# The brake SAGA continues.



## Toyotech (Aug 17, 2012)

sorry it had to be this way but good luck, be sure they install the hardware and not just put on bare pads.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

wow, what a complete waste of money.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

Well. It's now 8:26 pm and I'm back home

What Chevy couldnt fix in 4 visits telling me it was all "normal" they guys at b-Quick fixed it in about 50 minutes. I spent it at the pizza Hut waiting. 

Basically it was BRAKE PADS! That's it. Chevy techs don't know that when you hear rattling and clicking it is a sign there's something wrong with the pads. 

Anyway. My car is now like the day I drove it off the lot. My rotors are like new and the pads are quietter than quiet. AND the brake better than the OEM ones.

I'll report back in a few days, but my issue now seems to be resolved. If you experience rattling and clicking from the brakes, get thee to a pep boys and change the pads and resurface the rotors. Don't bother with Chevy. Just take it for the schedule maintenance for the sake of warranty.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

spacedout said:


> wow, what a complete waste of money.


 Pads are bad so changing them is a waste of money?

What would you do if everytime you went through a bump you car sounded like you had a bag of spoons underneath and everytime you stop there was a clank. Not to mention your front rotors were like a wavy ocean?

Take it to Chevy for the 5th time and have them tell you there's nothing wrong? Or just replace the freggin pads?

What Chevy couldn't do in 4 different visits I did it in an hour.

I went to Chevy and took my hand and put it on the brake and showed him how I could move it and go "clank clank clank". Brakes aren't supposed to move. That's normal he said. Showed me a new Cruze. See. Same. I said NO not same. It doesn't move. "because he has his parking brake on". Whatever. 

Now I put my hand there and guess what. The pads DON'T MOVE!


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

Anyway. This is my brake job


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

Them rotors is shiny


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

I would forward your experience to gm. Sucks you had to go that route. And be sure to put the dealer on blast so others avoid if possible. We have a thread for that.

Is there other dealers near you?


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## Toyotech (Aug 17, 2012)

no lube on fit kit  

good luck but what pads did they use?


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

my brakes are exactly these here



http://www.bendix.com.au/catalogue/150-most-popular-brakes/20100











made for the Holden Cruze.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

thaicruze said:


> Pads are bad so changing them is a waste of money?
> 
> What would you do if everytime you went through a bump you car sounded like you had a bag of spoons underneath and everytime you stop there was a clank. Not to mention your front rotors were like a wavy ocean?
> 
> ...


It wasn't the pads; it was the brake hardware. To be specific, the pad retainer clips. If you're going over a bump and your brakes are making noise, then your pads are bouncing around in the caliper because they're not stationary, OR your caliper bushings are shot. The latter is unlikely for a car this new. Either your pad clips were broken, or someone forgot to put them in at the assembly line. These retainer clips spring-load the pads to hold them in place.

Here's what I'm talking about:


























Sorry bud, but you just paid a shop a decent chunk of money to replace $5 (at best) worth of parts. I hope they gave you the original pads as they were probably in perfectly good condition, albeit as worn as one would expect for the mileage.

I've replaced more pads than I can count, and I've seen and fixed this issue on countless occasions.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

^

Someone forgot to put them at the assembly line? So they decided to rattle a year later?

Yes. I know the clips you're talking about. I spent some time under the car as you can imagine trying to see where this rattling was coming from. The clips were there ad clearly visible. The mechanics at Chevy spend 4 different times under the car. You think nobody thought to look at retainer clips?

They also tried to put globs of lube on the pads to no avail. 

With the squeeking. Rattling, humming and warped front rotors I decided to end this bullcrap of going to Chevy dealers by paying these people $146.00 bucks to end my month long sorrow at Chevrolet. 

If you ask me it was the best $146 bucks I ever spent.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm not disagreeing with you. But I think what happened was either 

A: Chevrolet is installing the cheapest crappiest pads to cut cost

B: the Chevy techs are so stupid they can't install brake pads properly. 

