Big Threes' Restructuring plans

That looks like the brakes were abused to me. That means it is car owner abuse, not a defective part.
 
Um, looked at the other piston? The one that's untouched and undamaged? Abuse would damage both, not just one.

Car's owner didn't abuse it, the picture was taken 18K after an ASE master mechanic performed a brake service. The caliper piston *is* defective. Sorry. Thanks for playing.
 
If the caliper was defective why didn't the ASE master mechanic catch it? Could it be that it went bad after time, like wearing out? Maybe you should stop blaming the "UAW" for everything.
 
Um, some wear on the piston skirt of a caliper is normal, but it should be balanced between the two pistons.

Pistons should NOT warp and melt like that! And I guess you didn't catch it, but it was REPLACED 18K ago with actual Ford parts.
 
It is to rusted for only 18 thousands miles. What is your source?

BTW: where is that check scan?
 
My source is my friend who just pulled it off his Excursion. He posted it to his album on my server today and sent me a note about it. He's a member on FinalGear, goes by FordCrusherGT. Go ask him.

He lives in Pennsylvania, and I've seen calipers rust faster than that even down here in Texas. In fact, there's a rusty Jag caliper here that has 12 miles on it - the sealed bag got ripped and it got wet. If I can find it, I'll photograph it.

As for the check scan, UAW guy has evidently stiffed me for the Jaguar parts, because I haven't seen him yet. That said, I've posted to the local boards to see if someone around here that works at the Arlington plant will let me scan their check instead.
 
As much as I hate the UAW, I don't see why we're blaming a defective part on the union instead of the supplier.
 
Bendix and Raybestos are both UAW for their US-made parts.
 
Don't suppose there could have been a casting flaw in the metal for said piston? Could be a flaw in the caliper that caused the fluid not to push evenly on both pistons making the bad one take the brunt of the heat from braking.

Maybe we should get David Caruso up in this bitch to investigate it CSI style. I swear Spectre you sound like you're ready to prove that the UAW is directly responsible for AIDS, World Hunger, and Scientology.

Hell if you can do it (especially with hilariously believable results) I'll paypal you $20 USD (none of that play stuff Canadians use :p )
 
Is Canadian money still worth more than ours?
 
thedguy said:
I swear Spectre you sound like you're ready to prove that the UAW is directly responsible for AIDS, World Hunger, and Scientology.
Click to expand...

I seem to get view as well of 'ol Spectre. Hell I'm fairly conservative and 3/4 through formal training on this sort of production line stuff, but dude, for off the deep end! :?

I'm slowing writing a thread (rant?) on this with pics on "build quallity" vs what it is and what the guy on the line has to do with it. Should be good flame material :p
 
thedguy said:
Don't suppose there could have been a casting flaw in the metal for said piston? Could be a flaw in the caliper that caused the fluid not to push evenly on both pistons making the bad one take the brunt of the heat from braking.

Maybe we should get David Caruso up in this bitch to investigate it CSI style. I swear Spectre you sound like you're ready to prove that the UAW is directly responsible for AIDS, World Hunger, and Scientology.

Hell if you can do it (especially with hilariously believable results) I'll paypal you $20 USD (none of that play stuff Canadians use :p )
Click to expand...

Weeeelll... AIDS, World Hunger, and Scientology is a stretch. I can do two out of three, though. What do I get if I do that?
:D:p:lol:
 
I told you all that story about my camaro puking out its driveshaft (no safety loop o_O) during a race with an STI when the U-joint failed right?

I looked all over for the driveshaft, picked it up to see a shiny UAW logo on it, all i could think of is spectre and i laughed my ass off right there on the interstate.
 
Spectre said:
The unions churning out "qwaliteee" parts like this one didn't help.

Melted+Caliper.JPG


Right rear caliper from a 2000 Ford Excursion.

Only the UAW would be able to screw up a brake caliper piston that bad.
Click to expand...

Just had a look at the pic Spectre posted:

Must be the time, but is the melting the rubber seal or the actual piston?

All pistons on the cars I deal with are a steel jobbie thats hard chromed....

**think music**

....Nah they can't thats stupid, you'd need some un-Godly temperature to melt that sucker if it was a metal one.

