Brake Replacements
Took the Cyclone in today to have the bearings serviced. A good friend owns a shop so I know he'll take care of me. He called me with good and bad news.
The good news: The bearings were looking great. No shavings or any signs of problems.
The bad news. He said the first wheel they removed, the brake shoes were totally worn down and starting to grind into the drum (metal to metal). So they stopped the servicing since we might have to do a brake job anyway. It is too late for them to start a brake job right now on a Friday afternoon.
So I called my RV dealership and asked the service manager (another friend) what he thought. The first friend who is doing the repairs said this is very unusual for the amount of time on the camper and considering the condition of the bearings, these pads should never have gotten down this low in this amount of time. The service manager said I could try to call Dexter but he thinks they're going to use the "wearable item" reasoning and I'm pretty much on my own. That may be the case but we'll see.
But here's a big question. Typically when the metal to metal contact has begun, the drum is getting grooved and one would normally replace the shoes and the drums. That's gonna be quite expensive for six wheels. But the service manager said at my dealership that they rarely ever replace the drums. He said unless the drums have warped or are severely grooved, they would recommend just replacing the shoes and go with that. They do a TON of service work and he said he guesses they've only replaced drums maybe four times in his career.
I like that thought. If Dexter does turn me down, this is gonna get expensive. But if I don't replace the drums, that'll save me a ton of money. Has anyone had any similar experience?
The good news: The bearings were looking great. No shavings or any signs of problems.
The bad news. He said the first wheel they removed, the brake shoes were totally worn down and starting to grind into the drum (metal to metal). So they stopped the servicing since we might have to do a brake job anyway. It is too late for them to start a brake job right now on a Friday afternoon.
So I called my RV dealership and asked the service manager (another friend) what he thought. The first friend who is doing the repairs said this is very unusual for the amount of time on the camper and considering the condition of the bearings, these pads should never have gotten down this low in this amount of time. The service manager said I could try to call Dexter but he thinks they're going to use the "wearable item" reasoning and I'm pretty much on my own. That may be the case but we'll see.
But here's a big question. Typically when the metal to metal contact has begun, the drum is getting grooved and one would normally replace the shoes and the drums. That's gonna be quite expensive for six wheels. But the service manager said at my dealership that they rarely ever replace the drums. He said unless the drums have warped or are severely grooved, they would recommend just replacing the shoes and go with that. They do a TON of service work and he said he guesses they've only replaced drums maybe four times in his career.
I like that thought. If Dexter does turn me down, this is gonna get expensive. But if I don't replace the drums, that'll save me a ton of money. Has anyone had any similar experience?