Eithet way, I though, since I've been hearing noises for a while before this rattling and also noticed the front rotors getting wavy like ripples in the ocean, to stop letting Chevy touch my brakes and give it to someone else who knows what they are doing. 


If it wasn't for the warranty I would stop taking my car to Chevy service altogether. They're a pile of muppets.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

thaicruze said:


> ^
> 
> Someone forgot to put them at the assembly line? So they decided to rattle a year later?
> 
> ...


I gave you options. Obviously if they didn't rattle at first, then they were always there. If the clips are clearly visible, they could simply have been worn. If they looked at the clips and could not find any other issue, they should have replaced the clips. That's the first thing I would have done. Unfortunately, dealership technicians aren't always the most intelligent people. The vast majority of customer dissatisfaction on this board is the sole result of the dealership's inability to correctly diagnose and solve a problem. It's sad, really. 

A warped rotor produces a repeated pulsation that (depending on severity) can be felt in the chassis, brake pedal, and/or steering wheel. If you did not feel that pulsing at every rotation for a given brake corner (reducing in repetition as the car slows down), there was no need to have them turned. I'd bet that the rattling and humming was directly related to the retainer clips not holding the pads in place. 



thaicruze said:


> I'm not disagreeing with you. But I think what happened was either
> 
> A: Chevrolet is installing the cheapest crappiest pads to cut cost
> 
> ...


Please don't consider me rude here, but they are not installing the cheapest pad possible to cut cost, and I have already pointed out; it wasn't the pad. Consider for the sake of discussion that you are the only person (to my knowledge) to report this complaint. The only way you would be able to narrow it down to the specific pad was if the service location you took the car to replaced only the pad, leaving the existing retainer clips in place, and you were able to notice a difference. Fortunately for you, all brake pads come with replacement retainer clips, because they do wear out very often. 

As far as I'm concerned, you had at least one worn or broken retainer clip. It's a shame the Chevrolet dealership was unable to figure this out. Honestly, if I were you, I would have taken it to a different dealer, but that's water under the bridge. 

How did you notice the front rotors getting wavy? To visually see that, you'd need the microscopic vision. I've never actually seen a warped rotor; but I've felt the effects of one plenty of times. 

If you posted this complaint before, I wish I would have seen it, as I would have immediately pointed you to the retainer clips. A mildly experienced technician would have figured that out. 

One thing I do want to point out, for the sake of your future satisfaction with dealerships, is that dealerships do not represent GM. They are privately owned entities that are licensed by GM to sell and service their products. They in no way represent GM's expertise or the degree to which they value you as a customer. Dealership experiences can be very hit or miss, and unfortunately, there's not much you can do about that aside from contacting GM customer support and filing a claim. I've discovered that dealerships are much more cooperative and willing to put time and effort into solving your problems when big brother (GM) is watching. 

In the end, I'm glad you were able to resolve this problem. It's unfortunate that you had to go through so much trouble for such a small issue.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

^

I disagree. If it says "Chevrolet" outside, they represent GM. It should be standard. They should get all dealers of GM cars around the world to meet a certain standard. And I'm going to one of the best here. A lot of them are absolute crap, and that hurts sales. I had none of these issues with Honda.

and I'm not the only person to report this. Just google it or look in this forum fight here. there is a thread about it that I didn't start.

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-service-issues/2832-clicking-sound-when-braking-low-speed.html

basically he was experiencing the clicking sound I was experiencing. Only I had really loud rattle on top of that from the other side.

the new pads solved the clicking sound.

other people on the net. same Cruze noisy brakes.

if you own a cruze, go through a bad road or one with lots of bumps, preferably in a neighborhood, and roll down your back windows. Don't apply the brakes while going through the bumps at a low speed and let me know if it is completely silent.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> How did you notice the front rotors getting wavy? To visually see that, you'd need the microscopic vision. I've never actually seen a warped rotor; but I've felt the effects of one plenty of times.


