Brake pulsation on brand new 2?

[bpkp]

Hello everyone,

I just picked up a new (2011) Mazda2 GS on the weekend after much research and test driving. Initially I was obsessed with an NB Miata, but with two young kids, city living, long commute, etc., I just couldn't justify it on practicality terms. That will have to wait for a few years yet. In the meantime, The 2 is truly the closest thing to a "4-door Miata", as many here have noted previously.

I do have a quick question for those of you who may have experienced the following - On my first extended drive (yesterday on the way into work), I noticed a pronounced pulsation during braking (particularly noticable at highway speeds)...I'm thinking the rotors or drums. The same thing happened on a different 2 I test drove in December. It's definitely not normal operation I'm feeling (i.e. not ABS!).

I have a service appointment scheduled for this weekend, at which time I hope the can address the issue - has anyone else experienced this?

Just seems odd (or suspicious?) that two brand new 2's exhibited the same braking issue for me.

Thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[MazdaTwo]

I've definitely had brake pulsation since early on. I decided not to make an issue out of it since I figured they were just cheap brakes. Lemme know what the dealership says. I'd be interested to know if they take any responsibility for the obviously inadequate brake setup.

 

[bpkp]

I've definitely had brake pulsation since early on. I decided not to make an issue out of it since I figured they were just cheap brakes. Lemme know what the dealership says. I'd be interested to know if they take any responsibility for the obviously inadequate brake setup.

Just picked it up from the service dept...they claim that it may be a result of rust on the rotors / drums and that I should drive it about 1,200mi to determine whether the problem corrects itself. It's got about 200mi on it now, so I'll report back in a few weeks as to whether the problem has indeed sorted itself out, or whether I need to take it back in again.

 

[shaowq]

O.O no brake pulsation for me at all...but i live in a completely different climate than you do...

 

[PGTBrow]

If my brakes pulsate its only from my 60-0 mph tests lmao

 

[colonelangus]

brake pulsation doesnt get better it gets worse .either rotors (my guess) or the drums need turning.dont pull hard on the ebrake when brakes are really hot that will warp the drums..
it only takes 50-100 miles to clean rust off rotor or drums ..if it isnt brakes then its an unbalanced tire imo ofcoarse

 

[Racebrewer]

Hi,

Nothing wrong with the M2 brakes. I actually think they are pretty good.

How many miles on the 2?

To break in the pads and rotors you should do a series of increasingly harder brake applications (not extreme though).

If one of the mechanics or transporters drove the car, its possible that they overcooked the brakes before they had a chance to bed-in. This could result in splotches of the resin in the pads being deposited in one spot on the rotors.

Extremely hard braking (extreme heat) could cause the rotors to warp, especially hauling it down from high speed and quickly parking it. The rotors are real hot and cool unevenly, resulting in warpage.

Re-surfacing the rotors with a nylon abrasive disk in a drill might fix the first problem. A dial indicator on the rotor to check run-out would diagnose warpage. The rotors should be turned or, preferably, replaced.

If the car was driven with the rear parking brake on, heat could have warped the drums. Which can also be turned.

Do you feel the pulsations in the brake pedal, steering or both?

John

 

[MazdaTwo]

Do you feel the pulsations in the brake pedal, steering or both?

You feel it in the brake pedal... and the steering wheel... also the driver seat, passenger seat, armrest, etc... haha. It's a pretty light car (as you know) so it's hard for me to narrow it down, but it's certainly something that wasn't there on a Tuesday and then was really bad on Wednesday (just picked two random weekdays). I don't remember a specific braking event that would have caused it. Pretty frustrating though.

 

[Racebrewer]

Hhhhhmmmmmm,

You might want to also consider a bad tire, thrown wheel weight, lump of mud in the wheel, etc, if you are feeling it in the steering wheel, etc. In my experience (FWIW), a bad rotor shows up mostly in the brake pedal.

My wife's old Civic got a lump of mud caught in the rim and you'd have thought it was coming apart. Her Fit tends to trap ice in the rim and I've had to stop and knock it out due to the shaking.

John

 

[dsgrey]

I just picked up a new (2011) Mazda2 GS on the weekend after much research and test driving. Initially I was obsessed with an NB Miata, but with two young kids, city living, long commute, etc., I just couldn't justify it on practicality terms.

I haven't had the issue at 19k miles. I bought mine in July 2011.

Funny quote above since I also have a very long commute but I also own an NB that is 10 years old with only 74k miles. My kids are older and that's what the wife's SUV is for!! So I have the M2 for long drives and the NB since the kids are getting older and the wife/I can escape.

 

[MazdaTwo]

Hhhhhmmmmmm,

You might want to also consider a bad tire, thrown wheel weight, lump of mud in the wheel, etc, if you are feeling it in the steering wheel, etc. In my experience (FWIW), a bad rotor shows up mostly in the brake pedal.

