Megan vs. her Ford Focus
My ride to Boston and back was wonderful. As usual my car was responsive, fun to drive, and as perky as an inanimate object can be. I got back, parked the car in my apartment lot, put on the emergency brake, and merrily skipped off to bed. Over the weekend, I hitched rides from Judson. Then we went to Long Island. When we got back, I was shocked to discover that the left rear wheel was completely locked up. I got out, looked underneath, kicked the tire, and tried again. All I got was a sore foot. I tried driving it a bit, hoping to loosen it up (suspecting the emergency brake was somehow at fault), and dragged the tire around a bit before I realized I was just ruining the tire.
Then I joined AAA.
A few days later, I placed a call to the Ford dealer, hoping to get my repairs done free (after all, the warranty just expired in April, and I've only put 27,000 miles on the car). No luck. I checked the Car Talk mechanic files, talked to Jud's roommate Mike, who had just had car work done, and selected Bill's Sunoco Service. Mike was quite pleased with Bill's, and the service center is just a short walk from my office.
I had my car towed to Bill's last night via AAA. This morning, I met with Bill and got a lecture about why you should never leave the emergency brake engaged for long periods of time. I'm not really sure what you're supposed to do if you drive a stick and have to park on a hill and go out of town. At any rate, it had been quite stormy when I parked the car, and later everything dried. So rust formed on both the drum and the shoe (or the rotor and the caliper--I don't remember what type of brakes I have in the rear), effectively gluing the friction material to the drum and keeping the brake engaged. If you are in search of a good adhesive, you may want to consider rust. I was impressed. Now I understand why you never saw parts flying off old cars commonly described as "being held together by rust."
I knew the actual repair would be cheap. I also knew I'd have to pay for two new tires. I was correct.
So now, with parts totaling $210 ($207 for the two tires and $3 for a can of "Brake Klean") and labor, tax, and tire recycling fees totally $60, my car is back in good working condition. The good news is that somehow my tires, which only cost $10 more than I had hoped for (they're these low-profile expensive suckers in a weird size) are Z-rated and have a AA rating in traction with an A rating in temperature. I don't remember the treadwear rating off the top of my head. My old tires were rated B in both traction and temperature. I know I don't need the Z-rating, but it's sexy just the same.
So take my advice and don't leave the emergency brake on a parked car in wet conditions for extended periods of time. And if you don't listen and your rear wheels freeze up, please be smart enough not to drive around the parking lot hoping the brake will disengage.
Then I joined AAA.
A few days later, I placed a call to the Ford dealer, hoping to get my repairs done free (after all, the warranty just expired in April, and I've only put 27,000 miles on the car). No luck. I checked the Car Talk mechanic files, talked to Jud's roommate Mike, who had just had car work done, and selected Bill's Sunoco Service. Mike was quite pleased with Bill's, and the service center is just a short walk from my office.
I had my car towed to Bill's last night via AAA. This morning, I met with Bill and got a lecture about why you should never leave the emergency brake engaged for long periods of time. I'm not really sure what you're supposed to do if you drive a stick and have to park on a hill and go out of town. At any rate, it had been quite stormy when I parked the car, and later everything dried. So rust formed on both the drum and the shoe (or the rotor and the caliper--I don't remember what type of brakes I have in the rear), effectively gluing the friction material to the drum and keeping the brake engaged. If you are in search of a good adhesive, you may want to consider rust. I was impressed. Now I understand why you never saw parts flying off old cars commonly described as "being held together by rust."
I knew the actual repair would be cheap. I also knew I'd have to pay for two new tires. I was correct.
So now, with parts totaling $210 ($207 for the two tires and $3 for a can of "Brake Klean") and labor, tax, and tire recycling fees totally $60, my car is back in good working condition. The good news is that somehow my tires, which only cost $10 more than I had hoped for (they're these low-profile expensive suckers in a weird size) are Z-rated and have a AA rating in traction with an A rating in temperature. I don't remember the treadwear rating off the top of my head. My old tires were rated B in both traction and temperature. I know I don't need the Z-rating, but it's sexy just the same.
So take my advice and don't leave the emergency brake on a parked car in wet conditions for extended periods of time. And if you don't listen and your rear wheels freeze up, please be smart enough not to drive around the parking lot hoping the brake will disengage.
posted by megan at
2:39 PM
2 Comments:
If you are in search of a good adhesive, you may want to consider rust.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
That just cracked me up.
I had no idea this could happen. I, too, drive a stick and ALWAYS engage the e-brake to park. Not on hills, and seldom for more than a day or so at a time, but should I be worried?
Know what you should do you should do with those new fabulously-rated tires? Autocross. :)
By
RebeccaP, at 11:31 PM
I learned a lot about e-brakes when I found out what the problem was. I think a day or so should be fine. The Car Talk boys taught me that with a stick, you should leave it in reverse with the e-brake on. I suppose if you need to leave it for more than a couple of days, you can park somewhere flat and leave it in reverse.
The rear tires are the old boring ones. I don't think I'm brave enough for Autocross.
By
megan, at 11:13 AM
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