Yes. The front rotors were wavy. I can describe it as rotor scoring, which can be caused by the brake pads being worn out. i wasn't hearing the scraping sound of a brake pad that is completely worn out, but I think crappy pads caused the rotors to score. and it wasn't only a visual thing, I could run my finger on the rotors and feel the scoring.

Maybe this is normal. Maybe you'll tell me all I needed were MAYBE $5 clips (although I think all the clips for the pads were there) and resurface the rotors

I can confirm after this morning by driving it to work through the neighborhood here that the GM techs were sort of right. The brakes in the Cruze will rattle. The new ones rattle too. However, it is a LOT quieter and I can't really hear it with the windows up now, unlike before. That's why I didn't hear it last night driving home. I had to go through a quiet neighborhood with the windows down.

The CLUNK sound when I came to the end of a stop and hit the brakes on the highway is gone now.

also, these brakes give me a very noticeable improvement in braking. As soon as the pedal sees my foot the car stops. It's better than when it was new.

So, I fail to see how this is a bad $146 bucks spent on my car? People get new rims and wings and skirts just to make it look good. I spent a bit on better brake pads. That's all.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

thaicruze said:


> ^
> 
> I disagree. If it says "Chevrolet" outside, they represent GM. It should be standard. They should get all dealers of GM cars around the world to meet a certain standard. And I'm going to one of the best here. A lot of them are absolute crap, and that hurts sales. I had none of these issues with Honda.
> 
> ...


Why are you being deliberately difficult about this? I get that you're irritated by the situation, but you come off as one who has a strong personal vendetta against GM for some way they have wronged you. The situation was described to you, the dealership organization was explained to you, yet your attitude has not changed.

It doesn't matter what they should do, it matters what they actually do, and the simple fact is that other dealerships for other manufacturers function in the same manner. Our job on this forum is to make handling of your issues as easy as possible, and had I known you went to the same dealership several times, I would have recommended that you find another dealership. I agree it should be different, but that doesn't change the fact of what it is. Accept it as fact and move on. I was explaining to you why you experienced what you did; I did not expect an argument out of it. 

As for that thread claiming it to be the same issue, it is very clearly not the same issue, since you experienced significantly more symptoms than what people are experiencing there. In fact, the issue I had with my car due to a defective batch of struts can be attributed to the same behavior. I only heard it while you were slowing down, and only when the car was traveling at such a slow speed that the road noise didn't overcome the noise that the struts were making. Given that this "clicking" (and keep in mind, people label and interpret sounds very differently) is the only symptom that's being described, it cannot be automatically tied to the problem you just had. What will you do if someone goes out and gets their brakes changed the way you did, only to find out that their issue is actually related to the struts? That's the underlying issue I have. 

I own a Cruze, and I have driven with my windows down nearly all summer, in my quiet neighborhood, and have never heard a noise. I live on a gravel driveway with more large potholes than I care to mention. I have over 13k miles on my car and have not noticed even a hint of the issue you're referring to. I'd say that I'm more "in tune" with my car than most people are, and am the first to notice even the slightest unusual rattle, buzz, or click that the car makes. Believe me, if my brakes were making noises, I would have heard it very, very clearly by now. 



thaicruze said:


> Yes. The front rotors were wavy. I can describe it as rotor scoring, which can be caused by the brake pads being worn out. i wasn't hearing the scraping sound of a brake pad that is completely worn out, but I think crappy pads caused the rotors to score. and it wasn't only a visual thing, I could run my finger on the rotors and feel the scoring.
> 
> Maybe this is normal. Maybe you'll tell me all I needed were MAYBE $5 clips (although I think all the clips for the pads were there) and resurface the rotors
> 
> ...


Rotor scoring better describes the issue. "Wavy" implies that the rotors are physically warped. "Warping" is a term that has been very commonly used in the automotive industry to refer to rotors that have physically expanded width-wise in certain sections due to either wear or thermal stress that causes the pads to catch harder on those sections and create a pulsating feeling during braking.

