I try to help you out and this is the thanks I get....

[Neil]

A similar thing happened to my friend. A mutual friend of ours was quoted over $700 from a Ford dealership to replace the front pads on his 2001 Excursion (4x2). My friend offered to do it for free since brake pads are so easy. So the guy with the Excursion bought new pads and rotors, since he was saving so much money. I had kid activities that day so I wasn't initially involved.

When I got back from whatever I was doing, I saw the Excursion on blocks in my friend's driveway and they were taking turns beating the hell out of the rotor with a 10lb sledge hammer, trying to knock it lose. I had to walk my dog, so I said I would help when I got back. On the way back from walking the dog, I see my friends had stopped just beating the rotor, and they both had blow torches to heat the rotor AND THEN beat it.

I ask them to stop while I went into my house to do look it up (youtube.com is AWESOME!). As it turns out, that model year had three different engine configurations, each with 4x4 or 4x2, which lead to a bunch of different front end setups. The rotors he bought was for the V10 4x4 setup, and the rotor just slides on and off. His setup (V8, 4x2) had a spindle nut that had to be removed.

So we go out to Advance Auto, get the correct rotors, and I was pretty sure we would need new bearings by this time too. Once we took the spindle nut off, it was amazing how easy the old rotor was to remove . We got it all put back together, but the front end vibrates at highway speeds. He still hasn't taken it to get re-aligned, but I'm hoping that's all that is wrong with it. At least the brakes don't squeal anymore...oh and he was able to pass the state safety Inspection.

[0rion]

A similar thing happened to my friend. A mutual friend of ours was quoted over $700 from a Ford dealership to replace the front pads on his 2001 Excursion (4x2). My friend offered to do it for free since brake pads are so easy. So the guy with the Excursion bought new pads and rotors, since he was saving so much money. I had kid activities that day so I wasn't initially involved.

When I got back from whatever I was doing, I saw the Excursion on blocks in my friend's driveway and they were taking turns beating the hell out of the rotor with a 10lb sledge hammer, trying to knock it lose. I had to walk my dog, so I said I would help when I got back. On the way back from walking the dog, I see my friends had stopped just beating the rotor, and they both had blow torches to heat the rotor AND THEN beat it.

I ask them to stop while I went into my house to do look it up (youtube.com is AWESOME!). As it turns out, that model year had three different engine configurations, each with 4x4 or 4x2, which lead to a bunch of different front end setups. The rotors he bought was for the V10 4x4 setup, and the rotor just slides on and off. His setup (V8, 4x2) had a spindle nut that had to be removed.

So we go out to Advance Auto, get the correct rotors, and I was pretty sure we would need new bearings by this time too. Once we took the spindle nut off, it was amazing how easy the old rotor was to remove . We got it all put back together, but the front end vibrates at highway speeds. He still hasn't taken it to get re-aligned, but I'm hoping that's all that is wrong with it. At least the brakes don't squeal anymore...oh and he was able to pass the state safety Inspection.

ran into something simliar to this a few years ago with my sister in laws POS exploder. Her husband couldn't get the caliper nuts off so she asked if I would do the front brakes. I agreed. She brought it out on a Sunday after I'd been up all night fishing the night before so I was tired as hell and just not in a good mood. I start tearing it down and find out she has the wrong rotor. It's Sunday and everything here had closed by then so I drove an hour to Columbus to get her the right rotor. Get back pull it off and asked her where the bearings were ( no sense in tearing that down and not changing the bearings). She didn't have them. Drove another hour to Columbus and bought bearings. Get back....wrong bearings. Drive back to columbus and get more bearings. Get back put everything back together. Test drive it up the road and hit the brakes. Thing shakes like it's coming apart. Get it back home and take the rear tires off. A chunk of rotor is missing which was her problem the entire time.....it was the rears not the fronts. Finished it up the next day.

This is kind of the cliff notes version. At some point I was cussing, she was crying, my wife was crying, and their dad showed up laughing. Half of it was my own fault but in my defense I shouldn't even have had to do it at all had her husband not been such a pussy and learn how to put a ratchet on a bolt and beat the shit out of it with a hammer. He's done that to me a couple of times. Acts like he doesn't know how to do something so she brings it out here to me. I just out right refuse to work on their shit anymore.

[SMWS6TA]

what I hate are rotor pins/bolts. Damn things always seem to get gunk up and strip out.

[0rion]

what I hate are rotor pins/bolts. Damn things always seem to get gunk up and strip out.

I've had some good fights with those too....the worst are the allen head bolts. Hate those damn things. I've gotten really creative getting those out after the head rounds off. Last time I went around it with a welder and put beads on the outside of the head so I could grab it with a small pipe wrench and then put a pipe on the end of that and got it broke loose. I almost saved that one....I was proud of that one.

