Anyone know why ABS brakes would lock up?

[Tgo01]

Not my year for cars apparently. So for the first time in my life I lost control of my vehicle and ended up hitting the curb. Thankfully I didn't hit a person or another car but the tow truck guy said something was bent under the car so I imagine it won't be cheap to fix.

Anyways my question is I put my foot on the brake to attempt to stop or slow down but the brake pedal locked up and I couldn't apply any pressure to it at all. It's my understanding that ABS brakes aren't supposed to lock up like this? Am I wrong about that or could there possibly be something wrong with my brakes?

[Paradii]

What were the driving conditions like?

[4a6c1]

I think you need to lubricate your lubricating rod with lubrication.

Heee. Thread dirtified. How much damage to the car?

[Tgo01]

I'm pretty sure I hit a patch of ice. I doubt I was even going 5MPH though, I was taking a turn.

[Tgo01]

I think you need to lubricate your lubricating rod with lubrication.

Heee. Thread dirtified. How much damage to the car?

No idea yet, won't know until tomorrow when the shop opens. The tow truck guy just glanced underneath the car real quick and said he noticed something that normally has an A shape is now bent. Didn't really catch what he called it.

There is no body damage that I noticed and I didn't notice anything leaking.

[Paradii]

I'm pretty sure I hit a patch of ice. I doubt I was even going 5MPH though, I was taking a turn.

ABS brakes still require that your tires have traction, that is most likely why they locked up. Happened to me about 15 times on the way to work today, but I need new tires.

[4a6c1]

Stressed metal car parts act funny with temperature changes too.

[Tgo01]

ABS brakes still require that your tires have traction, that is most likely why they locked up. Happened to me about 15 times on the way to work today, but I need new tires.

Damn that sucks.

This is the first time I've ever had my brakes not work, guess I've just been lucky so far. This is the first time driving this car in bad weather so was wondering if maybe there was something wrong with the car.

[Tgo01]

No idea yet, won't know until tomorrow when the shop opens. The tow truck guy just glanced underneath the car real quick and said he noticed something that normally has an A shape is now bent. Didn't really catch what he called it.

Anyone have any idea what part he could be talking about? He was looking right next to the passenger side wheel when he said it. Just trying to get an idea what this is gonna cost.

ETA: Someone from the shop called back and said there was a flat tire and it would be 50 bucks to fix it and I was getting excited thinking that was the only thing wrong but then she said she needs my permission to put it on a lift and look underneath for more damage and they'll let me know what they find tomorrow. SIGH.

[4a6c1]

You should go get a picture of the part and post it here and car forums.

[Bobmuhthol]

$50 to fix a flat? That better come with a blowjob.

[Tgo01]

$50 to fix a flat? That better come with a blowjob.

Well to be fair she did say 50 dollars or less, I think that includes putting it on a lift and doing an inspection.

[Ardwen]

you got a flat going 5 mph? didja run over a spike strip first?

[Tgo01]

you got a flat going 5 mph? didja run over a spike strip first?

I'm not sure if sliding on the ice accelerated my speed or what but I did slam into the curb pretty hard. Not enough to go over the curb and I didn't jerk forward or anything but it seems like I hit it pretty hard. It's all sort of a blur now.

[4a6c1]

That's just what happens when you let people with penis drive on roads.

REVERSE SEXIST JOKE FTW

[Paradii]

Well to be fair she did say 50 dollars or less, I think that includes putting it on a lift and doing an inspection.


I'll change your flat for 25 bucks plus travel expenses.

[diethx]

I'll change your flat for 25 bucks plus travel expenses.

This is really a great deal.

[Tgo01]

I'll change your flat for 25 bucks plus travel expenses.

That sounds like a steal!

As far as I can tell from looking this shit up on Google I would guess my lower control arm is bent. Damn, maybe I was going faster than I thought but I sure as heck don't remember going so fast.

[diethx]

Just chill the fuck out and go to your mechanic tomorrow. Serious.