With regard to the pads, I will admit that it is a possibility. However, if it was indeed the pads that were causing the issue, they would have had to be severely out of specification in order to not fit within the spring-loaded stress of the retainer clips. If it was the retainer clips that were worn and broken, it is likely that edges of the retainer clips were rubbing against the rotor, causing the scoring. This is simply something you are attributing to the pads, when in fact you changed more than just the pads when you took it to the shop. Were you shown the parts that were removed from the car in order to verify where what the culprit was?

The reason why I would consider it a bad $146 spent on your car is because you had no idea what the actual cause of the problem was, and you used a shotgun approach to change the pads, the retainer clips, and to resurface the rotors. Now, if $146 is what you would have considered to be an acceptable price to resolve an issue, I can't argue against that, but if the retainer clips were the cause of this issue, you may have replaced more than what was needed. To make a more extreme example, imagine that my parking pawl rod breaks inside my imaginary automatic transmission, and my car refuses to come out of park. This happened on my 95 Regal once. The replacement part costs $40. Now, imagine that you have no idea that a parking pawl even exists, and you instead have a shop remove your transmission and install a refurbished/remanufactured one, at cost of $2000 to you not including labor. At the end of the day, you will have fixed your problem. However, you will have spent $2000 plus labor instead of $40, plus diagnostics, plus labor. See what I'm getting at?

I understand that the rotors were scored and needed refinishing, but that's beside the point. The point is to determine what the true cause of the problem was. At this point, do you have any information to definitively and undoubtedly claim that the pads and not the retainer clips were at fault?

The reason why I'm responding to this in the first place is because this kind of information is very useful. If we have more members come in here with the same issue, I'd like to be able to tell them where to go, and what to replace if necessary, whether in warranty or out of warranty. I cannot advise that everyone replace their pads (and consequently retainer clips) as well as resurfacing their rotors if I don't know for sure that all of those parts are the cause of the problem. I'd rather know for sure it is just the pads or just the clips that broke so that if I or anyone else on this board want to know a cause and a fix, they can have valid information.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Why are you being deliberately difficult about this? I get that you're irritated by the situation, but you come off as one who has a strong personal vendetta against GM for some way they have wronged you. The situation was described to you, the dealership organization was explained to you, yet your attitude has not changed.
> 
> It doesn't matter what they should do, it matters what they actually do, and the simple fact is that other dealerships for other manufacturers function in the same manner. Our job on this forum is to make handling of your issues as easy as possible, and had I known you went to the same dealership several times, I would have recommended that you find another dealership. I agree it should be different, but that doesn't change the fact of what it is. Accept it as fact and move on. I was explaining to you why you experienced what you did; I did not expect an argument out of it.
> 
> ...



After driving it this morning, I can say it wasn't the clips. I think the Chevy techs were right in saying everything was "fine". they did take the brakes in and out several times. I went in 4 times for the issue and they kept it all day and it was worked on by different technicians. I really doubt they would miss something so basic.

I can also say the rattle is there, even if you replace everything with brand new brakes, BUT it is much less now AND the clunk when I was coming to a stop is gone.

I can also say the braking now with the new Bendix pads is WAY better than the braking with the OEM pads.

So in all I think it was a good investment.

Also, it may be a rattle quirk with the Cruze built here in Thailand that may not be present in the Cruze built in Ohio. Which makes sense then that the tech was right in saying everything he saw was normal. It seems the Cruze's brakes here, the Thai built Cruze, has an unacceptable rattle once it gets over 15,000 miles.

What I noticed, scoring on the rotors, before the rattling it was a humming when I was going back, and a LOT of black brake dust all over the rims all the time. Seemed to start after the car hit 1 year old. I have about 15,000 miles on it.

It maybe the way I drive. How long the brakes last is not really set in stone.



