I need some advise. My girlfriend's car has a brake problem. She has a Corolla 98. Although she had the break fixed a Midas (by replacing both rotors and pads) and drive for 5k miles ), she still have to push the brake hard for the car to stop. I feels like it is not gripping the rotor tight enough (just my feeling). The brake fluid is already filled and Midas said that it is ok, but I think it is not, because other Corollas that I drove, brake better. Anyone has any idea how to improve the braking (more sensitive or shorter braking distance) ? quick and cheap solution would be nice

Thanks a lot !

 

Sounds to me like you need to bleed the brake system. It doesn't matter if it is full, there still maybe small amounts of air in the lines. Also, brake fluid should be changed out every few years. The rear drums, if that is what is on the rolla, may need to be adjusted or need new shoes. If there is little brake material on the rears it will need more preasure to be applied for the brakes to work. I say take it to the dealership and have them check all of the brakes. I am not fond of these "Quick lube" style auto repair, they use "lifetime" warr. pads that will accually hurt you calipers because they are so large and they will not give you near the stopping power that the stock pads will give you.
just my .02cents

 

Thank you very much for your inputs. Yes she has the lifetime warr. pads, may be that's the problem. Actually, she need to push harder after installing the lifetime brake pads and rotors. I will try changing the pads first. Will the aftermarket brake pad works better than the OEM's?

 

I would go with changing the brake fluid first. Then look for any leaks through out the entire system. From there, it may possibly be a bad master cylinder. JMO

 

agreed, have the brake system flushed / bled.
brake fluid over time absorbs water and becomes compressable (not a good thing)
also the quaility of brake bads midas gives you is designed for long life (read: poor performance) hence the lifetime warr.

then you could look at the brake lines (the rubber ones by the wheels) they could be flexing, thus performing less.

 

Thank you very much for your feedback.

I reason that I might change the brake pads first because breaking used to be ok before Midas replace it with brand new rotors and pads. Four months after the new brake installed, my girl friend had a small accident because the stopping distance is only about five inches too long and she blames herself as well as the Midas brake.

I'm going to do both flushing the fluid and replacing the pads with the OEM one so that she will be happier

 

oem pads rock!

 

hey!

i have a solution for you. i have a set of brand new Axxis Metalmasters (high performance pads) for Corolla. still in original shrink wrap. give me an offer. i bought them for my 2002, and ended up just running the stock pad on my Rotora rotors.

pm me or email an offer. i'll cover shipping if your offer is reasonable.

 

try EBC pads or something along those lines...

another thing, you should 'scuff' the rotors to break the glaze...
take a mild abrasive and take the shine off the rotors. that will help in bedding the pads...

 

It sounds to me, its been said earlier, that you need to get the brakes bled. Small air bubbles in the brake fluid can compress and give you a very squishy, soft brake feel. Change the fluid, and bleed the brakes. should fix the "brake feel", if you want a shorter stopping distance new brake pads can make a big difference, and if you feel like going all the way go for a big brake kit from willwood or brembo. New rotors can look cool but dont do all that much, unless your racing or doing alot of heavy braking for an extended period of time.

 

My girl and I were thinking about getting aftermaket brake pads. She even wanted a set of aftermarket rotors . I think this is overkill, because it is not a race car.

I was considering EBC grenn stuff pads. It is a better pads than the OEM's but it's not quiet and has a lot of break dust. I'm not quite sure what she want so I let her drive my car (xB) for a while and she seems to like the xB's OEM brakes.

So, I'm going stick with the OEM pads and start bleeding
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My girl and I were thinking about getting aftermaket brake pads. She even wanted a set of aftermarket rotors . I think this is overkill, because it is not a race car.

I was considering EBC grenn stuff pads. It is a better pads than the OEM's but it's not quiet and has a lot of break dust. I'm not quite sure what she want so I let her drive my car (xB) for a while and she seems to like the xB's OEM brakes.

So, I'm going stick with the OEM pads and start bleeding

 

sure you don't want to buy a brand new set of Axxis Metalmasters off me?

 

What is the part no.? I'm not sure if it fits the 98 model. Need to do a search

 

93-02 corollas use the identical brake systems.

trust me, i have spent more hours under corollas than any other car. . .

 

Civic Eater, I appreciate your offer. I talked to my girlfriend last night. She insists in using the OEM pads. So I can't buy your pads.

 

ok get some slotted/drilled/dimpled rotors , some dot4 or better fluid , and some softer pads as well as stainless steel lines. then you will be set . only like 450 in parts . thats if u do the labor yourself. and you overpay for the parts