My wife's old Civic got a lump of mud caught in the rim and you'd have thought it was coming apart. Her Fit tends to trap ice in the rim and I've had to stop and knock it out due to the shaking.

John

The car drives like a dream... except when braking. It's not a weight, mud, rock, bad tire, etc. When braking at speed, the brake pedal pulsates. When i say I can feel it in the steering wheel, seat, etc, I mean I can feel the vibration... but the steering wheel isn't doing the left/right wobble or anything like that.

 

[Racebrewer]

OK. It shouldn't do any of that. Sounds like something is screwed up which should be covered by warranty. If warranty repair they should replace the rotors rather than turn them (not many places turn them anymore anyway).

Discuss it with the service manager.

My M2 has good brakes. Nothing inadequate at all, so get your's up to par. You'll be much happier.

John

 

[bpkp]

Chiming back in on my own situation, I can (tentatively) happily report that the vibration I initially experienced has more or less disappeared.

Guess it was in fact rust or some other temporary issue related to the car sitting for a period of time before sale?

In any event, I'm glad it seems to be history, but I will add that the brakes seem to be noisy quite a bit of the time - kind of a low, dull "groan" upon braking.

Not something particularly alarming or objectionable, just something I'm not used to. That said, I'm coming from large sedans so I figure a lot of this is down to the relatively minimal sound insulation in the M2.

Will keep you all updated if things change further...thanks for the insights and opinions.

 

[Racebrewer]

Hi Bpkp,

The brake rotor surface is a totaly unprotected cast iron so it will rust like mad and unevenly. I have a car that I only drive every month or so (Acura Integra Type R) and it takes a few times around the block for the rust to get cleaned off.

BTW, most cars have sliding pillar brake calipers which incorporate pins that the caliper components slide on. If you "Baby" your brakes there is a tendency for rust to build up on those pins and the calipers will hang up. You'll end up in the shop getting a $$$$$ bill. So exercise your brakes every once in a while. If you do your own work, when you change pads just use some Brake Grease on the pins after you clean them.

John

 

[dfdfdd]

In any event, I'm glad it seems to be history, but I will add that the brakes seem to be noisy quite a bit of the time - kind of a low, dull "groan" upon braking.

 

[mysleeper6]

Extremely hard braking (extreme heat) could cause the rotors to warp, especially hauling it down from high speed and quickly parking it. The rotors are real hot and cool unevenly, resulting in warpage.

This is perhaps the most persistent myth in automotive history. Rotors do not warp. However, improper bedding can lead to the friction material (brake pad) being transferred unevenly to the rotor. You can either resurface them, or rebed them properly (do about 6 or 8 hard stops from 60 to 20, in quick succession).

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

 

[Racebrewer]

Great Link.

Here is TireRack's take on the situation:

http://www.tirerack.com/FAQ/results.jsp?category=Brakes#143

 

[docvirus25]

Just picked it up from the service dept...they claim that it may be a result of rust on the rotors / drums and that I should drive it about 1,200mi to determine whether the problem corrects itself. It's got about 200mi on it now, so I'll report back in a few weeks as to whether the problem has indeed sorted itself out, or whether I need to take it back in again.

I've had the exact same problem with you for the past 3 years. I've just found out the root cause a few days ago after I could not tolerate the judder any longer and decided to replace the rotors and brake pads. My brake pads were smoking on the next day. Upon careful inspection after disassembly of the calliper, I found out that the rubber bush on the brake slider pin is swollen making the lower slider pin stuck frozen in the slider guide hole. The top pin wasn't stuck due to it not having any rubber bush. A further research online showed that rubbers bush will swell upon contact with mineral oil based grease and heat. Yes, the factory and service centres had actually used mineral based grease on the slider guide pins! (freak). The design itself was so wrong as rubber bush should not be used on slider pins in the first place as it needs to be grease. Even with silicone based grease, rubber still swells but at a slower rate. The choice of bush to be used on bush and boots that comes in contact with grease and heat should be of Viton type, not rubber! The M2 design is crappy! I would recommend that you get a Viton 4mm vacuum hose, apply some brake pin grease and slide it onto to the pins and cut it fit to replace those crappy rubber bush. Clean out the slider guide hole with some silicone spray grease, wipe it clean and re-apply the brake pin grease before re-fitting into the slider hole. It's an easy weekend DIY requiring minimal tools only. Don't forget to bleed your brake system and replace the brake fluid. If that's too challenging then you can have the workshop to bleed it for you. Remember to use only DOT4 brake fluid. That should permanently solve your problem.

 

[DanR]

It is not just the 2, I had the same issue on my MX5. I replace them every couple years.