[Tgo01]

Sorry, am I dragging down all of the excitement we've seen on the PC lately?

[diethx]

YES.



sigh, no.

[Archigeek]

Not a big fan of ABS breaks, traction control is even worse. If you can't drive worth a crap sure, but if you have skill beyond jamming the break pedal through the floor at the first sign of trouble you should do fine without either.

[AbnInfamy]

Doesn't take a lot to bend a lower control arm. You have 2000 lbs of metal traveling at 5 MPH. You hit the curb placing a huge moment on the axle.

[Jace Solo]

Sounds like the $50 will be a new tire..probably the cheapest they have laying around...probably used.

Good luck. Definitely let us know what they say before you agree to the work, and find out the hourly rate they charge. Perhaps someone here can let you know if it's a good deal or not. As sad as it sounds, places like Walmart are pretty decent shops because their prices are mandated through the country. Wont get anyone named Bubba trying to price jack you.

[Oxxon]

From what you said this is what the tow truck guy might have meant. Now, the one on your car will look different from this one.


http://ustg-corp.com/images/lower_control_arm.jpg

[Latrinsorm]

The pedal locking up sounds weird to me. I have had several experiences with brakes not working due to zero friction where the rubber meets the road, but the pedal still moved as normal for me. With my zero mechanical experience I would guess it has something to do with fluids.

[4a6c1]

And here we are back to lubricant.

[Kuyuk]

There'a always time for lube.

[Drisco]

Don't you have a hand brake for situations like this? One day I was driving up to a red light and my brakes went out for some odd reasons (Someone probably cut my brake line) and the hand brake saved my life... Well I was only going like 15, so it saved me from my insurance company.

[Paradii]

Don't you have a hand brake for situations like this? One day I was driving up to a red light and my brakes went out for some odd reasons (Someone probably cut my brake line) and the hand brake saved my life... Well I was only going like 15, so it saved me from my insurance company.


Yes and no. E-brakes simply bypass hydraulic brake system and go directly to the brake shoes or whatever. So, in your situation where you thought your brake line was cut, the e-brakes saved the day because they don't use the same line as your regular brakes. However, they are still using the same brake drums, or whatever your vehicle has, to stop the vehicle. If yours tires have no traction, the e-brakes aren't going to miraculously save the day, they are still bound by the same laws of physics as your regular brakes.

[Tgo01]

The pedal locking up sounds weird to me.

I've been Googling this and it sounds weird to me too. As far as I can tell the brake pedal isn't supposed to get stuck unless there is a mechanical problem. Sure putting your foot on the brake might not do anything and if the ABS system is kicking in the pedal should vibrate/pulsate, but you should still be able to push the brake pedal.

I called the shop and asked the lady who answered the phone about this and she said the pedal should have vibrated when I pushed it. I reiterated that the pedal was impossible to push and asked if that was supposed to happen and at this point it sounded like she was getting defensive and wouldn't give me a simple yes or no answer and just said the mechanic would check the brakes.

I'm now beginning to wonder if something went wrong with the brakes because thinking back on it I slid for a good distance, 2+ lanes worth of road, just seems hard to believe that entire section of the road was icy.

[4a6c1]

So you drilled a possible receptionist about the highly specific details of your cars breaking mechanisms and became frusterated when she could not answer your stupid questions? Haven't you talked to the mechanic in person yet? Taken pictures of the part? Called a dealership to ask them questions? Done some research in person at an auto zone etc??

[AnticorRifling]

So you drilled a possible receptionist about the highly specific details of your cars breaking mechanisms and became frusterated when she could not answer your stupid questions? Haven't you talked to the mechanic in person yet? Taken pictures of the part? Called a dealership to ask them questions? Done some research in person at an auto zone etc?? Called the BBB?!

I like the last question the best.

[Tgo01]

So you drilled a possible receptionist about the highly specific details of your cars breaking mechanisms and became frusterated when she could not answer your stupid questions?

