I drive a 2009 Ford Fiesta 1,6 Trend. At the 60 000 km service, it was recommended that I replace the front brake pads and skim the discs. After the service, the brake pedal became very sensitive. The first half-an-inch of travel was fine, but thereafter the brakes responded very sharply. The car went back for a check and the Ford mechanic said the pads were at fault (the manufacturer was apparently having problems with them). He said he would put in a warranty claim for new pads and the discs were re-skimmed. The problem persists. A knowledgeable friend suggested the rear shoes are overly worn and that the front brakes are over-compensating?
GREG BAXTER – By email
We suspect the dealer has fitted cheap brake pads that have not been specified by Ford. A Ford Motor Company spokesman admitted that they are finding it difficult to prevent dealers from fitting brake pads that have not been through Ford’s very thorough testing procedure.
Modern brake pads are very high-tech because they have to behave in a suitable manner over a wide range of temperatures. This means that the one-material-suits-all policy followed by the manufacturers of cheap pads will not perform correctly under all conditions.
The front brakes are not affected by what the rears are doing so overcompensation can’t take place.
