At least that's what it says on my MOT failure document! I took it direct to ATS, but they can find nothing wrong - no worn parts or faults. They had it for hours and didn't charge me a penny, which is something I suppose. But now I don't know what to do - if I take it for a re-test it will probably fail again. The rear brakes had 47% efficency and the minimum is
There is no minimum efficiency for the rear brakes.
So, are you talking about handbrake efficiency? In which case they have their figures rather wrong, the efficiency required is only something like
16 percent (from memory) A good test is whether a strongish man can rotate a raised and handbrake on wheel, if he can it is not good enough, if he can't then it is very likely it is alright (on a lighter vehicle such as you mention)The 50 percent figure is for the TOTAL braking effort of the car Take it back, if they won't pass it (on that item only) then ask for a form VT17 (failure appeal)
Mrcheerful
"GTS" wrote in news:5Qqth.7453$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe1-win.ntli.net:
To put it diplomatically, the most eminent mechanics are not always found at establishments such as ATS or Kwik-Fit. A good local independent garage may be a better place to try getting your problem fixed.
Stu
OK they were very specific and the car failed on two points: Reason 002 Service brake efficiency below requirements (3.7.A.8) Reason 003 Parking brake efficiency below requirements (3.7.A.9/10) They then wrote on the form: N/S/F 303 O/S/F 298 N/S/R 85 O/S/R 92 = 48% (50% REQUIRED) PARK N/S/R 54 O/S/R 99 =10% (16% REQUIRED) FIGS IN B.F.K.G So although they talked about the problem being with the rear brakes, I can see they failed the car on it's total braking efficiency. Personally I would hate it being higher as it's already too easy to lock the wheels up! (no ABS). It was the staff at the MOT station who were being helpfull and said the problem was with the rear brakes... Graham
I see your point - but over the years and after several 'incidents' with other tyre centres etc, I came to always trust ATS - not the cheapest but always have given a good service. They certainly seemed thorough - they refused to look at the rear brakes before they first completed a check on the whole braking system, which took over an hour. Still the result was as posted - no faults found, all equipment passed. They put all this on their report too... I certainly don't want to go to a Rover dealer (if there are any left) - the last car I took to a dealer they wanted over £6,000 to get it through an MOT (a Mitsubishi Shogun) - a local garage did it for £500! Graham
"GTS" wrote in news:ovuth.90435$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net:
Well, further to your post giving the failure details, and despite the inspection by ATS, it still seems most likely that you have a problem with the mechanical function of the rear brakes, because the performance is consistently poor whether you use the hydraulics or the handbrake cable to apply them.
As it seems doubtful that ATS would have failed to spot poor condition friction materials (i.e. pads/shoes & discs/drums), it seems likely that the cause of your problem lies with the self adjustment mechanisms. Does the car have disc rear brakes or drums?
Stu
OK...
If the rear calipers are anything like the 620, there's a cover with a
10mm bolt under it. Tighten up the bolt and it takes up some of the slack.
It has disc rear brakes... Graham
Thank you for the tip - I will have a look tomorrow. Graham
Downside is that it means the cam is wearing and you'll need to change the calipers eventually.
"GTS" wrote in news:bNvth.74332$Qa6.11803 @newsfe6-gui.ntli.net:
condition
In that case the calipers are sticking or not adjusting correctly. Conor can advise you better because he has worked on the calipers fitted by Rover whereas my experience is of the Girling ones used by Nissan, which are obviously different.
Some of the more basic checks that are relevant to most calipers with handbrake mechanisms are:
1) With the pads removed, the guide pins that the caliper fits on should slide in & out freely. 2) You should be able to wind the piston in & out with long nosed pliers. The effort required may be considerable but they should not be completely solid. It is only necessary to turn it a small amount to establish that it hasn't seized. 3) The lever on the caliper, that is operated by the handbrake cable, must be allowed to return and rest against it's stopper bolt with the handbrake off, otherwise the adjuster cannot operate. Therefore, the handbrake cable must be slack when it is off. Also, check that this lever hasn't seized. With h/brake off, it should rest against the stopper and if you move it slightly with your thumb it should spring back smartly.Stu
I had the same problem last mot. I to could not find a problem but a srip down with new pads and correct adjustment it passesd (just). The mot tester said the handbrake on these cars is poor at its best.
Thank you for these guidelines. I have fitted new pads in the hope that it may just pass the re-test - if not then at least I'll have some idea of what to try next... Graham
That's what I will try, fingers crossed! Graham
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