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Any Car Experts Here?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
I want some advice on brakes, brake fluid, and clutch for my MK2 Punto Sporting.
I have some questions - so if anyone genuinely knows their stuff on cars inside and out and has maybe MSN Messenger for a quick conversation could you PM me.
Also got some Red Dot XE16 brake pads today for £12 (normally about 5 times this price) - was an expected bargain at halfords today ... is it worth me changing my existing pads for these right now even though they've not worn away?
Done 13,000 miles on current pads and mostly town driving.
Basically if someone can tell me these pads are gonna help me stop faster in an emergency then the ones that came with the car then I'd happily change them now (still using the original pads that came with the car)
Also want to know if it's worth changing the brake fluid, etc at the same time, since you have to take the wheel off anyway.
I have some questions - so if anyone genuinely knows their stuff on cars inside and out and has maybe MSN Messenger for a quick conversation could you PM me.
Also got some Red Dot XE16 brake pads today for £12 (normally about 5 times this price) - was an expected bargain at halfords today ... is it worth me changing my existing pads for these right now even though they've not worn away?
Done 13,000 miles on current pads and mostly town driving.
Basically if someone can tell me these pads are gonna help me stop faster in an emergency then the ones that came with the car then I'd happily change them now (still using the original pads that came with the car)
Also want to know if it's worth changing the brake fluid, etc at the same time, since you have to take the wheel off anyway.
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Comments
Best time to change pads is just before they need doing - when they wear down to the indicator, they'll start to mark the disc. Discs are expensive in comparison to pads.
No need to change the brake fluid. If it is near the specified interval, then by all means do it - no point in changing it for the sake of it. In a sealed system, it takes a long time for the fluid to degrade - if you do decide to do it, check the haynes manual for specifics, as there will likely be a specified pattern from wheel to wheel(yes, you will need to change it all at the same time).
i dont think they gonna make a blind bit of difference, the only time performance brakes are "in their element" is on the race track when they are in constant harsh use and reach high temperatures.
Has your car got ABS? If you havent then im sure you can make the wheels lock with you current pads if you slam on the brakes, and the same is gonna happen with the performance pads. The only way to improve grip in the event of an emergency is with a good set of tyres, even then is upto the skill of the driver to apply enough pressure to slow the car without locking the wheels.
If your car has ABS, i still think a good brand of tyres will provide better braking performance than any type of brake pad. All ABS does is pluse the brakes at a high rate that prevents the wheels from totally locking.
I wouldn't keep a Fiat beyond 3-4 years though. They're not built to last.
Clutch life is entirely dependant on use. I've had cars with well over 150k, still on the original clutch, not near the end of its life. I've had cars that wanted it changing at 60k(Mondeo 2.0), performance cars still on the original clutch at 60k(Impreza). Clutch life is entirely dependant on the use the car receives, and the driving style of the owner. You'd have to be doing something rather wrong to get less than 40k on any clutch - or have a 15 year old car that is always used in stop-start traffic.
Oil contamination of the clutch plate can occur if the crankshaft oil seal starts to leak. This will result in similar symptoms to a worn clutch(slipping, smelling, or even dragging) but at any mileage.
Pretty much any clutch on a car is a gearbox out job. Only use decent parts - Borg and Beck are reckoned to be about the best there is for road use. Performance clutches are a waste of time on road cars, unless you've tuned a Cossie to 400bhp or something else as 'wild'. Performance clutches tend to be much harder to use - very much on and off, with little inbetween. Town driving is much harder.
If the query is 'how long can I expect my clutch to last?', then the answer is very similar to string, long, piece,a, is and how. You can sometimes remove an inspection cover and/or the starter and see how much is left on the plates, but the only real way to tell is to split the engine and gearbox apart.
Does that answer the query I've not read? It'd help a lot if you gave a little more info!
ditto! :yes: , and not reliable either.
