Servicing Fiasco

[sebrussellsmith]

After taking the car in for its annual service to be told the oil coolant fan was not operating. It took them a week to work out the relay, temp.sender and resistor needed replacing. All 3!

I also explained that there was vibrations coming from the front brakes which they explained was down to the corrosion on the discs and this was all cleaned up including new caliper backing plates.

On the motorway this morning it seems the vibrations are worse and all that work seems to have been a waste of time (and money)!

Could this be down to worn bushes?

Should I be concerned that this was not sorted out properly in the service?!

Any suggestions would be gratefully received thanks.

Seb

 

[John Maddox]

I once had a similar problem which I solved eventually by changing front tyres to N2 Continentals. This solved it immediately after weeks of checking wheel balance, disk run out etc etc.

The shakes have never returned !!

 

[Mark Elder]

Good point John - we always forget the simple things - Seb - check your tyres urgently - especially as it's just got worse.

Had a very similar problem on a Toyota once - turned out to be a big bulge on one of the tyres - made me very worried about what might have happened if I had not stopped car to investigate.

 

[johnk]

as said it could be something as simple as wheel balancing ie does it start vibrating at a particular speed and can you drive through it...

check condition of tyres it maybe just that a wheel weight has fallen off....

or does it vibrate under braking

 

[sebrussellsmith]

thanks all for your responses, the vibration is only on braking not on general driving.

ORIGINAL: porsheuro

as said it could be something as simple as wheel balancing ie does it start vibrating at a particular speed and can you drive through it...

check condition of tyres it maybe just that a wheel weight has fallen off....

or does it vibrate under braking

 

[944s2]

Corrosion may have been cleaned bit is there now a high or low spot on disk?

 

[John Maddox]

My previous regarding tyres still applies as my wobble was mainly on braking !!

 

[sebrussellsmith]

thanks I will check the tyres and hope its that simple, however, on the basis it was only in for the service last week, I dont think it will be as they should have picked up on it.

 

[JP_Albin]

Seb,

I had vibration on braking too, it turned out to be warped discs at the front... and they were only a couple of yrs and a couple of thousand normal road driving old....

Oooops!

Might be worse checking..

It may also be worn front suspension bushes (i think they are called)... another problem i had... prior to the warped discs...

In any case, I am not at all technical/mechanical, so I leave it to the experts, so I may well be alarming you unduly... (i hope i am not...)

Good luck, and let us know how you get on...

 

[sebrussellsmith]

HI, thanks for that, I know the bushes are worn but was hoping not that bad, you might be right about the warped disc. THe cost of it all when I have just shelled out a lot of money for a service!!

 

[Mark Elder]

Do our discs warp? This happens on cheap/thin discs on (for example) my Toyota, but I can't see the thick, air cooled, discs on a 993 warping without some very serious racing....but I'm not technical.

 

[Porker993]

993 discs do warp. Mine did. I had exactly the same symptoms - judder under braking. Time for new discs, unfortunately. Mine were old, so it didn't matter too much. An experienced specialist should know all of the above and not waste time skimming or polishing them. Brakes are too important to try to save money on.

 

[p27549]

Zimmerman disks from German Swedish and French (GSF) are under 60 quid each.

 

[sebrussellsmith]

Hi Mark, did this juddering travel to the steering wheel as a vibration as well? I am trying to ascertain if it is warped discs or worn suspension bushes. The frustrating thing is that I only just paid for the discs and calipers to be all cleaned up in the service due to corrosion - bit of a waste of time would have been better to just replace the discs!

 

[vitesse]

If you jack up the front,put on axle stand,& remove the wheel,you should be able to see any or even slight wobble in your discs as you turn them by hand.You may have to ignore certain lines of sight where possible uneven items give you the wrong impression of wobble.
If you also hold a small electrical screwdriver across the caliper so that it touches the side of the disc,& then turn the disc this should indicate any run out or distortion.
Sometimes,just removing the discs,thoroughly cleaning the mating faces,checking that there are no hammer/chisel/extractor marks or dents & replacing the discs at 180deg can resolve the problem.
Cheers,
Colin.

 

[Porker993]

ORIGINAL: sebrussellsmith

Hi Mark, did this juddering travel to the steering wheel as a vibration as well? I am trying to ascertain if it is warped discs or worn suspension bushes. The frustrating thing is that I only just paid for the discs and calipers to be all cleaned up in the service due to corrosion - bit of a waste of time would have been better to just replace the discs!

Yes, the vibration did travel up the steering wheel. That was the main symptom, really. New discs are the only solution, unfortunately. I have always found that new OEM discs and pads are the best long term solution to any 993/964 braking problems. Well worth the investment.

Seb, looks like you need to find a decent specialist with lots of 993 experience. There are some good ones about. I would recommend Steve Bull, but as I don't know where you are, it might be a bit far for you to travel.

 

[sebrussellsmith]

thanks Mark, and thanks for the 993 specialist info, I am in London, if I remember rightly Steve is in Suffolk?! Any other suggestions?

ORIGINAL: Porker993

ORIGINAL: sebrussellsmith

Hi Mark, did this juddering travel to the steering wheel as a vibration as well? I am trying to ascertain if it is warped discs or worn suspension bushes. The frustrating thing is that I only just paid for the discs and calipers to be all cleaned up in the service due to corrosion - bit of a waste of time would have been better to just replace the discs!

Yes, the vibration did travel up the steering wheel. That was the main symptom, really. New discs are the only solution, unfortunately. I have always found that new OEM discs and pads are the best long term solution to any 993/964 braking problems. Well worth the investment.

Seb, looks like you need to find a decent specialist with lots of 993 experience. There are some good ones about. I would recommend Steve Bull, but as I don't know where you are, it might be a bit far for you to travel.

 

[zrcg1]

Replacing my rear discs and pads tomorrow - vibration from the rear while under braking. Tyres are all ok.

A closer inspection of the discs revealed a 3cm crack in one..... gulp!

 

[Porker993]

ORIGINAL: sebrussellsmith

thanks Mark, and thanks for the 993 specialist info, I am in London, if I remember rightly Steve is in Suffolk?! Any other suggestions?

Well, yes, Wiltshire actually, but it might as well be Suffolk !

 

[tim993]

I get wobble at the steering wheel under braking - it really showed up when I took the car round Brands Hatch. It's not so bad in normal everyday road use, but really disconcerting when you are braking hard before a corner. I need new discs in anycase, as they are quite corroded on the inside face, plus i guess they must be warped. Now, are the OE brakes really that much better than those from other suppliers? I want to do a few more track days in the not too distant future, so I want a disc that can take a fair amount of hard braking. Any ideas?

Cheers

tim