2 weeks or so ago, I made a STUPID mistake: I drove my 2005 Toyota Camry with parking brake applied for approx 2 miles.
At the time my mind was somewhere else(who knows) and didn't feel anything but a bit of being hold back. I did't realize that the parking brake was NOT released until I got to the destination and was ready to get out of car. Then, I smell kinda acrid odor from around the wheels.
After this happened, the car seems drive well, but I'm concerned that some damage had been done.
Could you please offer me some analysis as to what damages had been possibly done? Do I need to go to a garage to get the car checked?
Do you know if you have rear disc or drum brakes? If you don't know, then tell me if it has a 4 cyl or V6 engine and what Camry designation (LE, SE, XLE, etc) and I can guess with a fair bit of accuracy.
The point is, IF it's equipped with rear disc brakes, you likely did no harm to any component used in conventional braking. The disc brake setup additionally employs a small set of shoes that are only used for parking brake duty. Leaving the P-brake on should not have caused any serious harm to the brake rotors, and likely caused no damage to anything else brake-related. These little shoes are intended only for application with your vehicle at rest, so they require less critical design factors. The shoes will likely be reusable upon inspection. The holddown pins and retainers should be inspected also. Chances are an inspection, cleaning and adjustment will be all that is required.
IF you have drum brakes, then the actual brake shoes used in conventional braking are also used for parking brake duty. The shoes may have overheated and/or become glazed and caused the brake drums to warp.
I would have the system checked out immediately (if drum brakes). I would wait until your next maintanance visit (if disc brakes), but recommend not using the parking brake until then. If you have an automatic trans and don't park on any steep grades, this shouldn't be a problem.
On that note, does anyone know how to tighten the cable leading to the parking brake. i have an 84 caprice classic, and the parking brake dosent seem to do very much.
If you remove the boot covering the brake handle, you ought to find an adjustment nut that you can turn with a spanner to tighten or loosen the brake. Make very sure that you don't tighten it so much that it is actually having a slight pull when it is supposed to be off.
If you adjust this the whole way and the brake is still too loose, then it is possible to adjust it at the other end. If your car has rear discs like mine with the handbrake shoes using the inner rim of the disc as a kind of drum, then I can tell you how to adjust that.. otherwise I can't :)
It's a Caprice... probably has one of those execrable foot operated things. And I haven't a clue where the adjustment is, but it's probably under the car somewhere. Before cranking on the e-brake adjustment, pull the rear drums and make sure that a) your shoes aren't worn out and b) that they are properly adjusted with the star wheels. THEN start worrying about the e-brake adjustment.
A 2005 4 cyl LE has rear drum brakes, therefore I would have someone look at them fairly soon to be on the safe side. Since you don't note any braking issues after the mistake, it is likely you will just need a cleaning, sanding of the shoes, and adjustment.
The adjustment is the rear brake shoe adjustment. There is a cable adjustment likely under the vehicle near the rear seat area for setting up new parts, but it shouldn't need adjusting unless something is broke. Usually when the emergency no longer grabs, you need new rear brakes.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
That vehicle has the adjustment on the cable branch under the car. It will be just about under the front of the back seat and is just a long threaded rod (probably RUSTY) with the cable saddle and the left/right cables out of the saddle and the front cable going through the saddle. BUT another item to look at is the pedal itself. GM has been using a unit that is spring loaded, You can just about stomp the EBrake to the floor and the spring pulls on the cable. No real feedback from the brakes but it should hold the vehicle in place when you put it in gear and take the throttle off idle. If not then check the back brakes for wear and the cables for stretch (don't buy any of the gimmicks that clamp on the cable to tighten it, they tend to fail at the worst time)
What you could do is see if they offer a discounted price on a maintenance service called "clean, lube and adjust rear drum brakes". This will cost you less that the equivelant time spent at full labor charge. You would need to explain to the service advisor what happened to your vehicle and see if he will perform a CLA and have the mechanic check it over for any signs of damage while he has the drums off.
Otherwise you are looking at .5 hour labor just to check out the complaint, then add to that whatever repair actions are necessary. With the discounted cost of the CLA service (probably all you need) it should cost less than basic diagnostic labor.