"Drilled" her? I asked a question. I asked to speak to a mechanic first and if that was not possible I asked if she could instead ask the question to the mechanic and call me back, she decided to answer the question herself. Not my fault if she's a fucking clueless moron who took it upon herself to answer "highly specific questions" about my car.

[Showal]

Hey, I have this complex issue with no real info, background, or pictures. I realize no one here is likely to be an expert and, even if they were, would still need to inspect it to give me a good answer, but can anyone answer my concerns?

[Paradii]

Hey, I have this complex issue with no real info, background, or pictures. I realize no one here is likely to be an expert and, even if they were, would still need to inspect it to give me a good answer, but can anyone answer my concerns?

Sure, stick the tube up to your anus, insert gerbil into the open end of the tube, and than aim the open end of the tube at an open flame.

[AnticorRifling]

Hey, I have this complex issue with no real info, background, or pictures. I realize no one here is likely to be an expert and, even if they were, would still need to inspect it to give me a good answer, but can anyone answer my concerns?

Yes....it's herpes.

[diethx]

Ahaha, Tgo drilled that receptionist. He drilled her, but good.

[Bobmuhthol]

I don't know how wise it is to not know how your brakes work and then call this girl a "fucking clueless moron" when she tells you exactly how anti-lock brakes work if they're functioning properly.

[4a6c1]

"Drilled" her? I asked a question. I asked to speak to a mechanic first and if that was not possible I asked if she could instead ask the question to the mechanic and call me back, she decided to answer the question herself. Not my fault if she's a fucking clueless moron who took it upon herself to answer "highly specific questions" about my car.

Or you could have tried personal interaction with the expert. Talking to the mechanic in person who has your car trumps google anyday.

[Tgo01]

I don't know how wise it is to not know how your brakes work and then call this girl a "fucking clueless moron" when she tells you exactly how anti-lock brakes work if they're functioning properly.

I already know I'm a fucking clueless moron when it comes to why my brake pedal got stuck, that's exactly why I'm trying to figure it out. I certainly wouldn't attempt to answer such a question if I were asked. I didn't call up asking how ABS works, I asked if the brake pedal getting stuck indicated a mechanical failure somewhere.


Or you could have tried personal interaction with the expert. Talking to the mechanic in person who has your car trumps google anyday.

If you want to give me a ride everywhere until my car is fixed I'm all for that. I plan on asking the mechanic in person when I go to pick up my car.

[4a6c1]

I was just thinking that it's an actionable scenario and it's a weekday and your googling stuff and fucking with the receptionist instead of dealing with it. I just don't understand your reasoning but I'll shutup. :-/

[Tgo01]

I was just thinking that it's an actionable scenario and it's a weekday and your googling stuff and fucking with the receptionist instead of dealing with it. I just don't understand your reasoning but I'll shutup. :-/

I don't understand what you would do differently in my position exactly. I need my car fixed, they are in the process of fixing it, they are waiting on parts anyways. They already know what's wrong with my car as far as the damage caused when I hit the curb. From what I have gathered on Google (I'm also confused as to why researching things for yourself apparently doesn't count if you do it on the internet) the damage they are saying happened certainly sounds possible considering the speed I thought I was going and how I hit the curb. I need a new lower control arm and a couple of other things, the price isn't too bad considering the damage caused (less than 1,000 dollars.)

At this point I'm mainly just wondering if there was anything I could have done differently to avoid this (considering I thought I was taking the turn slow enough.) I'm not expecting anyone to give me the answer considering no one was there. The only thing I have, which is the thing that struck me as odd from the very beginning, was the brake pedal getting stuck. I would like to know if there is an explanation for this other than the brake system malfunctioned, hence why I wanted to talk to the mechanic working on my car. I asked to speak to the mechanic working on my car, the "receptionist" working in the service center department, while I'm sure she's not a mechanic I'm sure she knows a little bit more than just how to answer the phone, decided to attempt to answer my question for me. She said she would have the mechanic check the brakes to make sure there isn't anything wrong with them. I will ask to speak to the mechanic in person when I go to pick up my car.

[Back]

So... you don't know about football, or guns, possibly own some Twilight merchandise, and you damage your car doing 5mph.

:thinking:

[diethx]

So... you don't know about football, or guns, possibly own some Twilight merchandise, and you damage your car doing 5mph.

:thinking:

I was thinking the same thing. You guys could be besties!

[Tgo01]

So... you don't know about football, or guns, possibly own some Twilight merchandise, and you damage your car doing 5mph.

:thinking:

You forgot I don't drink beer or smoke cigars either.

We can't all be perfect manly men like yourself.


I was thinking the same thing. You guys could be besties!

What have I ever done to you? :(

[Back]

I was thinking the same thing. You guys could be besties!

Just ribbing him. I may or may not have driven off from the gas station once with the hose still in my tank causing it to detach from the pump. Maybe we could.

[Latrinsorm]

I've been Googling this and it sounds weird to me too. As far as I can tell the brake pedal isn't supposed to get stuck unless there is a mechanical problem. Sure putting your foot on the brake might not do anything and if the ABS system is kicking in the pedal should vibrate/pulsate, but you should still be able to push the brake pedal.

I called the shop and asked the lady who answered the phone about this and she said the pedal should have vibrated when I pushed it. I reiterated that the pedal was impossible to push and asked if that was supposed to happen and at this point it sounded like she was getting defensive and wouldn't give me a simple yes or no answer and just said the mechanic would check the brakes.

I'm now beginning to wonder if something went wrong with the brakes because thinking back on it I slid for a good distance, 2+ lanes worth of road, just seems hard to believe that entire section of the road was icy.Oh sliding a long way is easy. The physics of sliding to a stop are a real bitch, that's why people invented ABS in the first place. One time I slid a good 50 feet over ice, and my car was still going fast enough to flip over when it hit something.

And the polite thing to do before drilling her is to buy half of her dinner in a respectful, non-gender-norm-reinforcing way first, is what I think Rojo is getting at. (And to be clear I am in no way implying that she is incapable of explaining her position because she is a woman.) (It's because she's a soft scientist.)

[diethx]

What have I ever done to you? :(

I'm sorry. :hug:

[4a6c1]

Physics is a made up science blah blah soft science.


I'm not soft. I'm hard. SO HARD.

[Androidpk]

Rojo is so hard that where ever she goes the whole room smells like penis.

[4a6c1]

All my best friends are broken condoms. True story.

[Tgo01]

So ever since I hit that damn curb my car has had a slight pull. After they fixed it and did an alignment and everything the car was pulling to the right, I took it back and they checked that the alignment was still good and switched the left tires with the right tires and the pull got a little bit better but now it was pulling to the left. They said this indicated one or more tires had radial pull and it should correct itself after driving on the tires for a bit to get them all be evenly worn. I looked around on the internet and everywhere seemed to agree that if the pull gets better or changes side after changing the tires it means a tire has radial pull, I didn't see anything about the problem getting better after driving on the tires for a while though.

So this went on until two weeks ago when I asked to do another alignment because the pull did seem to get a little bit better but I wanted to make sure the alignment was still good. They said the alignment was not good, they got it within specs but said they couldn't adjust the passenger side chamber (this is where I hit the curb) but said that was normal and doesn't indicate a problem. After the alignment the car was pulling to the right again. I asked the dealership if the company that made my tires have any sort of warranty on radial pull and she said they couldn't help me with that and I would have to ask a place that sells those kind of tires and ask them.

I thought that was odd but I did as she suggested and the people there laughed at what the dealership told me, literally they laughed. First of all they said they should have been able to help me with the radial pull/tire pulling thing. They also laughed when I told them that switching the tires changed the direction of the pull and indicated radial pull, although it seems 99% of the internet backs up this theory.

So they put the car on the rack and checked to see if the everything looked good and that the front tires were going straight like they were supposed to, they said everything looked good. First they said it could be the engine bay (like the housing that holds the engine, forgot what they called it) could be bent, then they said it could be a bent strut, then the guy says he did an alignment and was able to adjust the passenger chamber that the dealership said couldn't be adjusted, they also said some other numbers were out of whack (in two weeks and I KNOW I didn't hit anything this time) so they adjusted everything to within specs, the guy said he test drove the car and it seemed to be driving fine.

The car is once again pulling to the left, granted the pull isn't as bad as it was before.

Anyone out there have any ideas what could be going on? I'd like to get this problem fixed but I don't really want to spend a lot of money getting new tires/fixing the struts/whatever without knowing what the problem is. The thing is the pull isn't really that bad, I don't know how to describe how bad it is but imagine the steering wheel is cocked between 1-5% to one side to keep the car going straight. My main concern is this might be dangerous to drive with a pulling problem like this, I've tried braking hard on an empty street when it's raining really bad and there were no problems keeping the car under control, haven't driven in snow/ice yet though. My other concern is if this pull might cause other mechanical problems down the road, like with an axle or the alignment needing adjustment every month.

TL;DR I hit a curb about 7 months ago and now the car has a slight pulling problem, two different places are giving me radically different solutions to fix the problem and the direction of the pulling seems to change whenever an alignment is done. Is it dangerous to ignore this problem or could ignoring this problem lead to other mechanical issues?

[Gelston]

Trade in for a new one!

[Tgo01]

Trade in for a new one!

You wanna buy a one year old car with 13000 miles on it? All it needs is an alignment!

[Gelston]

You wanna buy a one year old car with 13000 miles on it? All it needs is an alignment!

Does it have room to mount a gun rack?

[Tgo01]

Does it have room to mount a gun rack?

It already has one, I suppose if you got rid of the back seat you could fit a second one on it though.

[Gelston]

It already has one, I suppose if you got rid of the back seat you could fit a second one on it though.

PICS! Cars with gun racks are awesome. Do you have on good muddin tires?

[Tgo01]

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/attachments/e60-m5-e61-m5-touring-discussion/26136d1158156219-one-my-european-friends-can-get-me-option-mp5-gunrack-27a.jpg

Okay my car doesn't really have a gun rack, I just wanted to sound cool :(

[Gelston]

I did a google image search for "All the promises but no delivery" and this came up

http://travelingtogether.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/pa190467.jpg

[Wheelerm]

So, when you let go of the steering wheel, does it pull, or when you have the steering wheel straight it seems to drift left?

[Tgo01]

So, when you let go of the steering wheel, does it pull, or when you have the steering wheel straight it seems to drift left?

I suppose that's a good distinction to clear up. If I get the car going straight and let go of the wheel it usually keeps going straight (the times it doesn't I think it's because of the road and not my car.) When I have the steering wheel straight though is when it starts drifting.

[Wheelerm]

This is a common problem, actually. The mechanic who did your alignment failed to ensure that your steering wheel was straight BEFORE he did the alignment most likely. Sounds like the wheel was slightly turned to the right when he did the alignment. Now when you drive down the road with the steering wheel straight, you are actually steering left ever so slightly.

[Wheelerm]

Take it back and explain that when you drive with the steering wheel straight, the car drifts left, but if you let the steering wheel go, it drives straight, but the steering wheel is turned slightly right. They should be able to connect the dots, but if not, suggest that maybe the steering wheel wasn't straight when the alignment was done

All roads have a crown on them, meaning that the road is higher towards the center than it is at the edge. This helps rainwater run off the road instead of puddling up in the lane. As a result, most alignment specs include a slight bias to he left to compensate. This compensation is usually made via the toe alignment component, but in any case, the steering wheel should be straight and the car should remain true if you let go of the steering wheel. Hope this helps!