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Les Schwab almost hoses me...

1K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  MrGiggles 
#1 ·
So a few month back I heard a hell of a noise in the right front wheel well during my morning commute, thought maybe I wound a cable around the axle while on I5, There was a Les Schwab across the street from work so I figured I'd bring it over. Car made an odd scraping noise on right front but only when I was backing up (?)

Turns out the big 17mm bolt on the bottom of the caliper bracket had vibrated out, so the caliper would pivot UP in reverse, good thing it wasn't the top bolt...yikes!

Les Schwab replaced the bolt and mentioned something about making sure it wouldn't come loose again , NO CHARGE, nice.

Fast forward 6 months, I'm finally going to put the Avalon dual piston calipers on with BIG rotors and Akebonos. I drive to the local (level) HS parking lot and get to work. I get the left done in record time and then...The right bolts will not move. They used some permanent locktite on the entire thread of both bolts, and I didn't have my torch and I got no brakes on one side...

I beat on the 17mm wrench with a 4lb sledge for 10 min, then I end up standing on the 24" breaker bar until it finally moves, maybe 10 ft lbs away from shearing off the head..

new brakes are great but I guess I got what I paid for at LS...
 
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#2 ·
Man, what did they use on those threads.....JB Weld?

It was probably under torqued the first time and that's why it came loose, so they over torqued this time and used Krazy Glue while they were at it. Either that or the bolt threads were compromised. Glad you got it fixed.
 
#3 ·
Yah LS is pretty good about not charging.

To be fair I had a great LS episode in Baker City OR years ago where I noticed a valve stem leaking at 8AM on a Sunday before taking the family to Yellowstone for 2 weeks. LS was closed up (of course) but there was an employee around back who was working on his own car, opened the shop up and swapped out the valve stem, again no charge, and we were on the road by 9.

Then another LS (Salem OR) quotes my 18yr old daughter $1000 for re-manufactured calipers and 4 new tires when she went in to get her Michelin Defenders rotated at 15K... its a crap shoot like most DINY (do-it-not-yourself)

New brakes are TIGHT! Gotta get the ES300 rear disks on now... ;)
 
#9 ·
Can't really blame the shop. In today's society, if that bolt had worked loose again, it's a potential lawsuit against them. Whenever you take on the title of a "professional" and start accepting money for repairs you assume some liability. A little red Loctite helps ensure that their ass is covered. Many vehicles have Loctite on those bolts from the factory.

It drives me nuts when I run into a bolt or oil filter that someone tightened into next year, but I have to empathize with them.
 
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