Thoughts? Loose Calipers

Now that is some scary stuff right there. The guy that did that job should be fired on the spot when you return. No excuse.

 

I would not drive it, I would call the dealer and tell them to send a tow truck. I agree whoever did that job should be fired immediately.

 

Read or search on brake noise...

There's nothing scary - and nobody serviced your brakes. Front brakes should go 100K miles before wearing...

This is apparently a design 'feature'... I am surprised that more people don't complain about it though... I hate driving in a parking lot, and driving over those bots dots - you get the same crazy rattle... Press the brakes a bit, it magically goes away...

The fix would be some type of spring to hold the pads in place - but I haven't heard of this being implemented yet... I did take mine in for service - just to document the rattle.

 

A typical brake caliper has 2 bolts: one top and bottom. You can usually just remove the lower one and rotate the caliper up to remove the pads for inspection/replacement. Looks like they removed both and forgot to re-install them. I agree with Tumbleweed: shouldn't be driven, especially considering the circumstances, it being their error. Maybe they should come to you?

BTW: Regarding the post above:

1. If you went in for a brake service, you got a brake service.

2. The calipers should not be loose.

 

The issue is not loose calipers - it's loose brake pads.

I've driven in 4 Prius', and all have the noise - most don't notice it because they drive with their windows up... Drive through a crosswalk at with dots, at 20mph - roll down the passenger window, and listen to the beautiful clacking sound reflecting from the curb...

There is no danger here - only misinformation...

BTW - who in the world would remove the brake pads (calipers) to "inspect the brakes"??? Just FYI - you can inspect the pads by using your eyes and looking at them - while they are on the car...

 

Did you look at the video he provided? It's not just noise. The brakes are falling apart!

 

US schedule shows brake "service", as opposed to brake "inspection", at 30000 miles. I've posted my spreadsheet compilation of the US schedule here:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...93946-2010-prius-maintenance-schedule-us.html

(I'm trying to stay civil: figure you're doing a fine job, all by yourself )

 

Call the dealership, have them tow it back to the dealer, and fix it free of charge. Not to mention, as others have said, the tech should be FIRED for working on your vehicle. You should also receive lifetime free oil changes and tire rotations. This is absolutely ridiculous.

 

That's not normal. I would not drive it. The dealer should have it towed to their shop.

 

You got ripped-off and then they didn't do the job correctly. Maint schedule calls for inspection of the brakes. It says nothing about disassembling.

I would not drive the car ande find a new dealer.

 

This is a pretty clear case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Calipers should not have the kind of radial movement shown in the video.

 

Just realized you're in Calgary (Canada). Here's the Canadian schedule in spreadsheet form, fwiw:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...2010-prius-maintenance-schedule-canadian.html

The US schedule is similar, actually seems more logical. Both are a bit of a jumble. Anyway, my 2 cents:

A cursory check of brakes is ok, just a look through the caliper at pad thickness, and assesment of general condition, hoses, look for leaks, etc. That's an inspection. Say yearly at the longest. But at least bi-yearly, the caliper should be swung up and the pads pulled out and thickness checked, shims checked for corrosion, re-lubed and reassembled.

Looking through the caliper at the pads, vs having them out and in your hands, is a night-and-day difference. It's not even possible to properly assess remaining thickness, just looking through the caliper openings, escecially for the inner pad. And shims can and do deteriorate, rust, lose tabs. Anti-Sieze applied on their faying surfaces loses effectiveness over time as well. And with the caliper swung up you can judge the performance of the sliding pins, see if they're sticking.

And especially if there's any symptom of pulsation: disc parallelism, thickness, and runout should be checked, with micrometer and dial gauge.

 

I assume they "serviced" all 4 brakes. If so, then you are correct its very obvious that something isn't right just by comparing side to side. Could be that two different techs worked on the car one on each side and only one did the work correctly. I wouldn't drive it and I'd have them send a tow truck to return it to their facility and correct their improper reassembly. If you can take pictures when they take the wheels off and see what's not right.

 

Here's a pic of the step to re-install the bolts. The pins are already in place:



If sliding pins are in, but not the bolts (top and bottom), I think it would be able to move around per the video.

 

Looks like the caliper slide pin bolts are missing. I agree 100%.....do not drive it. If something happened on the way home from the dealership and somebody was hurt then its all on the dealer. Now that "You" and all of "Us" know about the problem you carry some liability if you continue to drive it and an accident occurs. Definately have them tow it. If they will not then you need to have it towed to them, inspected, repaired and then reimbursed.

 

Seem obvious that it ain't correct.
Take it back and have the dealer correct the problem.