Brakes need repalced with only 8,000 on solitude 320x

[White Beard]

Took trailer to dealer to have wheel bearings repacked after 6,000 miles. With delivery miles from factory to Reno (2,000) dealer said to bring it in when we returned from trip. Now I am told the brakes need to be completely replaced. Said brakes got too hot: Hot spots on drums, brake shoes are cracked and show over heating . Whole system needs replaced. They don't turn drums,they replace them. All new backing plates come as a unit. Cannot replace shoes only.
My question is how could this happen? Dealer doesn't know. Thinks I had brake control adjusted wrong.Tow vehicle is 2014 Ram DRW diesel auto, set gain at 5.5. When we left on trip the whole rig weight was 22,470#. I towed the whole trip without any brake problems. Never got on brakes hard. Engine brake does most of the work. What do you think?
Asked if defective magnets could be problem. Dealer said" how do I take pictures of brakes to send for warranty after its 8,000 miles on it" Any ideas? Did I do something wrong? This doesn't make sense. Repair quote $1500.00.

thanks in advance for your time.

white beard



















D

[TucsonJim]

White Beard. Did the dealer actually show you the "defective" brakes? This sounds like a scam to me. I'd be very curious to see the "defects" myself. The reason he probably doesn't turn the drums is that they probably don't have the machine to do it. If I was doing the job myself (which I did a couple of months ago), it would cost me about $350 for all new backing plate assemblies and turning the drums. $1500 is outrageous. A brand new backing plate assembly costs about $75 to $100 at Camping World which is the retail price. It takes about four hours of labor to do this job. Since this is not warranty work, I'd have them put the trailer back together and take it to another shop for a second estimate.

Jim

[WhittleBurner]

If the brakes got that hot and created hot spots on the drums they would have to be replaced. When that happens those spots will be harder than the bit on the lathe. When turning the drums the bit would skip over those spots leaving them there.

[TucsonJim]

If the brakes got that hot and created hot spots on the drums they would have to be replaced. When that happens those spots will be harder than the bit on the lathe. When turning the drums the bit would skip over those spots leaving them there.

Very true. But I'd still want to see the evidence. I'm still pondering why it would cost $1500 for a brake job. New drums from e-trailer cost $85.00 and include bearings and seals. New brakes run about $90 for self adjusting assemblies (Shoes, magnets, backing plates, etc.) So for all four wheels, it's about $700+tax in materials. All the tech has to do is jack up the rig and bolt the new parts on. I'll bet an experienced tech could do the job in about two hours. If so, that equates to about $400 per hour on the labor!

[White Beard]

thanks jim

does camping world have brake drums? If not whom would you suggest. I'll try camping world for brake assembly.

[White Beard]

thanks for reply. going to check on parts from camping world.

[Steve and Lynne]

From my auto/truck/trailer experience, the quote may seem outrageous BUT in today's economy it's about the correct number. Shops that stay in business double their cost on parts, and flat rate is how labor is charged. Four hours would be a minimum labor quote, and as we have all found out, $100-$125 per hour is typical. So doing the math exercise, the dealer MAY be able to source the parts for a total of $500. To the customer that becomes $1000. Labor $500. Guess what?

Like Tucson Jim, if I was facing this reality I would order parts, use the four jack stands I am carrying along on our almost full-time travels and order parts from a reputable online supplier. As we all know, many/most parts are globally sourced (meaning China), and it is scary to think of the "Quality" there. The hot spots come from lousy casting of metal with impurities. Heat may aggravate the issue, but it is the metal. When I packed my bearings in September and dealt with the drums and linings soaked with grease, I contemplated balancing the wheels. But when I was adjusting the shoes before installing the wheels, three of the drums were noticeably out of balance, meaning when spinning there was a heavy spot that always stopped at the bottom.

BUT, what is the root cause of this disaster? I drove 100 miles once with the pin pulled on the emergency breakaway switch without any issues. Are there any recalls/TSBs on the truck relating to the brake controller? Whitebeard, did you perceive any abnormal brake performance? Did the system damage occur with the delivery of the rig from Middlebury? My instinct is that White Beard as an owner did not do anything wrong, there are some mountains undoubtedly in his touring area but good common sense and proper input from the tow vehicle controller should not cause what happened! I want pictures, and barring any issues with the Ram, I would ask Grand Design to cover the repair! But is there any way to find quality American drums? We are workamping in South Central Colorado starting later this month. I need to pull my drums soon!

I also need, and would suggest, an infrared heat gun for furnace, A/C, refrigerator, tire, and brake applications.

[Steve and Lynne]

I would go to Grand Design FIRST before doing this on your dime. I know they have paid for more than one brake system due to grease- you need to give them a chance to step up and respond to your situation. I know these parts are wearing items but there is an issue that they at least need to be aware of! They don't necessarily monitor and respond and react to postings on our owner's forum.

By the way, we are at Buckhorn Lake near Kerrville. Great place!

[Brent M]

WB, I'd tell your story to GD in the tech area and see what they suggest. If you talk to them and you realize you have to pay for it, then I would ask a mechanic friend to go with you to see the damaged brakes and see if he/she concurs. If you don't know someone, ask a mechanic at a local garage how much they charge to look at it with you. If the mechanic says they do need replacing, then have them replace it, on the side if necessary for $100, if you're not savvy enough. All new parts and this mechanic's $$ should still be significantly cheaper. Amazon also has all these parts. Best wishes.

[Steve and Lynne]

Please, please, please! Let's say that the situation is as the dealer describes. BEFORE repairing or agreeing to pay out of pocket, NEED TO KNOW!

WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE?