cgmendla

A question about my 2013 Lexus gx 460.

I just had the 4 calipers replaced at a local shop that has been reliable.

The other day I was driving and heard a clunk from the left front. This was only 30 miles after the work. I thought maybe I ran over a large stick.

As I drove the brakes started chattering so I headed for home.

The situation got progressively worse. I was using downshifting for engine braking. However, stopping the car even at 5 mph resulted in severe shaking of the front end.

I checked last night and can wiggle the left front caliper by hand. I cannot move the right front.

Am I correct in assuming that there should be no wiggle in the caliper?

I am contacting the shop to get it towed. Right now it is not driveable.

I'm not sure if I saw fluid on the caliper or not. I'll check that when I get back to the truck this evening.

What could have caused this

* bolts not torqued?
* Something snapped? He did say there was some corrosion like salt water and it was tough to get the old calipers off ?
* Failed brake pad?

Thanks..

mike202

Correct

My guess is that the caliper mounting bolts are loose. Nothing is snapped and I doubt the pads are bad.

The question is why did you need four new calipers? What was wrong or what were the symptoms?

Also were the rotors machined or replaced?


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chuyrobles

Yep, sounds like they forgot to torque the mounting bolts. It is possible a bolt snapped due to over-torquing. You mentioned corrosion, but the shop would not have put the bolts on if they showed corrosion.

cgmendla

My old vehicle was dying. Lots of family stuff going on so I had to make a snap shot.

I did crawl under the truck and saw some surface rust/corrosion. The car dealer told me the back brakes were at 3 and would need replacement

The shop said that there was a good bit of corrosion and "Quarry mud". Truck was from Connecticut so I'm thinking maybe it was on the coast with exposure to salt water or perhaps road salt.

The shop said that the calipers were frozen on and they soaked it with penetrating oil

They replaced the calipers, pads, and rotors in the front.

Their supplier sent the wrong part and they had to wait for the new part. I told them no problem, I could wait till the next day but he wanted to get it back to me.

I'll let you all know what I find out when they fix it. I looked at the left and right calipers this afternoon. The right is pretty much centered on the wheel. The left is about 10 - 20 degrees different.

I took it in because when I was on the road at 60mph the car had a slight pull to the right. I hadn't noticed that when I test drove it but, as I said, it was kind of a hurried decision. Also, when I applied the brakes, it was pulling to the right. That was for the front. As far as the back, the used car dealer was honest and said they were just barely above passing for inspection.

Thanks for the info!