Brakes Problem

[mpgscott]

So whats the proper procedure for a home mechanic with a haynes manual, remove the calipers give them a clean and check every year then loctite the bolts and tighten to the specified torque is this good practice?? Should you pump the pistons out and check them??

 

[The Grey One]

Thats sounds all well and good but I bought a new bike from a dealer and have paid them to service it for me ever since. Whilst I'm considering my options now, this should be something they do especially when they charge me typically anything between £170 - £250! I'm no mechanic and when I start to service things they go wrong. Yes I learn along the way but it's quite costly.

You say you are no mechanic and then assert that the dealer should have removed the caliper bolts. Certainly if they have carried out extra work in that area they would have but if it is not on the BMW service list then why do you expect them to do it? What else should they, in our expert opinion, have checked? Bike manufactures have to some extent followed the car makers in removing items from the service lists in order to reduce invoicing times and therefore perceived costs to the customer. There will always be those of us who feel that extra things should be done. The problem is where do you stop, unless the owner is doing the work there is little chance that every nut and bolt would be checked Would you like the bill if they did?

A caliper bolt snapped, we don't know why, even had the caliper been removed for whatever reason the bolt may still have snapped. As someone has already said Shit Happens, instead of looking for someone to blame, find someone to fix it and get back the riding the thing.

John

 

[mikeyboy]

So whats the proper procedure for a home mechanic with a haynes manual, remove the calipers give them a clean and check every year then loctite the bolts and tighten to the specified torque is this good practice?? Should you pump the pistons out and check them??

you have about summed it up,pump the pistons partway out,a good scrubb up with brake cleaner and a tooth brush ,then dry off and push the pistons back in.
they should go back with thumb pressure,if not the caliper needs to be stripped and serviced,dont be tempted to use WD40 or similar products as this can damage the seals.
it is worth spending a bit of time cleaning the caliper properly to remove all of the baked on brake dust,get in all the nooks and crannys,the dust holds moisture and will promote corrosion.
if your are servicing at home it really is worth allowing extra time to give the bike a deep clean while the panels,tank etc are off.
bikes that are kept clean generally have a lot less corrosion.

 

[Neil W]

just had a 12000 mile service, all calipers removed , pins and exposed pistons cleaned and greased, pads removed and cleaned and refitted with anti squeal grease on the rear and new fluids

 

[mpgscott]

you have about summed it up,pump the pistons partway out,a good scrubb up with brake cleaner and a tooth brush ,then dry off and push the pistons back in.
they should go back with thumb pressure,if not the caliper needs to be stripped and serviced,dont be tempted to use WD40 or similar products as this can damage the seals.
it is worth spending a bit of time cleaning the caliper properly to remove all of the baked on brake dust,get in all the nooks and crannys,the dust holds moisture and will promote corrosion.
if your are servicing at home it really is worth allowing extra time to give the bike a deep clean while the panels,tank etc are off.
bikes that are kept clean generally have a lot less corrosion.

Cheers Mikey

 

[gsbiker]

You say you are no mechanic and then assert that the dealer should have removed the caliper bolts. Certainly if they have carried out extra work in that area they would have but if it is not on the BMW service list then why do you expect them to do it? What else should they, in our expert opinion, have checked? Bike manufactures have to some extent followed the car makers in removing items from the service lists in order to reduce invoicing times and therefore perceived costs to the customer. There will always be those of us who feel that extra things should be done. The problem is where do you stop, unless the owner is doing the work there is little chance that every nut and bolt would be checked Would you like the bill if they did?

A caliper bolt snapped, we don't know why, even had the caliper been removed for whatever reason the bolt may still have snapped. As someone has already said Shit Happens, instead of looking for someone to blame, find someone to fix it and get back the riding the thing.

John

Hi John

I hope you are not grumpy to every stranger you meet?

Forums are great [when people are not grumpy or having a go at others] and great way to learn from others so my questions and concerns shouldn't be a problem here.

I have arranged for my bike to be fixed next week so now I'm just passing time.

Whilst you are right, in that the more dealers do the higher the bill, my concern is that to my knowledge they never once asked me if I would want the brakes serviced? It never crossed my mind to ask because I'd thought something so important was top on their list at least at intervals say every other year or every three years etc. Now that I've learned a thing or two from the opinions posted here I know now what to expect.

Considering my bolts are starting to rust, as they all eventually do, despite being garaged and rarely getting wet, I'd expect the dealer at the very least to recommend a brake service, after all it's done close to 21K now over 6 years, all serviced except 1 year missed when the mileage was low between services.

Lastly John, I'm not looking to blame anyone for the bolt sheering, infact you could argue that it was my fault. The issue is that considering the bolt was VERY tight and sheered and the other bolt was rusty and bone dry it rang alarm bells that despite paying good money for servicing over the years est £1250 5x services @ £250, my brakes are not being checked apart from a basic inspection which is limited. The issue here is what are they doing for the money I'm being charged? I'm certainly considering doing the basic servicing from now and maybe get the other stuff done by a garage when it needs it.

Take care John!

 

[Roymondo]

The "official" service schedules are available online, so you can see exactly what jobs the dealer should be doing - if it ain't on the schedule, they won't be doing it.

http://www.ascycles.com/bmw_motorcycle_service_and_maintenance_schedules.aspx