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2008 Chrysler T&C & Dodge Caravan brake life expectancy!

424 messages,  Last post on Mar 16, 2013 at 5:46 PM

You are in the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler Town and Country, Brakes, Van

Messages Page 37 of 43

#359 of 424 2008 Town and Country Issue Esp BRAKES by sandyd1069

Dec 15, 2011 (8:19 pm)

I am relieved to find this website.. I'm having to change brake pads and rotors on my 2008 T&C Limited 4.0 every 20,000-30,000 miles and was just told that I needed to change brake fluid and flush the lines because it was "routine maintenance" at 50,000 miles. I'm on my 3rd set of brakes and rotors and being told its driving habits, but my van before 2000 dodge caravan sport 3.3 has only had 2 set of rear brakes ever and still are good. I think I changed the front pads about every 45,000-50,000. I think its nuts to pay 1200-1500 dollars a every year or so for brakes. I've also had the intermittent issues of my van not starting, charged 100.00 to tell me I needed a battery, but it worked up until 3 weeks ago when it didn't start again for the 3rd time in 2 years, I finally changed it. Waiting to see if that fixes it or like many of you will still be intermittent issue. I have trouble with the doors not wanting to close, and one time actually closed on my husband and he had to fight to get it to open back up, had it been a child I know it wouldn't have turned out good. I have loud squeal when I turn the wheel hard to turn into the drive. My rear seat cover will NOT stay on no matter what I do. The rear seat automatic stow acts up every time I use it. I purchased this van and bought the extended warranty as I was going to keep it for long time. I bought the top of the line and now I just want to get rid of it. I've paid for Chrysler's top of the line only to have gotten a piece of crap I feel. I've called Chrysler about brakes issues and they took care of cost at 10,000 miles and again at 20,000 miles but not at 48,000 miles they are offering me 100.00 assistance on a 651.00 dollar bill. I don't think that is fair. For those reading this. Dealership Freedom Dodge tried to convince me that it is routine maintenance at 50,000 miles to flush and clean brakes lines, this is NOT true as I have now found out. I feel like a fool for trusting them to maintain my van. Thank everyone who has posted on here. I now know I'm not alone! and its not my "driving habits" that is causing brake issues!

#360 of 424 Re: Brakes an ongoing expense!! [yahooligan] by sandyd1069

Dec 15, 2011 (8:20 pm)

Replying to: yahooligan (Dec 07, 2011 6:07 pm)
Is it safe to assume you are employed by a Chrysler dealership?

#361 of 424 Re: Brakes an ongoing expense!! [sandyd1069] by yahooligan

Dec 15, 2011 (9:21 pm)

Replying to: sandyd1069 (Dec 15, 2011 8:20 pm)
Pardon me? No, I don't work for Chrysler or any other manufacturer. Do yourself a favor and do the research yourself if you don't believe me. Copper and moisture are two things that need to be monitored in your brake fluid and the fluid needs to be flushed when either of those contaminants exceeds safe levels. That's just the way it is. Rule of thumb is to flush the fluid every 2 years if you don't want to do the test, otherwise test every 6-12 months and flush when the strips say it's time. It may be 2 years, 4 years or 10 years, but the test doesn't lie.
 
Tell me, what's more important, the safety of you, your family, and those that share the road with you or saving, say, $120 because you don't feel like properly maintaining brake fluid is necessary?
 
How often do you change your oil? Why? Some people, including myself, use oil analysis to determine when the oil needs to be changed instead of going by the manufacturer intervals. Other people go by mileage, others by time. Regardless of the method, I think we can all agree that the oil in your car needs to be properly maintained, right? Or do you wait until there's a problem with your engine before you change the oil?
 
Likewise, coolant needs to be tested or replaced at specific intervals, depending on the vehicle. My truck has coolant that's "good" for 5yr/100k miles, but after a few years it's a good idea to have the pH levels, etc checked to make sure everything is still OK. Do you have your coolant flushed when it's reached the end of its life or do you wait for it to cause so much scale in your radiator that the vehicle overheats due to the flow restriction? Maybe wait for it to eat your water pump so you can spend money on coolant AND a new water pump?
 
The list goes on and on. Brake fluid is easily one of the most neglected fluids in cars and we kinda need brakes in order to...you know...stop...and be safe. You'd think people might take this critical fluid a little more seriously. Don't wait for there to be a problem, have your brake fluid checked for copper and moisture content and have it flushed before it has a chance to damage your brake system or result in an accident.