I've just been called out of bed to fix my girlfriends mk2 Punto that wont start, and she ran the battery down so it was upto me and my good'ol workhorse of a Mondeo to get it running again. Connections to the crank sensor are dodgy. And with me being on holiday from work and having a stinking cold, i was not impressed :mad: !
Checked the existing pads and they look fine.
Clutch is my main worry - I think the problem I might have withthe clutch is due to air inthe fluid? I believe the car uses the same fluid for the brakes as it does for the clutch??? :chin:
The clutch most of the time works perfectly - but then on really cold nights it seems much harder to push down - some one suggested to me it could mean the brake fluid needs changing? It's never been changed before - car has barely been used cos I use the tube for work but it's coming up to being 6 years old now so wondering if it's detoriated over time??
Car is always parked outside so it suffered whatever the weather had thrown at it over 6 years and guessing maybe things like fluids have contracted and expanded a lot over time?? And thus need to be replaced?
Engine Oil was changed 11 months ago.
Could be something simple as needing lubrication on the joints of the clutch pedal, either on the pedal or under the bonnet. I very much doubt the clutch needs changing, the only time is when the clutch is "slipping". i.e put your foot on the gas and the revs go up but the car doesnt go faster as it should. (you also get the smell then).
My Mondeo is on 108,000 miles and still on its original clutch.
And from the Brake fluid tank I can see 3 pipes coming off of it - I assume 2 are for the braking system as all cars have at least two circuits for brakes and the third is for the clutch?
Just seems funny I only get problems in really cold weather more then anything.
According to the reading I've done onthe net most place recommend bleeding the brakes every two years - so mines now done 6 years without ever had them bled, - so wouldn't hurt and cost is only £30 from local garage. But just want to make sure this is the cause because whenever I want to show someone the problem it never seems to happen and just works normally.
Erm... brakes are just as mechanical as a clutch. Put your foot on the pedal and pistons are pushed out of the caliper, moving the pad into contact with the disc. With a hydraulic clutch, all that happens is the clutch is actuated rather than the caliper pistons.
Everything on a car tends to be stiffer when cold - the gearbox oil is thicker, so it takes more effort to change gear. Engine oil is thicker, so you tend to have more of a tapping noise. Brakes are cold, and sometimes need pressing harder to get the same effect.
Clutch and brake fluid(it tends to be a universal thing) absorbs water, which makes it deteriorate. Any air in the system will result in a spongy feeling when using the clutch or brakes, as the fluid doesn't compress but the air will. As such, fluid should be changed whenever you've had a leak, whenever the feeling changes, or whenever you feel it has been in long enough to warrant replacement.
6 years is a long time, really. If the clutch is hydraulic you'll find that air in the system will result in the clutch not disengaging properly, despite putting the pedal to the floor. If you pump the pedal a dozen times, the air should be pushed toward one end of the system, changing the feel of the pedal. This should give a fair indication of whether or not the fluid condition is causing a problem
Always ensure you use the correct specification of fluid in the system - generally DOT 4 or DOT 5.1. You shouldn't ever need to top them up - if they were correctly filled when the brakes/clutch/whatever were replaced, low fluid indicates wear on the friction material of whatever the system actuates. If low friction material isn't the problem, then there is a leak.
A little investigation now may give you a little warning of worn clutch friction plates.
3 pipes coming from the brake fluid reservoir - one for each front caliper, and one single pipe leading to both rear wheels? Do you have discs or drums on the back of the car?
I've got Disc at the front and drums at the back
Yesterday I drove the car to the gym which is a very short journey but it was looking like it was about to rain.. so drove (approx 1 mile)
And the clutch was fine when I started and ended my journey.
But I came out of the gym an hour later and the clutch was so much stiffer and you could hear a creeking noise as I pushed down on the pedal.
The pedal got easier and less creeking once I was underway but just can't think how one minute it's fine and come back an hour later and it's all stiff.