Does your department bed-in your brakes?

[OhOneSnake]

One of my normal 3 cruisers has had brake shudder, or what some would called "warped rotors" for a couple weeks. Our service department finally picked it up and gave it new rotors and pads today. When it came back, I asked them "Did you break-in the pads yet?" The guy looked at me like I had 3 heads. I asked "Do you know what I mean by 'bedding-in process'?"
He says "I used the brakes a couple times to make sure they worked right, that should be good enough"

I asked the guy issued that cruiser for the day to switch with me, and I proceded to do a proper bedding-in out on the road (I got a couple strange looks from the few citizens I saw)

Is it just me who has people working on their cruisers that don't know anything more about cars than what's in the service manual?

 

[Morningstar908]

I doubt any at my department do it. I just got an 05 Impala, and before that I had a Crown Vic with about 68000 miles on it. The Crown Vic always had brake shudder, which they never fixed no matter how many times I wrote it up.

On a side note, I asked about proper bedding in at my local parts store yesterday and I got a bewildered look from the tech. He acted as if I didnt know what I was talking about. His reply was "Hell, in NASCAR they throw a new set of brakes on and then go 200mph...you'll be fine." (Typical Redneck).

-Morningstar908

 

[Lawman85]

Bedding in brakes?? Techs that know what they are talking about?? What planet are you on?? I watched the mechanic who serviced my car last week and he broke a bolt off on the left rear hub. He had no clue how to replace it and had 2 more mechanics come over to look at it. It looked like three monkeys stairring at a computer... clueless... I finally went over and offered a suggestion.

 

[Bl4ckedoutc0bra]

Bedding/burning in brakes is imperative... Those mechanics should be fired. Not only do they cause more issues for the car, they compromise ordinary citizens' safety by putting officers in a 4,000lb vehicle that cant stop properly. That same vehicle chases cars at 50mph+ through crowded streets (on occasions)

 

[theraapster]

I know this may not be the best place to ask, but what is bedding brakes? And how would you do this? I am not a tech and I have never replaced brakes, but for future reference I am curious.

 

[rust0r]

ive never heard of it before either, but heres a good read: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

 

[GH1086]

I can say with almost %100 certainty that my department does not bed-in the brakes on the cars.

 

[JimBowy]

well im assuming you guys break in your stang brakes?

 

[FordSVTFan]

I break in my cars BRAKES!

 

[lowdrag]

Well, one of our maintenance guys added kerosene to the coolant to top it off once. If that gives you any clue. I doubt they could even find the brakes, let alone bed them in.

I could go on a whole rant about our vehicle maintenance. It's like taking your life into your hands everytime you go out on patrol. On top of that, the problem has gotten much worse since we switched to Impalas. Not that the Crown Vics didn't have some problems of their own, but these things absolutely suck. The rear ends are constantly out of alignment on them. Every time you hit a bump in the road the back end feels like it's going to come around on you. Take it in to get it fixed and all they can say is "Well, it's handling like that because the back tires are bald." No, genius! The tires are like that because the last time we brought the car in, you sat in the crapper for half the day and yucked it up with your buddies for the other half before you charged us for a full days labor on the car. :mj:

 

[monkeetunk]

wait until a couple coil packs start to fail and your running on about six cylinders and their response is.... "Aww hell, it still moves under it's own power. It'll be ok. Keep driving it."

Or one even better: The department fails to pay fuelman bill and you fill your patrol car up at the pump and then the transaction is denied! No one can get fuel! HA! :shrug: