ABS Brakes

[headymamamyrna]

I need a bit of advice here!

I have ABS brakes and they have been coming on lately even after i come in my driveway and stop.

So I went to Speedy Tuesday and its the sensor.

Ok so they put in a sensor to the tune of $156

i wasn't sure whether to do ahead or not as they don't come on that much in the winter anyway and I don't like them.

I asked if they could disconnect them.They can't but I can pull the fuse.They wouldn't be allowed and I understand that.

So I go ahead and wait there most of the afternoon .They also did a wheel cylinder which was fine.

They took the car for a test drive and now the ABS light is on and won't come off.They take it back in the garage and test it again but came to the conclusion it was the sensor so they ordered another one which they will put in this afternoon.

So if this does the same thing can I say forget it and give me back my money and pull the fuse for the ABS?

I am afraid they will say oh its a broken wire or something else causing the light to stay on .I didn't go in with the light on.It was the abs coming on for no reason.

No snow or ice here yet.

Any advice would be appreciated before 3;30

Thanks

[Davey Boy 2.0]

my abs light is always on, i'm not concerned about it.

myrna- you've driven in the winter long enough to know how to pump the brakes so they dont lock up- i suspect that you rarely go out when it's too icey anyway

Edited July 19, 2007 by Guest
1 light

[Kanada Kev]

Be sure that Speedy doesn't charge you any extra time for the "extra" work they had to do ordering another sensor, etc.

What kind of car do you have? Sometimes it's better to take something like that to a mechanic that specializes in that brand.

Why don't you like ABS? Is it the strange noise and the grinding feel it makes under your foot? That's what will actually allow you to have steering abilities if you ever have to slam your brakes on. Without ABS, your wheels all lock up and you retain absolutely no steering abilities (unless you "pump" your brakes ... which you shouldn't be concerned with when you're trying to save your life and you should NEVER "pump" ABS systems).

They definitely shouldn't be coming on all the time. That can be fixed. If you deactivate them it's the equivalent of turning off your air-bags, or even not bothering with a seatbelt. Be careful.

It's important to understand how ABS works:

* In an emergency situation, apply your brakes hard and stay on them. The more pedal chatter the better.

* Don't pump your brakes. Pumping is for standard brakes. It completely robs ABS brakes of their effectiveness.

* Remember that ABS brakes do not help you stop quicker under most conditions. They do help you maintain steering control during braking so you can veer around obstacles.

* The general rule of thumb is that if you have to avoid an obstacle, veer to the right. This way, you avoid oncoming traffic.

* Don't become an over-confident driver because you have ABS. Drive prudently as you always should.

http://www.mucda.mb.ca/aboutabs.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-lock_braking_system

Edited July 19, 2007 by Guest

[Davey Boy 2.0]

i'd say that it's not quite the equivalent of turning off your airbags or not bothering with a seatbelt. but yes it is a safety feature but not an absolutely necessary one, IMO

Speedy's definately going to milk you if they see the opportunity, that much is true.

Myrna drives a grand am i think, 'wish i knew a reputable mechanic in ktown- if you drive your car up this way any time soon my guy will treat you right though, myrna. he only works mon - thurs though and it sometimes takes him a couple of days to have a look at your car.

i think my folks use svenson bros but i find them pricey

Edited July 19, 2007 by Guest

[headymamamyrna]

Everything you said is true DAvey!

Speedy here has been great to me and I know them and they know me.

You don't need a special mechanic to put a sensor in but if something else goes wrong then it could mean trouble.

Yes i drive a grand am .

Its a 96 and only 88,000 kms.

I do drive here in ice and snow in the winter no problem.

[jay sanislo]

i dont use mine either.

[popo weenie]

Everything you said is true DAvey!

Speedy here has been great to me and I know them and they know me.

You don't need a special mechanic to put a sensor in but if something else goes wrong then it could mean trouble.

Yes i drive a grand am .

Its a 96 and only 88,000 kms.

do not mess around with that please i just called my dealer and he said to get it fixed , but know who you are dealing with

speedy can bull shit

I do drive here in ice and snow in the winter no problem.

[Alexis]

a friend of mine had a similar problem except sometimes, completely randomly her brakes wouldn't work as well as they should. if you leave it, it might turn into a bigger problem. definitely get it looked at. just don't pay for a misdiagnosis. in fact, if it takes 2 or 3 tries to get the problem assessed accurately, you should get them to waive the fee entirely since it's taken 2 or 3 times as long to fix which taxes your time, which i'm sure is a valuable commodity.

[AD]

... plus they're professionals and they should do things right, and not charge for doing things wrong.

[headymamamyrna]

Thanks everyone for the info

They put another sensor in and its fine now.

Also they told me if your abs light stays on it means its disengaged.So you guys probably don't have your ABS working now if your light stays on.

Thanks again

[Booche]

So you guys probably don't have your ABS working now if your light stays on.

Just the way I like it.

Fuck ABS and the horse she rode in on!