[SMWS6TA]

I refuse to reinstall them..cars have worked well without them for many yrs no reason they need them in my opinion.

Lucky for me the last set of rotors for my DD didn't have the hole drilled.

[SuperSSguy]

I own a Kia.

-Im not laughing at you owning a KIA..Im laughing because i can just see you saying it...''Hey i own one ""!!!

[SuperSSguy]

This post reminded me of the time i tried to ''help out'' my childhood friend. at the time i was working at our familys service station.I had access to a hoist so when my friend asked if i could do his oil change i said sure no problem @ the time he had a Mitsubishi eclipse- anyway i did the oil filter change and gave the car a once over,since it was still fairly new it didnt need anything else. One day while going to the beach with him and his twins we were climbing the hill and even though his music was loud i kept hearing a rattling noise,i turned down the music and he said ,whats that noise? I said thats your valve train, what the hell gear you have it in? He says fifth!! Fifth? why? were going uphill and your lugging the shit out of it! He says is that bad, UMMM yeah!! so as he down shifts to another gear he says hey look at this light on my dash,remember last week i told you about it..I couldnt see it so i asked him what it looked like? he says its like a genie bottle with a few drops coming out of it,and a little red lights on,,I said duhhhh,,,thats your low oil light .Then he looks at me with a puzzled look ...i said havent you checked your oil lately? he says no! Well you were the one who did my oil change last!! I said shit that was months and months ago! he didnt know that just because you have your oil changed you had to still check the oil periodically-after that hed bring it up often like it was my fault!! He always was a goof ball for those types of things! Lesson learned!! NO MORE FAVORS!!

[FasstChevys]

@SuperSSguy - What a friggin' tool! His ignorance and cluelessness is not your fault or problem!

[SiggyZ]

I'm proud to own one. It's a good little car for everyday driving.

-Im not laughing at you owning a KIA..Im laughing because i can just see you saying it...''Hey i own one ""!!!

[SiggyZ]

There's a ton of people out there when it comes to that stuff. Basic auto maintenance and knowing it needs to be done, is beyond them.

@SuperSSguy - What a friggin' tool! His ignorance and cluelessness is not your fault or problem!

[SMWS6TA]

my brother in law is one of them.

[SuperSSguy]

I'm proud to own one. It's a good little car for everyday driving.

No doubt it is.....Ive owned only three imports two were Datsun 280 Z cars (75 & 76) and i have a 91 Acura(my brother owned it) that i drive around for trips to store or to take my dog places etc.....The Acura is good on gas,pretty reliable and easy to drive,kinda fun like a lil go-kart and like you say it is a good little car for everyday driving..Love my SS but im always worried about were to park it=-not that i want it thrashed but if it gets a door ding or a bird shits on it i wont have a heart attack and its easier with the automatic tranny especially in stop and go traffic which is common around my city so enjoy it with pride.

[98TransAmWs-6]

my brother in law is one of them.

My brother is one as well. My whole family is clueless when it comes to maintenance of cars or at least as far as keeping up on it. They ask me to look at it when something is wrong, I do and tell them my opinion of what I think is the problem. They don't believe me and take it to a mechanic and what do you know the problem is what I said but now they paid for a diagnosis. That shit drives me crazy!

[SuperSSguy]

My brother is one as well. My whole family is clueless when it comes to maintenance of cars or at least as far as keeping up on it. They ask me to look at it when something is wrong, I do and tell them my opinion of what I think is the problem. They don't believe me and take it to a mechanic and what do you know the problem is what I said but now they paid for a diagnosis. That shit drives me crazy!

Yeah growing up around a service station had its perks and its downfalls, thats funny you mentioned that about family not listening to your advice and seeking others help..my little brother does that sometimes too. his reasoning at times was that he didnt wanna bug me or dad with his problems(hes married and on his own) he used to work @ the station too but went into another field. Once he was a smelling a gas smell from his car so i asked him...fumes or fresh gas? Fresh he said he ended up taking it to a mechanic that was recommended to him were he lives and that he said he trusted,they replaced a muffler,a tailpipe,a gas cap and he still had the problem hundreds of dollars later!! I kinda got upset because i believe the guy took him for a ride but i guess you have to learn the hard way sometimes!! I told him to ask me or dad before doing anything else in the future....Ive had friends do the same things you mentioned too! they ask you,you tell them,then they go to someone else as if you dont know what your talking about.I for one am the first to admit Im no mechanic! Id rather drive them then fix them BUT ive been around the block and do know a few things more then some of them so i try to help,and if i dont know i tell them that too!