> *Bottom Line*
> Brake pads and shoes can last upward of 50,000 mile on some vehicles and as little as 10,000 miles on others. The length of time between changing your brake pads and shoes often depends on your driving style, the quality of your brake pads and shoes, vehicle weight and road conditions. The visual method of inspecting the brake pads for wear below 2/32 of an inch will guarantee that you'll know the pad needs replacing before the metal wear indicator can cut into the rotors, resulting in further damage and higher replacement costs.
> 
> 
> ...


It was worth it for me because the bottom line is, my Cruze now brakes much better than before. Rattle or no rattle.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

Take a look at this

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ-Ownership Report_EDIT: 41,000kms Update - Page 18 - Team-BHP

other people report the same thing.



> @animdas Well yes -> It is confirmed that the Cruze brakepads run out soon.
> 1) Cruze's brakepad's have a short span of 16-22k on them


These guys are in India.

I think it may be a crap brake issue on this side of the ocean.

and this is more people, in a chevy forum, reporting brake noises and no response from Chevy


http://www.chevroletcruzeforum.com/index.php?/topic/266-noisy-rear-brake-pads-when-rearing-up/

and this is the exact same thing that started my problem. Humming noise while backing up. I don't think it is a coincidence.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

If the brakes fitted in Thailand are different than the ones fitted here, that would explain a lot. I wasn't entirely sure if you were from the US or from Thailand. I only washe my car ever 2,000 miles and I've never yet seen any brake dust, so they might just be different pads.

It's strange that there would be such a difference, but I guess different vendors are used based on where the car is assembled.



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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

In the last several months when I would wash my car, my rims and the inside of my rims would be caked in black dusty crap that didn't look like just road dirt.

but since the guys in India are reporting having to change the brakes at about 15-20,000km, it maybe that the brakes are just crap.

even though they still rattle some, it's barely noticeable and it does brake much better than with the standard pads.

It's a real shame because driving to work this morning I remembered why I liked the car so much when I test drove it.


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

The brakes on this car are JUNK. Mine are already trashed at 10k miles. This combined with all the other little issues..... I wish I never bought the car.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

cmackvr6 said:


> The brakes on this car are JUNK. Mine are already trashed at 10k miles. This combined with all the other little issues..... I wish I never bought the car.


Oh boy. Here we go...

I feel your pain. I'm much happier now.

I like the car, but definitely it's in need of some good 3rd party mods. I should go with an all brembo kit.

Also, here, they put these Maxxis tires on there which make it wobble on sharp turns. As soon as it is time to get new tires I'm going back to B-Quick and get some nice Michelins.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cmackvr6 said:


> The brakes on this car are JUNK. Mine are already trashed at 10k miles. This combined with all the other little issues..... I wish I never bought the car.


I'd like to know how you trashed a set of stock brakes in 10k miles. I have over 13k miles on mine and I have plenty of pad life left.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

clips.. new pads... everything there... and still






but this guy wins. mine wasn't this bad.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

thaicruze said:


> clips.. new pads... everything there... and still
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't understand what the point of that is. It's a mazda, and an aftermarket brake kit at that.

Just because the clips are there, doesn't mean they aren't worn, loose, or bent. 

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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I'd like to know how you trashed a set of stock brakes in 10k miles. I have over 13k miles on mine and I have plenty of pad life left.


I think I already answered that.... because they are junk. It really is just that simple.

I had a 2007 BMW 328i before this and I drove it the SAME commute everyday and its brakes were still fine at 49k miles, when I traded it for the Cruze. 

In fact, I drove the 328i way harder than I would ever think of driving the Cruze.

The brakes combined with the wind noise, steering wheel squeak, strut knock, 4th gear rattle, and the infamous recall... I think they took this one out of the oven before it was done


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cmackvr6 said:


> I think I already answered that.... because they are junk. It really is just that simple.
> 
> I had a 2007 BMW 328i before this and I drove it the SAME commute everyday and its brakes were still fine at 49k miles, when I traded it for the Cruze.
> 
> ...