Your dealer may *require* you to start off with diagnostic labor, but it doesn't hurt to ask if they will follow the strategy above to save you a few $$. Labor rates vary wildly, from about $60 to $120 per hour. Metro areas charge much more than the boonies.
Thank you for keeping giving me good advices! I really appreciate it.
I just got back from a Subaru dealer (the only Toyota dealer near me won't take me until next Wednesday and I don't want to wait) before I saw your suggestion.
I explained to the service advisor what happened to my car, and wanted to get the brake checked.
Result on their report:
****************** Pulled wheels, e-brake shoes look fine. No damage done.
Note: while car was on lift, found an exhaust hanger on backwards - fixed
******************
Here I have 2 more questions:
1, Should I trust this Subaru dealer? (I feel they are decent). I mean, does the brand of dealership matter? Is only Toyota dealer capable to handle this kind of brake check-up on Camry? (I'm sorry if this sounds naive, but I really know nothing about car).
2, What did they mean by "an exhaust hanger on backwards"? I didn't understand this at all. I don't have any garage work done on the exhaust system of my car (only did oil change and wheel alignment for once so far), but I did recall that I hit the curb when I backed up the car a long time ago. Could that be something which caused "an exhaust hanger on backwards"?
As to the cost, the total charge is $32.35. Among them, the labor fee is $29.95, and misc charge is $2.40.
It took about 1 hour from I dropped my car to I left the dealership. I don't know if this is considered expensive. The Subaru dealship is located at Norwich, VT. Their website is
No problem. It's nice to see someone actually respond after having their questions replied to.
This is not a difficult job for any repair shop. You originally mentioned trying a Toyota dealer, so I suggested a strategy based on that info.
The phrase "e-brake shoes" has me confused. That makes it sound like you have disc brakes; odd for an '05 4cyl LE. It is possible, but I don't think I've seen one. Disc brakes on that level are possibly an option or a package deal when you custom-order Vehicle Skid Control.
I have no idea what the exaust hanger on backwards means, but it is of little significance to anything. Hopefully it is correctly installed
*now*.
Sure, but you might as well scope out a good independent shop or use the Toyota dealer if you like them. It seems like a real waste to go to the wrong brand of dealer. I bet their business is slow to be taking in non-Subarus.
Now that I have read this paragraph, I think I know what happened. You backed the muffler into a tall curb once, and it shifted the muffler up and forward where the muffler edge caught on the underside of your car, holding it out-of-position. This can happen (infrequently) on Camrys. It takes all of two seconds to pull the muffler back down. I have never seen any lasting damage occur because of this.
Sounds pretty reasonable.
I suggest for future benefit that you ask friends and family for recommendations regarding a good, honest, competent independent shop in your area, or use the Toyota dealer if they treat you well. Start off with small services first to see if you really like the shop. You don't want to have your car break down or need expensive service, THEN have to find a shop. That situation is a crapshoot and can possibly end up badly for you and your car.
I just wanted to update this thread with what I found at Toyota dealer on last Saturday.
Essentially they said that no damage was done to my rear bake and all looked fine. (But I kept wondering that if that's case, why I smelled the acrid ordor)
The cost there is basically the same as what Subaru dealer charged (see below). They have something called "brake inspection and adjust rear brake labor", which sounds similar to CLA Comboverfish suggested to try.
Thanks everyone, especially Comboverfish. You offered me a lot of valuable information.
Jerry
P.S. The tire of my camry looked kinda flat(especially front wheels), and I noticed that the tires of almost all other Camry on our parking lot looked more flat than other brand of cars. Is this a "common" feature of Camry?
The nasty smell was the linings getting hot; but if they didn't disintegrate, glaze over, or otherwise sustain damage, they can work fine for many miles after they've cooled off. That's not to say that what you did was a good idea; it's not. But you should be OK so long as you don't repeat that experiment.
Might be a feature of the tire; it could possibly have a more compliant sidewall than the other tires you're looking at. Might as well make sure your pressure is to spec anyway though.
The front (as with most FWD cars) is heavier than the rear and therefore puts more pressure on the front tires, bulging the sidewalls more than in the rear.
Camry tire specs are 29 psi, probably a bit lower than comparable cars
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