ups4 Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Took the wife's SXT in to have the water pump replaced (18k miles) and asked them to check the rotors because I had noticed vibration during normal braking. They confirmed the rotors were in fact warped and had chewed the pads down to 10%. It would only cost me about $400 to take care of the problem for both axles. The tech told me it's absolutely normal for rotors to warp at this early stage. Since brakes are normal wear and tear parts....no warranty coverage. It only took me about 10 minutes with Google to find out there are no less than 2 class action suits against Chrysler for this exact problem. I also found literally hundreds of individual complaints about the exact same problem. It seems that some genius Chrysler engineer decided he could cut corners by using a substandard rotor in the Journey. This vehicle weighs in at almost 2 tons empty. Add a couple of normal adults and you have one heavy vehicle. Excessive heat build-up on the insufficient rotors and of course they are going to warp. To top it all off, the tech says "He has no knowledge of this being an issue with the Journey". I offered to show him copies of the two class action suits, but he didn't seem interested. How could he, or anyone else in the service department with Chrysler NOT know about this issue? I'm extremely disappointed with Chrysler's lack of concern and their attitude toward supporting their product. I've been dealing with this particular dealership for over 20 years, having bought about 13 vehicles from them during this time, and giving them all my service business. For a company in such dire financial states, can they afford to lose people like me....in large numbers. Can anybody on this forum that might be associated with the auto repair business offer some explanation? I'm totally flabbergasted here. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
email4walker Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 It is a common problem. For most of us, we just ended up replacing the brakes and rotors ourselves (if needed). I think only two poeple on here were able to get thier dealer to replace the brakes and rotors for free. I hate to say it, but you are going to have to change them yourself. Don't have it done at the dealer. Go anywhere but the dealer and make sure it is not Chrysler equipment they are installing. If they do, you will have the same problem very soon. The good news is after you have new (different) equipment installed, you don't have to worry about it any more. Chrysler just made a bad choice with the brakes and the dealers are in denial. They don't want to lose money by fixing the problem, so I see them staying in denial for a long time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FleshWound Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Not the dealership's fault, they don't work for Chrysler. It's not the first time that Mother Mopar has skimped on brakes. Best bet is to look into some after-market pads and rotors. that's what I plan on doing when the time comes. from what I gather (in a nut shell) Chrysler is under contract with the brake manufacturer and will buy from them until the contract expires, or the manufacturer can't supply the parts, or the parts are found to be defective. Dealerships are under contract with Chrysler to sell Mopar parts/products. Technicians who work on your car are paid on a flat rate basis (they don't get paid unless they are working on a vehicle) the counter person, be it, parts or service advisor get a commision for the parts sold If you like the service at your dealership, my advice would be to purchase the after-market brakes yourself and have the dealership do the work or get one of the techs to perform the work on his own time and avoid the dealership's hourly rate. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ups4 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Just an update to this issue. Went to the dealership today because the ETC light came on immediately after my wife left the service department from the water pump replacement. Gave the service manager a rash of sh*t about the brake issue. No response from him, so I went to see my salesman and told him we wouldn't be returning to the dealership for any reason in the future. He kinda freaked out and said "Wait right here for a minute". When he came back, he told us that they were going to replace the rotors and pads at no cost to us. While this is fine and good, I asked him would they be putting the same crap rotors back on. His reply was pretty much what I suspected....yes, they have no choice due to contract with parts supplier/MOPAR. He did add that if they warped again (within 12K miles) they could be replaced with my choice of after-market rotor. This seems reasonable to me, so I went to the General Sales Mgr., who we've been close friends with for over 20 years, and thanked him telling him that Dan saved the day. When I told him that we were ready to leave the dealership, he went straight to the service dept. to kick some arse. Anyway, we'll see what happens now. At least we have good brakes for the next 12K miles. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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