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| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 |
Brakes |
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AGCO Auto Quick Tip: |
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 ABS is an extremely useful function, but contains many very expensive components. 
Having us test your fluid and replace it before it becomes contaminated can save you thousands of dollars in repair. |
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Brake Repair and Service | |
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| Brake service has changed drastically in recent years. Many service practices that were acceptable a few years ago, may actually do extensive damage to a modern braking system. For instance, many shops still squeeze the pistons back into the brake calipers when replacing brake pads. On today’s vehicles, installing a set of brake pads improperly can result in very expensive problems. The brake caliper is the lowest spot in the system and most trash and contaminants in the fluid tends to collect there. When caliper pistons are improperly pushed in, to install the brake pads, trash can be forced into your anti-lock brake system (ABS) controller or master cylinder, causing problems. This is why AGCO thoroughly flushes the system before brake work is begun. This helps eliminate moisture, trash and dirt from the system, and keeps it out of expensive hydraulic components. With this simple change of procedure many problems are avoided.  AGCO can test your braking system to detect potential problems, before they occur. For example, we use a refractometer to test the boiling point of your brake fluid. Boiling point is closely related to water content and by testing we can advise a change of fluid before serious corrosion occurs.
Calipers can be tested for hydraulic pressure and clamping force. At AGCO every technician is “the quality department.” We test rather than guess to help eliminate expensive rework and premature failures.  Brake rotors can be tested for lateral run out, parallelism of the faces, surface finish in micro inches and even Rockwell hardness to insure they will give good service. Another major cause of brake problems is the use of brake pads that do not meet the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) specifications. Many shops use these pads to reduce the PRICE of the brake service. At AGCO we realize the PRICE is not as important as the actual COST to our client. We work very hard to provide the overall lowest COST. A cheap set of brake pads may reduce the price of the brake service by $50.00 or so. The resulting squeak, dust, and shudder on braking, may result in not only their having to be replaced, but more extensive replacement of the rotors. That $50.00 savings has now turned into a $400.00 expense. Our philosophy is to do it right the first time and eliminate the aggravation and expensive rework. Please also read How much is a brake job? |
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