Question 1

What does a brake caliper do?

Accepted Answer

Brake calipers are an essential part of your car's braking system. The job of the caliper is to slow the car's wheels by creating friction with the rotors. The most common is floating caliper, but on some cars there are swinging and fixed calipers. It fits over the rotor like a clamp. Inside each caliper is a pair of metal plates bonded with the brake pads.When the driver presses the brake pedal, the small brake cylinder piston compresses brake fluid in the master cylinder. Because the brake fluid doesn't compress, this force is instantly transmitted to the brake caliper, which clamps the spinning rotor, causing the wheel to slow and stop.Though only comprising a few parts of your car, brake calipers are one of the most critical parts, enabling controlled braking in various situations. As they are a key safety component of your car, it’s important that your brake calipers are well maintained and fully functioning at all times. If you think there may be an issue with your calipers or braking system, it’s important to get things looked at by a mechanic as soon as possible.

Question 2

How often should a brake caliper need replacing?

Accepted Answer

Brake calipers are usually very durable. On modern vehicles, it's not uncommon for calipers to last at least 100,000 miles or 10 years. However, if you experience any of the above symptoms, you should have your brakes inspected by a mechanic as soon as possible. Driving with stuck, damaged or faulty brake calipers is very dangerous as it will impact the effectiveness of your braking, meaning your presence on the road is a danger to all other road users.It’s also important to keep in mind that bad brake calipers can cause excessive wear to the brake discs and pads, so having them repaired or replaced as soon as possible will be better for your wallet in the long-run.

Question 3

What happens during a brake caliper replacement?

Accepted Answer

Our certified mechanics will:
Inspect the brakes and determine if there’s a problem with one or several of the brake calipers. They will also advise if other parts of the braking system need replacing too.
They will then replace the brake caliper and other parts of the brake, if necessary.
Bleed the brake system and top up the brake fluid.
Test drive the car and inspect the brake system again.
Make any final, necessary adjustments.

Question 4

What causes a brake caliper to break?

Accepted Answer

In general, brake pads and rotors wear out and need replacement far more often than calipers. Calipers tend to get damaged when a car is driven with worn-out brake pads or warped rotors. If these components are damaged it can cause the calipers to overheat, wear down or crack.Calipers can also break if the rubber boot that protects the piston splits. Once this occurs, water and grit will seep into the pistons surface and cause pitting, which can lead to the piston getting stuck or damaged.

Question 5

When should a brake caliper be replaced?

Accepted Answer

Brake calipers are pretty tough and durable. On modern cars, calipers should last at least 100,000 miles or 10 years. However, if you experience any of the above symptoms, you should have your brakes inspected by a mechanic as soon as possible.

Question 6

What are the symptoms of a bad brake caliper?

Accepted Answer

Usually, there a few signs you can look for:
If your brake pedal feels softer (less resistance when applying the brakes).
If your car pulls to one side when braking.
If the level in your brake fluid reservoir drops or if you notice a leak. Brake hydraulic fluid is a very pale golden colour, transparent and almost watery.
If you notice brake fluid on the rims of your wheels.
If you receive an advisory note regarding brake imbalance.

Question 7

How often should you replace your brake caliper?

Accepted Answer

If you experience any of the above symptoms, you should have your brakes inspected by a mechanic as soon as possible. Driving with stuck, damaged or faulty brake calipers is very dangerous as it will impact the effectiveness of your braking, meaning your presence on the road is a danger to all other road users.It’s also important to keep in mind that bad brake calipers can cause excessive wear to the brake discs and pads, so having them repaired or replaced as soon as possible will be better for your wallet in the long-run.

Question 8

What happens during a brake caliper replacement?

Accepted Answer

Our certified mechanics will:
Inspect the brakes and determine if there’s a problem with one or several of the brake calipers. They will also advise if other parts of the braking system need replacing too.
They will then replace the brake caliper and other parts of the brake, if necessary.
Bleed the brake system and top up the brake fluid.
Test drive the car and inspect the brake system again.
Make any final, necessary adjustments.

Question 9

What is the average life of a brake caliper?

Accepted Answer

Generally, brake calipers are tough and durable. On modern vehicles, it's not uncommon for calipers to last at least 100,000 miles or 10 years. However, if you experience any of the above symptoms, you should have your brakes inspected by a mechanic as soon as possible.

