Hi guys, so I recently had to have my rear brakes changed as stated in a previous thread I had a squeek going on. Ended up being the brake cylinder on the passages side wheel being “stuck” in place. Had that replaced on both wheels along with the brake shoes and the drums. I used Bosch brake pads and ACdelco drums. That said, those drums are horrible! Now when I press my brakes the rear ended feels like it’s vibrating hard! Someone told me it was because the drum is out of round. I guess I will need to get another set of drums because there’s no where to have them machined. What’s a good brand to go with that will lessen it being “out of round” again? Thanks guys. 😊
Brembo vs. Bendix brake drum
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Since they are brand new brake drums, and there out of round. Just return them, or have them turned true. I’d take it back to the shop, and have them fix you rear brake issue.
Since you replaced the rear shoes with Bosch, I would just go back to the OEM rear drum.
what year car is yours.
Since you replaced the rear shoes with Bosch, I would just go back to the OEM rear drum.
what year car is yours.
2015 SMART FORTWO 1000cc L3 Drum | RockAuto
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I really wish I could have kept my old oem drums but there was a groove in that one side where the cylinder was seized and was told they were no good. I can’t have the new drums re-surfaced because no one around here does that. 🤦🏻♀️ I did see some oem drums but they were like 300+ and with shipping to get to me here in Hawaii it’s going to be crazy!! 😬 so as usual I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. My smartie is a 2011.
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They're "only" your brakes, so you might want to spend a wee bit extra and go with a reputable brand. Brembos are a bit more, but they're the one to beat.
Yes, this is why I’m trying to weed out the crappy brands and with something good and well known. When I ordered the ACdelco ones I have now I was told they were one of the good ones! I guess any brand that’s after market could be out of round but I’m trying to find a brand that’s pretty accurate!
Have you confirmed there's no issue with the front brakes? Maybe drive 20 MPH in an open road (no traffic) and carefully pull up the parking brake handle with your thumb firmly on the release button. Confirm the rear brakes make the car shudder....
ACDelco is a good brand, OEM for GM...
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ACDelco is a good brand, OEM for GM...
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Check with your local auto parts store or automotive machine shop. They should have a brake drum lathe that can true your new drums and make them concentric.
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Penny, you just got a bad drum. Out of round. It can be lathe true. All the brake brands are good. Brembos, make good brake parts. Kind of a over kill, for a smart car. Way over priced. The rear brakes do little work.
Take you car back to who did the brake job. Let them look at it.
Take you car back to who did the brake job. Let them look at it.
Tried it going 20mph like you suggested and there is that shudder/vibration/wobble whatever you want to cal it! You can feel it in the rear. All of this really started as soon as everything was changed (brake shoes, cylinders and drums) so I really don’t think it’s the front brakes but then again I am not a mechanic. Here I was getting annoyed with a squeek and now it’s worse than that! Lol
Drum brand isn’t nearly as important as availability when you are geographically challenged.
Contact the seller and suggest that the new drums are out of round and you need replacements.
Can’t believe that someone doesn’t have a lathe to true them up?
Which island, driving a niche car in the middle of a big ocean can make $hipping brutal!
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I wonder if maybe you got a counterfeit drum. The Chinese counterfeit everything these days. Some of it is good, some of it is bad. Did you order the AC Delco drums, or did the shop?
Changing the drums is not a difficult task, if you have a jack, a lug wrench, and a star bit to remove the hold down screw (if it's there). Brembos are more expensive, but last I checked, they were the only ones who actually show their engineering drawings for the drums on their web site.
Changing the drums is not a difficult task, if you have a jack, a lug wrench, and a star bit to remove the hold down screw (if it's there). Brembos are more expensive, but last I checked, they were the only ones who actually show their engineering drawings for the drums on their web site.
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Its not hard at all to replace, a drum. She would still have to be knowledgeable how to adjust the brake shoes to the new drum. The shop most likely order the new drums. AC Delco make Quality replacement parts. The shop she had the brake job done. Should make it right. The engineering drawings would be nothing to her. Actual to anyone.
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Given that the shop apparently did a crappy job in the first place, it would seem that they know nothing about brake adjustments. A drum caliper is easy enough to use.
DETAILED - How To Change Smart For Two Rear Brakes - YouTube - Watch and learn and save a small fortune. And do the job right the first time.
The point of the engineering drawings is that the company takes the time and cares enough to put them out there, which is something that most companies don't give a crap about these days. And actually, one could derive some benefit from them, if you wanted to compare drum wall thicknesses to some unbranded part that someone might be trying to foist on you. But hey, everyone has their own comfort level and what they're willing to settle for. "Parts is parts", according to some. Same goes for winter tires, it seems. Tires are tires. Until you see that a good set of winter tires can cut your stopping distance at speed by 25-30 feet or more over all-seasons.
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Working at several service department over the years. New parts can be bad, even from reputable name brands. The people who did the brake job, didn’t on purpose do a crappy job. A seasoned auto technician, doesn’t care about any technical drawings. I very doubt, Penny is able to perform her own brake job.
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Still miss the point on the drawings. As for didn't do a crappy job on purpose or not, they still did a crappy job. Should have tested it. If so, would have seen immediately that there was a problem. That's the kind of slipshod work that when taken to its extreme gets people killed. I had a friend who had tie rods replaced by a dealer. They forgot to put cotter pins through castle nuts. Tie rod popped out at speed. Entire front end tucked in, destroying suspension, rim. Luckily it was on a back road, and my friend "only' ended up in a ditch.
A friend of mine did the brake job. He’s a very skilled mechanic whom I trust completely. I noticed the vibration or what ever you want to call it on the drive home and immediately told him. He took a look at it after and can’t find anything wrong other than thinking drums are out of round. I did call Midas and they can take a look at the drums for 60$ each side and resurface if needed. Although I’m not sure if that would be included in the 60$. Lol.
Also I have a question about the reluctor ring? What are the “symptoms” so to speak of that going bad? I honestly don’t think it’s that although I am not a mechanic. The car drove absolute fine before changing the shoes and drums. 🤷🏻♀️
Also I have a question about the reluctor ring? What are the “symptoms” so to speak of that going bad? I honestly don’t think it’s that although I am not a mechanic. The car drove absolute fine before changing the shoes and drums. 🤷🏻♀️
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When doing a brake job on drum brakes, the drums should always be measured with a drum micrometer in two directions, to check for them being out of round. Many a new drum will come out of the box out of round and should be trued on a brake drum lathe being careful not to exceed the maximum diameter stamped on the drum. I would ask your friend to remove the drums and take them to an automotive machine shop to be miked and trued. I would not have this done at Midas, but it is your call. Also, when the drums are removed, the new linings should be lightly sanded to remove any glaze that has built up.
Whew! Ok, it’s not doing that thankfully! I only asked because there’s no smart car service place here or many who’d even work on a smart car so we where trying to read up on things and that was mentioned so I needed to make sure. And what better place to have questions answered then here! I really appreciate all the tips and advise. 😊If a reluctor ring is bad (usually cracked due to excessive rust) you'll get an ABS/ESP light and the car will probably go into "limp home" mode - reduced power and speed.
Hi guys! Rear shoes are changed but I’m still having issues with it. There’s some kind of noise still going on when I press my brakes. Anyway, should the spring kits for both sides look exactly the same? In this picture does this spring that he’s pointing to supposed to look like that? The passenger springs don’t look like that and everyone who’s looking at my brakes are telling me that they should look exactly the same on each side and that my driver spring set is wrong!
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