There's a fine line between being a disgruntled customer of a car they don't like, and being an utter troll. You're stepping very finely on that line. 

I will repeat what I shouldn't have to: most people on this board have had zero problems with their brake pads. Therefore, they are not junk. Yours might have been junk, but to generalize, especially when such a generalization is baseless and unsupported, is quite a stretch. 

If you love your BMW so much, go buy another one. What does a new 328i go for these days? About 2x the cost of a Cruze. I think I can afford to change brakes if I had such a horrible experience. 

Many people come in here to get help, and some people come in here to vent. If you're just here to vent, there's no point in venting repeatedly. You can vent a few times, and believe me when I say I'll feel sympathetic, but be tactful about it. In the 42k miles I owned my 2005 Bonneville GXP, it went through $7,200 worth of dealer repairs (covered by my extended warranty). I know exactly what it feels like to be utterly fed up with a car.


Now, I'll address your issues directly. If you want my help:
A. The wind noise is a known issue and does not affect all Cruzes. If your dealership can't find it, go to another dealer. File a case with GM customer support if you haven't yet. 
B. The steering wheel squeak is a known issue (and might actually be a TSB). Many people had this resolved by their dealerships successfully. If your dealership can't find it, go to another dealer. File a case with GM customer support if you haven't yet. 
C. The 4th gear rattle seems to be something that's experienced by everyone randomly, whether it's in Europe or in the US. Doesn't seem to be a huge deal. I expect a few quirks out of an economy car. I can't excuse it, but the most I can recommend is that you contact customer support and file a case with them, as before. If the dealer says it's normal, have them show you another Cruze that does the same thing, if they can. If your dealership can't find it, go to another dealer. It may be the gear ratio, it may be the engine mounts, who knows. All I know is that nobody has reported a failure or issue as a result of it. More of an inconvenience and a quirk if anything. 
D. The recall is voluntary and is a direct result of the incompetence of oil change technicians and GM's response to that. It technically isn't even their responsibility, but they were forced to do something by NHTSA. 


Now, if you're just here to vent more, here's my response:


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> There's a fine line between being a disgruntled customer of a car they don't like, and being an utter troll. You're stepping very finely on that line.
> 
> I will repeat what I shouldn't have to: most people on this board have had zero problems with their brake pads. Therefore, they are not junk. Yours might have been junk, but to generalize, especially when such a generalization is baseless and unsupported, is quite a stretch.
> 
> ...



"Very fine line" You think I care what you think of what I write on this forum? You don't have to repeat anything because I don't care what you have to say and I don't than many other people here do either.

I will "vent" here whenever I feel like it. You can read it or not read it. You can respond or not respond (I prefer the latter)... the fact is, it makes no difference to me.

I stand by my statement. The brakes on this car are J.U.N.K. Simple matter of opinion.

P.S. Save your response... it is irrelevant.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cmackvr6 said:


> "Very fine line" You think I care what you think of what I write on this forum? You don't have to repeat anything because I don't care what you have to say and I don't than many other people here do either.
> 
> I will "vent" here whenever I feel like it. You can read it or not read it. You can respond or not respond (I prefer the latter)... the fact is, it makes no difference to me.
> 
> ...


The members on this board will speak for themselves. 

Constantly trolling peoples' threads telling everyone how much you hate your car isn't going to do anyone any good. I told you how you sounded on the off chance that you might care and might want to be a valuable member of this community, perhaps having come off as a bit too harsh due to your own frustration. Most people realize how rude they sound and change their tone. 

It's a simple matter of opinion? Sure didn't sound like from your last post. 



> I think I already answered that.... because they are junk. It really is just that simple.


It was stated in quite "matter-of-fact" fashion. 

