulling to the right.

Oh my life is that why it did that?! How silly I feel now, have been complaining of that and of very poof performance for a long time! I'm going to have to do alot more driving to stop this happening again by the sounds of it. Any advice on how often it needs to be used to stop this? I'm a bit eratic, I can leave it for weeks or just going to the supermarket once a week then drive hundreds of miles at once, then leave it again.

I had the same problem and i bet you that it was a sticking caliper. This is very easy to resolve.

Take wheel off (after jacking up!)

Undo the bolts securing the brake caliper and tie it back out the way after removing the brake pads. (gently remove any glazing on pads with wet and dry:thumbup:

Next get a pair of mole grips and gently ease the sliding pins back out as they will be the problem and seized or stiff.

Then get a good bit of copper grease and smother it over the sliding pin and ease it back and forth into the hole it came out of. It should after a bit feel quite springy which is the stage you need to get to.

Then put everything back into place

IThis is very easy to resolve.

Or in my case pay the garage man a tenner to do this cos I don't have a clue! I watched the break down man do it once, it looked quite easy. I do want to be able to do these things, will be looking for some sort of course after I finish uni! In the meantime I'm just waiting for him to put some brake pads on and I'm done!!