That part looks like cast iron, (I haven't seen a cast Iron caliper on a local car for years) and almost looks like its been through a fire...Sorry I'd withhold judgment until I'd get a little history on the car and the part...Surely it can't get that rusty...what part of the US was this thingo from?

On a related topic the local 3rd party importer of cars from the US (various makes not just US brands) says that Americans (particularly from the southern states) are terrible with their car maintainance -- He blames Mexican mechanics and dodgy parts from wrecking yards...care to fill me in guys?
 
kaBOOMn said:
Just had a look at the pic Spectre posted:

Must be the time, but is the melting the rubber seal or the actual piston?

All pistons on the cars I deal with are a steel jobbie thats hard chromed....

**think music**

....Nah they can't thats stupid, you'd need some un-Godly temperature to melt that sucker if it was a metal one.

That part looks like cast iron, (I haven't seen a cast Iron caliper on a local car for years) and almost looks like its been through a fire...Sorry I'd withhold judgment until I'd get a little history on the car and the part...Surely it can't get that rusty...what part of the US was this thingo from?
Click to expand...

It's the piston, not the seal. The chrome job appears to have been defective or missing; the car has been very well taken care of by a Lycoming engineer who lives in Pennsylvania. He's a member here on FG - FordCrusherGT. Ask him for details.

By the way, the Big Three have been shipping calipers with *plastic* pistons lately. This wasn't one of them, but still... that's not a place I want polymers...


On a related topic the local 3rd party importer of cars from the US (various makes not just US brands) says that Americans (particularly from the southern states) are terrible with their car maintainance -- He blames Mexican mechanics and dodgy parts from wrecking yards...care to fill me in guys?
Click to expand...

Eh... Americans in general aren't all that great about car maintenance. However, I think many would agree that it is the North that tends to have more undermaintained heaps that should be kicked off the roads. The South proper actually has a huge car culture and caring for ones car here is a religion for many, though they don't always have the skill or common sense to back it up. However, if you go further into the Southwest, like in California, where I believe most of the secondhand cars exported to Asia are coming from, you will find the Mexican mechanics and dodgy parts (not always from wrecking yards). Average car-on-the-road quality in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc., is much higher than in California or Arizona, IMHO. It also helps that it's usually the Southern states that have something vaguely like MOT inspections.
 
Spectre said:
Weeeelll... AIDS, World Hunger, and Scientology is a stretch. I can do two out of three, though. What do I get if I do that?
:D:p:lol:
Click to expand...

I promised you $20, I'll give you $20. But it has to be believable. If you do 2 out of 3 I'll give you $13.77
 
Last edited:
I think I can make it believable (but it won't be true).... let's see... how about I blame the UAW for creating some of the current state of world hunger and Scientology?
 
Spectre said:
I think I can make it believable (but it won't be true).... let's see... how about I blame the UAW for creating some of the current state of world hunger and Scientology?
Click to expand...

Give a shot, if a couple of regulars feel it's good enough I'll paypal the dough.
 
Spectre said:
Eh... Americans in general aren't all that great about car maintenance. However, I think many would agree that it is the North that tends to have more undermaintained heaps that should be kicked off the roads. The South proper actually has a huge car culture and caring for ones car here is a religion for many, though they don't always have the skill or common sense to back it up. However, if you go further into the Southwest, like in California, where I believe most of the secondhand cars exported to Asia are coming from, you will find the Mexican mechanics and dodgy parts (not always from wrecking yards). Average car-on-the-road quality in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc., is much higher than in California or Arizona, IMHO. It also helps that it's usually the Southern states that have something vaguely like MOT inspections.
Click to expand...


That's very true. Then again you rednecks love your F-bodies and your Monte Carlo SS's with at least one primer spot on the car :lol:

A great example of UAW quality would be to take a look at any Ford Car, Truck or SUV that was a 2003-2004 build in Black.

Numerous paint defects with black painted Fords of all kinds build to about Mid 2004... (And yes my car is one of them. I hate this paint...)...

Why was that?

Ford updated their paint booths, and those Pesky UAW workers decided to 'play it by ear' on how it's supposed to be used...specifically for black cars...

:mad:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top