Break vibration, B.A.R. opinion

[Chrigel]

Hi

Has anybody had some issues with vibration in steering wheel and pedal while breaking at around 40-70 mph? My six month old 70D with 7500 miles has that issue.

Tesla recommends replacement of pads, rotors and brake hardware. Since I powder coated the wheels and painted the brake calibers red, they decline to fix it under the warranty. I can not see the relevance of it and will try to get a neutral opinion from B.A.R. (Bureau of Automotive Repair ) here in San Francisco.

Any advise would be appreciated.

I still love Tesla and this is my third Model S but I wanted to be treated fairly and if the failure is from the paint, I will be happy to accept it and pay for the repair. I just have a hard time believing that powder coating the wheels can cause this damage.

Thanks for any help.

Chris

 

[xG35]

my best guess is either the disc(s) are/is warped or the calibers/pads were not mounted correctly.

 

[mspohr]

Hi

Has anybody had some issues with vibration in steering wheel and pedal while breaking at around 40-70 mph? My six month old 70D with 7500 miles has that issue.

Tesla recommends replacement of pads, rotors and brake hardware. Since I powder coated the wheels and painted the brake calibers red, they decline to fix it under the warranty. I can not see the relevance of it and will try to get a neutral opinion from B.A.R. (Bureau of Automotive Repair ) here in San Francisco.

Any advise would be appreciated.

I still love Tesla and this is my third Model S but I wanted to be treated fairly and if the failure is from the paint, I will be happy to accept it and pay for the repair. I just have a hard time believing that powder coating the wheels can cause this damage.

Thanks for any help.

Chris

Sounds like you have warped rotors. Should have them checked. May need new pads also.
Any brake shop can do this work. Replacement pads and rotors are widely available.
As for "warranty", probably not eligible since you worked on the calipers yourself and that could have led to the problems.

 

[Zaphod]

I would have the wheel lug torques checked. If an impact gun was used an over-torqued or unevenly torqued, it could cause the rotors to warp or be uneven. First thing I would check. Too much coincidence that the issue has happened after the wheels were take off and reinstalled. There is plenty of relevance.

Were the calipers removed to paint them or just taped off? They didn't powdercoat the mounting flange of the wheels did they? Possibly remove any wheel weights during the process as well? I would have the wheels/tires rebalanced if checking the lug torques doesn't improve things.

Also, I hope you weren't "breaking" at 40-70mph, that would be bad. I hope you were "braking", that would be much better.

 

[Chrigel]

Thank you all for your excellent input.

-The calibers have not been taken off for painting.
- Painting has been done by a professional body shop.
- Powder coating has been performed by a company that does only that.

PS: Since I am a foreigner I always get mixed up with words..... Sorry about that. Can I edit my original post?

 

[dabbler]

With only 7500 miles it sounds to me like your front rotors are warped. You may want to consider having them turned on a brake lathe at a reputable brake repair shop. I doubt that your pads are at issue either.

 

[randompersonx]

I'm confused how someone could possibly end up warping rotors on a Tesla, I barely ever touch the brakes on mine ...

 

[zambono]

Thank you all for your excellent input.

-The calibers have not been taken off for painting.
- Painting has been done by a professional body shop.
- Powder coating has been performed by a company that does only that.

PS: Since I am a foreigner I always get mixed up with words..... Sorry about that. Can I edit my original post?

how could they powder coat the calipers without removing them, they have to be baked in an over to set. Not only that a proper powder coating of a caliper implies removing any plastic parts, and who knows what from the pistons.

 

[Chrigel]

how could they powder coat the calipers without removing them, they have to be baked in an over to set. Not only that a proper powder coating of a caliper implies removing any plastic parts, and who knows what from the pistons.

Calibers have been only painted and wheels have been powder coated.

 

[Super_Popular]

It's calipers not calibers.

 

[Chrigel]

I'm confused how someone could possibly end up warping rotors on a Tesla, I barely ever touch the brakes on mine ...

Totally agree. Me too.

 

[Chrigel]

It's calipers not calibers.

Thank you

 

[Chargedmr2]

Over-torqued lug nuts, especially when torque varies widely between lug nuts, can cause rotors to warp. Some vehicles seem to be more suseptible to this than others. Get a torque wrench and check them, or have someone check it for you. Solution is probably new or resurfaced rotors. I always retorque my lug nuts after replacing tires since the idiots in the shop rarely get it right. I've had torque range from 80 to 140ft/lbs on the same wheel before correcting it myself. Best of luck sorting this out.

 

[dabbler]

I just had the tires rotated , under warranty and by the Tesla Ranger, and I checked to see that he used a torque wrench. Correct torque is critical. I always torque my lug nuts / bolts on all of my vehicles.