Question 10

Can you drive with a broken brake caliper?

Accepted Answer

No, you should not drive with a bad brake caliper. Driving with stuck, damaged or faulty brake calipers is very dangerous as it will impact the effectiveness of your braking, meaning your presence on the road is a danger to all other road users.

Question 11

The law, vehicle regulations and your MOT

Accepted Answer

The efficiency and balance of brakes is checked on MOT tests, therefore it's important that every component of your brake system is in good condition, including your brake calipers. Because your brakes are arguably the most crucial safety component in your car, your vehicle will fail its MOT if they are not functioning properly or are damaged.

Question 12

Smart

Accepted Answer

Smart is a German automotive brand, established 25 years ago in 1994.The company is a division of the automotive corporation Daimler AG and operated under the ownership of Mercedes-Benz.

Question 13

How popular is Smart in the United Kingdom?

Accepted Answer

Smart isnt’ the most popular brand in the UK, most likely due to appealing primarily to parking-challenged city-dwellers; there are only 96k of their vehicles on the roads of the UK today.Showing steady growth, however, since their introduction to the UK market in 2003, the trend would suggest that we’re likely to see more of these eccentric looking tiny cars as time goes by.

Question 14

Smart: Quirky little microcars and subcompacts

Accepted Answer

Owned by Mercedes-Benz, Smart cars fit into the market you’d expect on first glance. They’re a fun and funky little city car; they’re solid, middle of the road machines, designed to be as versatile as they look.A Smart car will never fool anyone that it’s a hi-end, luxury vehicle. There’s plenty of glossy plastic and groovy fabrics, yet in the cockpit, you’ll find up-to-the-minute touchscreen media options at the controls. They do come at an inflated price for the small city car market, but by nature of their unique design—there’s nothing quite like them.

Question 15

Smart cars are cheap to run—but not so cheap to buy

Accepted Answer

Your Smart ForFour will be more expensive by comparison than its rivals: the Fiat 500, Skoda Citigo, Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10—yet it’s rather hard to pitch the Fortwo against anything because there isn’t anything on the market quite so small. Only the Renault Twizy comes to mind, and that’s barely a car at all.Once you’ve got one though, your Smart car will cost next to nothing to run with their tiny wheels and low weight. The electric models perform even better with a fuel equivalent of 87mpg.

Question 16

Smart’s reliability and reputation

Accepted Answer

Smart didn’t feature as one of the brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018 that we’ve been using to draw comparisons of reliability against other marques—but checking the user reviews gathered by the AA it would appear that most owners have very few problems and that their reliability scores are generally high.

Question 17

Recent Smart recalls and reliability issues

Accepted Answer

Various recalls have been made on Smart models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

Question 18

14/10/2017 – Smart ForTwo, Smart ForFour (2017)

Accepted Answer

The strength of the left front steering knuckle may be insufficient

Question 19

29/09/2017 – Smart ForTwo, Smart ForFour (2014–2015)

Accepted Answer

As a result of the weakening of the braking rope wrench adjustment knob, the hand brake lever travel could be prolonged gradually

Question 20

24/06/2016 – Smart ForFour (2014–2015)

Accepted Answer

The anchorage for the rear seat backrest may not be sufficiently resistant

Question 21

10/06/2016 – Smart ForTwo (2014–2015)

Accepted Answer

At high vehicle speed, combined with strong wind, the plastic front service hatch can detach from the vehicle and fall into traffic

Question 22

05/06/2015 – Smart ForTwo (2014)

Accepted Answer

The steering mechanism screws used for some vehicles may breakAll recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.

Smart brake caliper replacement

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Our expert insights into Smart brake caliper replacement

Our expert insights into Smart brake caliper replacement

What does a brake caliper do?

What are the signs of a bad brake caliper?

What happens when we do a brake caliper replacement on your car?

How much does it cost to fix my car?

What does a brake caliper do?

What are the signs of a bad brake caliper?

What happens when we do a brake caliper replacement on your car?

How much does it cost to fix my car?

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London, UK

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London, UK

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London, UK

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London, UK

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London, UK

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London, UK

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