#362 of 424 Re: Brakes an ongoing expense!! [sandyd1069] by qbrozen

Dec 15, 2011 (9:56 pm)

Replying to: sandyd1069 (Dec 15, 2011 8:20 pm)
you assume the poster is employed by Chrysler because he/she suggests changing your brake fluid, a product that degrades over time? Geesh.
 
yahooligan is completely correct. Brake fluid is not a "lifetime" fluid. BTW, I'm also going to have the transmission fluid changed in our town & country at the next service visit. I don't believe ANY fluid in a vehicle is "lifetime."

#363 of 424 Re: 2008 Town and Country Issue Esp BRAKES [sandyd1069] by jmoran23

Dec 27, 2011 (11:47 am)

Replying to: sandyd1069 (Dec 15, 2011 8:19 pm)
My story sounds exactly like yours. I have changed my brake pads and rotors (3) times and my van only has 67,000 miles on it. I am at wits end because Chrysler does nothing. My doors do not always close when I press the button, I always check to see if there is a toy or something in the way but never anything. If you are not careful the door will close on you, I keep the kids away from it. Just had another issue this morning, my car completely died on me today, checked the oil, none. Just had the oil done, there was no indication on my dash board that alarmed me I was low on oil.

#364 of 424 brakes and doors by lilmick80

Dec 27, 2011 (2:21 pm)

My doors too had the sliding close issue. Dealership did a code upgrade which cleared the problem.
For the brakes, including the originals i'm on my 4th set and have 51K miles. Already hear the grinding going as if the caliper is stuck closed again. Chrysler did a recall, I used twice, so only paid $150 in total for brakes as they did reimburse each time. But now with higher mileage that isn't going to happen. My mechanic says the 2008 were a newer and worse design they did, and will continue to fail.
Newest issue is oil light comes on when i hit the brakes, oil is good so is brake fluid. I change oil every 3500 miles with tire rotation every 3rd. The brake fluid was drained last year when my guy had to work on the caliper which was stuck.
Had an issue with the A/C each spring, another recall they fixed for free as it seems to be prone to leak over the winter. This past spring no issue and it was hard winter in NE, so I think that problem is gone.
Other than that I actually love the damn thing with all the room for the kid's gear, sat radio and dual DVds for road trips.
Are you all signed up to get the recall notices? not quite sure how i'm getting them, but they mail it to me and I let the dealership deal with it.

#365 of 424 Front wheel bearings by timothyf

Dec 29, 2011 (2:11 pm)

Has anyone had their 2008 T&C front wheel bearings replaced under Chrysler's warranty letter program?

#366 of 424 Info? by thomasx

Dec 29, 2011 (3:38 pm)

Does anyone know of any information on the web on what the actual root cause of this brake problem is, or a forum where that is specifically discussed?
 
I sent an email to the swedish chrysler agent with a couple of questions about the brake issue and any possible good-will. They didn't even bother to answer me. This was my first and last chrysler, that's for sure.

#367 of 424 Re: Info? [thomasx] by dieterhund

Jan 04, 2012 (1:42 am)

Replying to: thomasx (Dec 29, 2011 3:38 pm)
Hello Thomas,
 
The root cause of the problem is that itīs a design fault with the brakes. The brakes are simply too small for the car. This apparently was changed in late 2009 or 2010 and the problem has been resolved. However, the people who have the 2008/2009 models with the brake problem are more or less screwed.
 
Our dealer says it is not uncommon to have to change the brakes and rotors on these cars every 20-25k km....which is basically insane. With that said, I think your best bet is to buy some aftermarket performance brakes...like EBC ultimax with yellow pads....these brakes are drilled and slotted and will take heat much better than the current OEM parts from Chrysler. The performance parts are expensive but they are about the same price as the original OEM parts which are no bargain either.
 
So in the end, there is no solution.
 
There is however a class action lawsuit regarding this problem which can be found here:
 
lemberglaw . com/class-action-cali.php

#368 of 424 Re: Info? [dieterhund] by thomasx

Jan 04, 2012 (3:52 am)

Replying to: dieterhund (Jan 04, 2012 1:42 am)
Hi
 
Thanks for your reply. Yes, no doubt there's a design flaw. Unfortunately however I don't quite buy that it is just the brakes that are too small. At least not on ours. All four brakes often get hot (and I mean hot) even when they have not been used. Some times I have noticed that they are so stuck when driving away that I noticed the car is "heavy" and stops way to quick if I just release the gas. Brake performance also indicate there is no real problem with the size of the brakes. Hitting the brakes hard and the car stops real quick.
 
As you say, the solution is to change the brakes. However, I believe the problem is just not with the calipers, pads and rotors, but might also be with the master cylinder or other parts further up in the system. I've sent a question to brembo on what parts I would need from them to replace the whole system. But it doesn't seem like they care to answer.
 
Our car is around 45k miles without changing the rotors, so compared to others we are fairly lucky anyway.

Messages Page 37 of 43

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