There are people here who are willing to help, and they are quite generous with their time and patience when it comes to people like you, who are frustrated with their cars. However, they don't take too kindly when you shove it back in their face and continue to rant on about how terrible your car is. Keep it up, and you'll find out why I suggested you fly a kite instead of continue venting.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Eh. I can hear my rotors starting to rumble at highway speeds (as in early signs of them being warped) at 7,000 miles. I don't drive any differently than I did with my old car, and it took me 80,000 miles to warp those.

Sounds like cheap parts to me, but then again, every Honda I've seen consistently has problems with warped rotors too. 

There is a lot of brake dust, but most brakes on cars these days are quite soft so they don't make any noise and give a nice pedal feel. Our other new car, a Camry, had wheels that were COVERED in brake dust at only 800 miles.


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Eh. I can hear my rotors starting to rumble at highway speeds (as in early signs of them being warped) at 7,000 miles. Sounds like cheap parts to me, but then again, every Honda I've seen consistently has problems with warped rotors. I don't drive any differently than I did with my old car, and it took me 80,000 miles to warp those.
> 
> There is a lot of brake dust, but most brakes on cars these days are quite soft so they don't make any noise and give a nice pedal feel. Our other new car, a Camry, had wheels that were COVERED in brake dust at only 800 miles.



This is what mine does. Unacceptable for a car that is only 6 months old with 10k miles.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cmackvr6 said:


> This is what mine does. Unacceptable for a car that is only 6 months old with 10k miles.


If you want the issue resolved, and I'm assuming you do, you will need to visit your dealership and have them determine the cause of your failure. If your dealership can determine that, despite the part being a wear item, there is a workmanship defect in the item, they will replace it free of charge. They have done this in the past with defective clutches, so my understanding is that they may also do so for other wear items that have worn abnormally. 

Otherwise, you're out $150 for a new set of pads, resurfaced rotors, and labor to get the issue resolved at a 3rd party shop.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Eh. I can hear my rotors starting to rumble at highway speeds (as in early signs of them being warped) at 7,000 miles. I don't drive any differently than I did with my old car, and it took me 80,000 miles to warp those.
> 
> Sounds like cheap parts to me, but then again, every Honda I've seen consistently has problems with warped rotors too.
> 
> There is a lot of brake dust, but most brakes on cars these days are quite soft so they don't make any noise and give a nice pedal feel. Our other new car, a Camry, had wheels that were COVERED in brake dust at only 800 miles.


Wow, that's junk. I'm at 29k miles on the OEM rotors and they're fine. Then again, I'm doing mostly suburban and rural driving, with lots of engine braking.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

cmackvr6 said:


> The brakes on this car are JUNK. Mine are already trashed at 10k miles. This combined with all the other little issues..... I wish I never bought the car.





cmackvr6,
I understand your frustrations with the issues that you have experienced with your Cruze. I would like to look into this and get a service request open for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you as well as being able to assist you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Still can walk at 3 mph, when hearing clunks inside the car, trusted my wife to drive with the window down and hit the brakes. In a clear area, even opened the hood to isolate the source of the noise. Can determine if the noise is coming from the brakes, ball joint, suspension, or struts.

In the case of the Cavalier, was definitely coming from the top of the strut towers. Only took a minute to verify the source, and sure beats the heck out of guessing where the problem is originating from.

Ha, my old in-laws loved to spend hours drinking coffee and speculating what the problem is. Just got up and walked out to the car and found the problem in minutes. You don't find problems by speculating, you find them by looking. Sound travels through metal seven times faster than air. Have to get to the source.

Recently after replacing the rotors and pads, with a thorough cleaning. Stepdaughter's car was making a terrible brake noise. After jacking up the car, removing the wheel, found a stone lodged in between the rotor and shield. With my girls, complete panic that someone was going to get killed. My only comment was, where in the heck were you driving this thing.


