Metal on Metal Brake Noise

3127 Views 19 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Bgwilly31, Apr 9, 2009

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · Apr 6, 2009

Last Monday I picked up my brand new 2008 Lotus Exige S240. I absolutely love the car! There was only one problem. Everytime I would brake there would be this horrible horrible grinding sound! Now I've heard noisy brakes but this sound was completely out of the ordinary and was actually embarrassing. I mean the cars get attention but I don't want that kind of attention.

Anyway, my cousin Jeff (Bgwilly31) and I looked at it this weekend (actually I walked out to the garage and Jeff had the wheel off

) and you will never believe what the noise was!
The passenger side, rear caliper, rear brake pad was installed completely backwards! :crazyeyes
So the metal on metal sound I was hearing was literally metal on metal! Mind you this vehicle came straight from port which means Lotus installed these things.
Needless to say we didnt think it was safe to drive 600 more miles (until 1000 mile service) on a backward installed brake pad so we took pictures and documented the problem, then flipped the pad......No more noise! :clap:
Just thought I'd let Lotus owners know that sometimes a brake noise doesnt always mean your brakes need bedded or there's gravel trapped in the pad...it could be a backward installed brake pad :shrug:

I'll try and get the pictures uploaded from my cousin as soon as possible.

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

shadowhusky

· #2 · Apr 6, 2009

OMG -eek- There is actually somebody just as stupid as a guy I work with?

He did the exact same thing on his Dodge Ram when he changed the brakes himself. After he finished he said that it sounded like they were grinding. We all told him that it would go away after a few miles. He drove it that way for about 6000 miles. His buddy finally helped him check it out and he installed one pad backwards. It ground all the way thru the face of the rotor to the cooling fins.

I can't believe it actually left the dealer that way. :shrug:

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 6, 2009 (Edited)

shadowhusky said:
OMG -eek- There is actually somebody just as stupid as a guy I work with?

He did the exact same thing on his Dodge Ram when he changed the brakes himself. After he finished he said that it sounded like they were grinding. We all told him that it would go away after a few miles. He drove it that way for about 6000 miles. His buddy finally helped him check it out and he installed one pad backwards. It ground all the way thru the face of the rotor to the cooling fins.

I can't believe it actually left the dealer that way. :shrug:

I don't blame the dealer at all, they assured me over and over that it would be taken care of. I mean the car had 5 miles on it, most likely not by them, and to tell you the truth I heard nothing pulling away from the dealer. When I noticed the sound it was 50 miles later at a gas station. I blame Lotus and whoever was half asleep that day installing brake pads backwards

Gees hasn't Lotus heard of standardized work and Jidoka?....Sorry, that's the Toyota Way coming out

Tracktimeplz

· #4 · Apr 6, 2009

So no rotor surface damage? Lucky you =p

Scrumpot

· #5 · Apr 6, 2009

With 600 miles of metal-on-metal, I hope you are getting everything at least on that corner now, REPLACED!

anic:

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 6, 2009

Scrumpot said:
With 600 miles of metal-on-metal, I hope you are getting everything at least on that corner now, REPLACED! anic:

Currently working on it. I doubt it will be a problem replacing it. I don't think there was significant damage though but I don't want to take a chance. I only have 400 miles on the car....the 600 miles was in reference to how much longer I would have to drive to get to the 1000 miles service and get it fixed if I did nothing. It's a long trip to the dealer and I didn't want to drive an unsafe vehicle.

EliseAtLeast

· #7 · Apr 6, 2009

Unbelievable how incompetent people are. I would at least get the rotor changed.

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 6, 2009

That's what I want...I'm not just worried about scratches on the rotor, I'm worried about possible warpage. I doubt anything like this occurred but when you put unintended pressure on heated metal you never know what could happen.

Bgwilly31

· #9 · Apr 6, 2009

oh boy im the one that found the brakes like that. And i almost couldnt believe my eyes. I lol'd pretty dayum hard as i walked back in the house to let mpbrady what i found.

One of the lotus engineers must have been a few pints deep already:Cheers: lol

VisualEchos

· #10 · Apr 6, 2009

This really surprises me, I mean, Lotus tech's aren't stupid. Maybe something had to be removed by someone after the car was built, and they put it back together incorrectly. In any case, I'm glad you caught it before it did some real damage or put you in danger.

carlover

· #11 · Apr 6, 2009

MpBrady7 said:
That's what I want...I'm not just worried about scratches on the rotor, I'm worried about possible warpage. I doubt anything like this occurred but when you put unintended pressure on heated metal you never know what could happen.

No need to worry about warpage, that's due to uneven heat build up. You need a new rotor because there is only a 2mm service limit on the rotors, IIRC. They come from the factory at 24 mm, and need to be replaced at 22.

thomasde

· #12 · Apr 7, 2009

VisualEchos said:
This really surprises me, I mean, Lotus tech's aren't stupid. Maybe something had to be removed by someone after the car was built, and they put it back together incorrectly. In any case, I'm glad you caught it before it did some real damage or put you in danger.

The smartest among us are capable of momentary stupidity. I'm just surprised it didn't get noticed anywhere between the factory and the dealership.

VisualEchos

· #13 · Apr 7, 2009

thomasde said:
The smartest among us are capable of momentary stupidity.

I agree, however, I haven't installed brake pads on this car yet, so I can't say if something would feel weird or not. If it slides right in the wrong way, then I'm definitely agreeing with you, if it takes some work, I don't know...haha.

ChrisB

· #14 · Apr 7, 2009

thomasde said:
The smartest among us are capable of momentary stupidity. I'm just surprised it didn't get noticed anywhere between the factory and the dealership.

I had it happen to me. It felt a little different, but I put that off to the new pads not bedded in yet. It took several miles of stop and go traffic before any clearly wrong noise appeared. Rotor had to be replaced.

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 7, 2009

Yea I'm hoping I at least get taken care of and I get a new rotor. Can easily be replaced during my 1000 mile service

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #16 · Apr 9, 2009

Just got the word that Lotus is replacing the rotor and both brake pads.
Needless to say I'm happy :clap:

Now all I have to hope for is good weather this weekend :shift:

CHRISN

· #17 · Apr 9, 2009

MpBrady7 said:
Just got the word that Lotus is replacing the rotor and both brake pads.
Needless to say I'm happy :clap:

Now all I have to hope for is good weather this weekend :shift:

:up:

Sideoiler

· #18 · Apr 9, 2009

Assembly issues do happen, nice to see Lotus is willing to fix it without a long drawn out process.

MpBrady7

Discussion Starter · #19 · Apr 9, 2009

Sideoiler said:
Assembly issues do happen, nice to see Lotus is willing to fix it without a long drawn out process.

That they do, I'm just glad it's getting fixed.

I'll try and post up the pics tonight so you can see what we saw when we took off the wheel.

Bgwilly31

· #20 · Apr 9, 2009

5

I'll take care of that for ya. bowlcut

Notice the only strange thing besides the whole mess. The spot in the metal that almost shows as if the pad was at one time in the correct position than switched. But i have no idea as to why that would have happened.

The only possibilities i can think of here. Are during assembly line maybe the calipers are put together at one point than taking back off>? Or maybe the calipers are painted and dissembled for that.

Or maybe FVMC checks the cars out. But i doubt any of those ideas. So i havent the clue:shrug: Maybe the calipers come with that mark on them.

Oh and btw heres mike aka bowlcut. This is what he looked like doing the work. Watching me.

And heres me with my neccesary tools. lol

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