Hi, newbie here..

I own a 2011 Civic with about 8500 miles on it. Ive noticed lately that there is a vibration in the brakes. I feel it braking at all speeds, but its even more noticable when I hit a bump while braking. I cant tell if its the front or rear brakes.

Im a little leary about bringing it to the dealer, because Im afraid they will try to sell me something I dont need. (like new brakes)

Is an adjustment a real service? Sounds like a made up thing to make money.....Please advise. Thank you.

Dee

 

I would of though it was the ABS as you mention it was noticeable when hitting a bump but you mention it's also at normal speeds. It could be a disc being uneven worn. Its really hard to say, you should bring it it to get checked.

 

In most cases the front rotors warp causing that vibration, you can try re-cutting the rotors and adding new pads,(or sand the old pads on a flat surface) then try not to make high speed stops.

 

unevenly worn rotor is a little bit of a stretch. also abs doesn't engage simply over bumps. have to have wheel slip while braking

this. pretty much. to see if they are "selling you stuff you dont need" drive highway speed, straight line. hold your thumb on the e-brake release button (DON'T LET GO) gently pull the e-brake until you feel it braking and then take it back off. if you feel the same vibration as during braking, you need a machining of rear discs. now brake normally; does the steering wheel shake? or just the brake pedal? if the steering shakes you need front rotors machined, and they may recommend replacing pads with whatever they machine, this is a good idea, specially if the pads are worn into a wedge or taper.

keep in mind that if the rotors are very rusty, they may not be able to machine them, and will need to be replaced, very common for people living in the country or parking over grass etc.

on a last note, here in Canada, Honda will warranty the machining of rotors if still within the warranty period (3 years 60k kms) but it's customer pay for brake pads (regular wear item) goodluck!

 

Hi Sleepy_red
I appreciate the time you took to answer my question. I found this on another site forum, and I wonder if you can tell me if there is any truth to the first couple of sentences, where it discribes how ABS works. Please keep in mind my car is a 2011 with 8500 miles on it...garaged. Thanks

How hard are you applying the brakes? And what vibrates, the steering wheel or the pedal? If it's the pedal and you are under hard braking, then it's the control valve in the ABS module blocking the fluid so the wheels don't lock up, which is normal ABS operation. If it's the steering wheel that shakes, it's warped rotors, which is not normal operation. I'm gonna assume that you have taken the wheels off your car because you said you had aftermarket suspension. When you put the wheels back on, did you torque the lug nuts with a torque wrench or just tighten the **** out of the with an impact or ratchet and socket? If the torque is not the same on all the lugs, the lug that has the least amount of torque on it won't be able to transfer heat as well as the other ones and that is where the rotor will warp. If it turns out being rotors, the next time you take your wheels off, use a torque wrench on them and make sure they all have the same amount per lug or else you'll go through this again. Also, if the service manager there tells you that the reason the rotors are warped is because of heavy braking, tell him he's an idiot because hard braking DOES NOT warp rotors because there isn't any way that it could because the brake pads (which are a flat surface) are in contact with the rotor (which is also a flat surface).

In short: Its probably warped rotors. Take it to Honda, if they argue with you saying that it's your fault the rotors are warped, tell them that there isn't any way that your or anybody elses driving style can warp a rotor. What warps a rotor is lug nut torque due to lower heat transfer if all the lugs aren't torqued to the same amount.