[Guest]

Hi,

I appear to be losing some brake fluid from the front brakes on my Mak. I've noticed that the wheels appear to gather a thin film of grease as well as the normal brake dust (white wheels - look great clean but doesn't last long!) There also appears to be some evidence of fluid on the calipers. I can't see anything obvious (not that I'm techy) but the brake fluid level is halway between min and max at the moment. It appears to be both sides, I have noticed that occasionally after washing the car the brakes seem reluctant to work for the first half mile or so, very hard pedal and no braking. This doesn't last long. I'm going to book the car in at the local Mitsi dealer (they are a Ralliart dealer) for them to look at is it's worrying me now. Wondered if anyone else had seen this, or would know what may be the cause?

Kevin.

 

[Guest]

Kevin,
Dont worry about the brakes being ineffective after washing the car, its the
same as going thro' a large puddle, you have to dab them a few times to dry out the pads/discs.
When checking the level of brake fluid, actually remove the lid. I'm saying this
because when it is full, if you view it from the side of the master top up reservoir,
it appears to be haf empty. This is due to some insert in the reservoir that makes it look
like you have yellow fluid and its half empty, whereas in reality when the lid is on you are on max.
Don't know about the deposits on your discs, but there's achance that you arent leaking
brake fluid at all.
Its worth another check before you take the car in.

-Mr Mime

 

[Guest]

Fluid leaking from the brakes wud probably mean air also finding it's way in , which wud result in a soft or pumpy brake pedal. Fluid level will fall as the brake pads wear , the pads reduce in thickness so the pistons move out from the caliper creating a larger volume in the caliper which fills with fluid from the reservoir so the level falls. The level shud not reach minimum if the pads are replaced before reaching min thickness , so no need to top up. The fluid u have noticed cud possibly be coming from the suspension strut due to a failed seal.
Whatever it is I wud sort it asap.

Cheers

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info.

I've booked the car in tomorrow as I'm loking for peace of mind. Mr Mime, I know what you mean re the puddles, but the car has only just started doing this. I'll let you know how I get on. I've also got a squeaky passenger seat that needs sorting (only when it's empty!?), so I'll hopefully get them both sorted.

Cheers,

Kevin.

 

[Guest]

Get them to check your dampers for leaking. it is possibly the fluid is comming from there.

markja

 

[Guest]

Well,

Had my car in this morning at Gallaghers near Chester. They couldn't find anything and reckon it could just be an increase in road crap as there is no fluid loss - I'm getting paranoid! If it was brake fluid they said it would have taken the paint off, so hopefully they're right. They seem to know their stuff if anybody is in the Chester area and looking for a service garage. I know the Service Manager (Dave Tuck) and had some interesting discussions re warranty claims and what could be done even on a grey (make a claim against the factory rather than Colt - they will assess the situation and make a response). They did sort my squeaky seat, which is nice.

kevin

 

[Guest]

Hi Kevin

Sounds like a good dealer. What did you mean make a claim against the factory and not aginst colt?

Regards

R.W..

 

[Guest]

It came about because my car is a grey import. If you have a UK car and make a warrantly claim (say a brake caliper broke and needed replacing) you are making a claim against Colt Cars. They are a private company that sell Mitsubishis in the UK. They might not be totally even about a view on wear and tear versus a genuine mechanical failure (this is just an example - I'm not saying they would, or wouldn't!). The dealers also have the ability to make a warranty claim against Mitsubishi Japan and miss Colt out of the loop altogether. I don't have the Colt route available to me, but if I suffered a failure a claim could be made against the factory. They might/might not be more amenable to settling the claim. It might be worth getting to know your local dealer and bringing this up with them. Always handy to know if something serious goes wrong.

Kevin.