EMERGENCY BRAKE/ WASHING CAR!!

[gtjoey]

Did you ever wash your car then just put it in the garage ,then pull up on the emergency brake? Did you notice when ever you go back , days later ,then start the car to move it you get a mild lockup/bang noise.Well before you panic and replace the half shaft bolts again, this has happened to me.... THE ROTORS AND THE VERY,VERY METALIC BRAKE PADS OXIDIZE AND THE PAD LOCKS UP ON THE ROTOR!! THATS WHY WHEN YOU PULL FORWARD OR BACK YOU GET THE BANG/SHUNT OR GRAB....THE KEY HERE IS EITHER RUN THE CAR AROUND THE BLOCK TO DRY OFF THE ROTOR AND PAD OR WHEN YOU PARK THE CAR , DO NOT PULL UP ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE,TILL ALL IS DRY.... IT HAS BEEN HEARD THAT THE PADS HAVE AND COULD HAVE RIPPED OFF THERE BONDING IF LEFT 3 OR 4 WEEKS AFTER THE SCENARIO JUST SPELLED OUT. Well we can move this under tech stuff but i thought it would be good for general knowledge. :thumbsup ENJOY GT JOEY 1314 ANNND LOVING IT.

 

[ROCMAN]

That happened a lot with my CL55 too.

 

[50 BMG]

Only time I use the e-brake is on an incline in a public parking place (or something similar).

Air compressors are your friend as well. If you aren't using them while washing your car, you'll find quite a bit of excess water left in the seams of the car the first time you use one. It can also help prevent what Joey originally posted about. If you car only gets wet when it's washed, blowing the crap out of the lugnuts and brake area also prevents a lot of unsightly surface rust from forming.

 

[davisp]

I never store any of my cars with the E-brake on. Park it and leave the car in gear so that it doesn't roll. PD

 

[BigsGT]

The manual recommends you leave it in first (NOT reverse) AND pull the parking brake, FWIW...

I dry my car after washing with a 200mph Toro leaf blower. Maybe an easier, cheaper option for someone without access to a compressor.

Added Tip! Rinse with R/O water prior to blowing and you'll never need a chamois or a towel!

 

[nota4re]

On a related note regarding the e-brake. If you're ever tracking the car, do NOT even think about setting the parking brake after making some "hot laps". Generally the rotors are extremely hot after a track session and begin to cool-off rapidly once you stop. Clamping the e-brake pads against a hot rotor will cause a very uneven cooling and will almost certainly lead to warped rotors.

 

[GTF-40]

Actually this brings up a very important issue. Most people understandably like to wash their car before putting it away; this is not at all good for the car.
After washing, even if you blow dry the car, there is a lot of places all over the car that hold small amounts of water. Depending on the areas involved, this usually causes unexplained surface rust over time and sometimes more serious body rust not to mention bolts, cables, fittings etc. that begin to rust prematurely.
The metallic brake pads sticking to the rotors are the least of the concerns. Nobody likes to put their car away dirty so If you need to wash the car then it is wise to warm up the engine afterwards and take it around the block before storage, usually the heat soak after parking will get rid of most of the left over moisture that causes damage. Also a good dehumidifier in the garage helps…..george

 

[Neilda]

IF your garage is flat you should not really put your hand-brake on (as we call them). It stretches the brake cable over time and, as you've noted, the pads will adhere to the discs (rotors). I never use the hand-brake in any of my garaged cars.

 

[Specracer]

Actually, most pads will will "rust" to the rotors even with out the e-brake. You usually do not notice because they are diven right after rain, or a wahsing.

 

[Fubar]

I've always use my ebrake when I park a standard. I think I will just use Frst grear from now on though.

I have noticed that "lock-up/bang noise" when I drive out. The car makes that noise pretty consistently too.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[gtjoey]

Glad to help, its these little things that come up as we use, drive and enjoy our cars some more. ENJOY GTJOEY 1314 . :thumbsup

 

[MAD IN NC]

Added Tip! Rinse with R/O water prior to blowing and you'll never need a chamois or a towel!

Bigs, I like the idea of a wash and blow dry but a question: what is R/O water.. That bottled stuff in the store for $1.99 a pt? :lol

 

[fjpikul]

Reverse osmosis - a fancy name for filtering that cleans out all the gunk. Similar to deionized + distilled.

 

[FlorIdaho Chris]

Spot Free Water

This is what I use to filter my water. I've been using this system for a couple of years now. It really does work as advertised. You don't have to dry your car.

http://crspotless.com/index.php?category_id=1&tpl=pgroup_descrip&pid=4&return=?

 

[Silverbullitt]

I find that if you apply bearing grease to all brake pad surfaces they won't stick to your rotors. :thumbsup


*** Legal Disclaimer, just kidding, dont grease your brakes unless you never need them.***

 

[fjpikul]

Where's my lawyer?

 

[TEXAS GT]

This is what I use to filter my water. I've been using this system for a couple of years now. It really does work as advertised. You don't have to dry your car.

http://crspotless.com/index.php?category_id=1&tpl=pgroup_descrip&pid=4&return=?

I use the Mr. Clean system with great results. It never waterspots and I don't dry it off. It's especially useful under the hood since you can't get to all the nooks and crannys to dry them.The brakes still lockup though if you set the e-brake.

 

[Silverbullitt]

Where's my lawyer?

I greased his brakes for a test. It went badly.

 

[FB GT40]

Dry...

I dry my car off with a 200 MPH blast down Folly Road! :lol The Evian rinse water doesn’t stick much. Any residue is patted down with Imported Egyptian Cotton rags. Stone washed of course! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!).

G.

 

[Red Rocket]

tires sticking

FYI, many tire compounds now in use on high performance cars will stick to concrete after they are wet. There is a chemical reaction. So even if you park the car on a concrete floor after washing it and leave the brake off it will still stick overnight. The solution to this is to put the car in gear , redline it, and pop the clutch.

that was a joke in case you were uncertain. :biggrin