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> If you want the issue resolved, and I'm assuming you do, you will need to visit your dealership and have them determine the cause of your failure. If your dealership can determine that, despite the part being a wear item, there is a workmanship defect in the item, they will replace it free of charge. They have done this in the past with defective clutches, so my understanding is that they may also do so for other wear items that have worn abnormally.
> 
> Otherwise, you're out $150 for a new set of pads, resurfaced rotors, and labor to get the issue resolved at a 3rd party shop.



The only problem is: I have a laundry list of things that need to be addressed and the dealer won't provide me with a loner car. I don't have time, nor do I think I should have to, sit a the dealer while they address all these issues on a car that should not have any issued to begin with. I just bought it brand new in March.

Stacy is on the case now. Hopefully she will be able to help me.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

cmackvr6 said:


> The only problem is: I have a laundry list of things that need to be addressed and the dealer won't provide me with a loner car. I don't have time, nor do I think I should have to, sit a the dealer while they address all these issues on a car that should not have any issued to begin with. I just bought it brand new in March.
> 
> Stacy is on the case now. Hopefully she will be able to help me.


Two Chevy dealers in my town with a population of under 20,000. One I purchased the car from, the other I didn't, but under warranty, I chose the one that I feel is best capable of doing the work. Either one gives me a loaner vehicle. But both expect me to put gas in to the same reading as the gas gauge.

Sounds like you need to find a different Chevy dealer. Never ever had problems getting a loaner.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

NickD said:


> Sounds like you need to find a different Chevy dealer. Never ever had problems getting a loaner.


**** I got a loaner when I scheduled a oil change at my dealer(they also preformed the recall). 

First oil change got an 2010 impala which I thought was crap, second a 2010 HHR which was WAY under powered, this time they gave me a 2006 Malibu which is even more under powered than the 2010 HHR. what was GM ever thinking putting the 2.2ecotec in such heavy cars. After these last two the impala was great!

All three loaners had one major issue.... Old man smell. I'm an ex smoker that's not the smell, have to drive with window down just so I don't get sick. Dear old men please wash you balls before driving your car so it doesn't smell so bad when you trade it in.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

9600+ miles on my car, I live in a very hilly area(lots of 200-400ft hills with steep grades), no rotor warping or any issues at all with brake pads.

I am typically very hard on pads, my old 91 buick lesabre I would warp the rotors & need pads once every 6months. That car came equipped with two small of brakes for the car, with only 14in rims couldn't really fit bigger ones. My last car(a 2004 cavalier) I changed completely worn out pads & rotors at 60,000miles, were still good at 110,000miles when I traded it in. Think GM has figured out how to size brakes large enough for the car to avoid heat & warping. 

I will even go as far as to say if you are experiencing warping you need to learn to slow down sooner for your stops. only way you could have issues is if you are jamming on your brakes at most intersections. You might be shocked how far these cars can coast & maintain speed as you slowly come to a stop. No need at all to power though 3/4 a block then jam on your brakes the last 10 feet.


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

NickD & spacedout:

Exactly. Between myself and my wife, we have had about 16 cars in the past 8 or 9 years (I know, we have a sickness, haha) and we have NEVER had a problem getting a loaner before.


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## cmackvr6 (Mar 5, 2012)

spacedout said:


> I will even go as far as to say if you are experiencing warping you need to learn to slow down sooner for your stops. only way you could have issues is if you are jamming on your brakes at most intersections. You might be shocked how far these cars can coast & maintain speed as you slowly come to a stop. No need at all to power though 3/4 a block then jam on your brakes the last 10 feet.


Like I said. I have driven this car no differently than I have my past vehicles. In fact, I baby this one because there is no point in trying to drive fast...the car is slow.

I have only replaced the rotors on my Silverado and my old Dodge Magnum. Both of which had over well over 60k miles at the time. 

The problem is with the parts NOT with my driving style.

P.S. it may not be the rotors, I don't know. The car just vibrates heavily when slowing from highway speed. Your guess is as good as mine. Fact is, this problem should not exist at 10k miles.


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