FAQ

Answers to your quetsions

HRBE offers free brake inspections because, in this day and age there are so many different brake systems, cars with brake options and more often than not the disc rotors need to be replaced. It is impossible to know whether your car needs either pads, rotors OR nothing at all without seeing the vehicle and in most cases needing to fit the vehicle to lifting hoist and remove the wheels to inspect the brake correctly.
So to be honest and fair we need to see the car to give you the “Correct” estimate.

The quick answer is not it won’t, as long as it is serviced as per the vehicles service booklet, by a licensed repairer & by a licensed mechanic the warranty should stay in place, Extended warranty may be different. In some Extended warranty’s it “may” be stated that the vehicle must be returned to the “dealership you purchased the vehicle from” for validating the extended warranty. Regardless read your warranty booklet which should explain the details of the warranty.

If you have a newer car, your service booklet will advise you of how often you should have your car serviced, This can vary a little depending on how you use your car, it could be a time related service OR a klm related service.

Brake fluid IS NOT AN OIL, It is Hydroscopic, meaning it sucks moisture from the atmosphere , which allows the fluid to gain in moisture content, which in-turn lowers the boiling point of the fluid which will allow the fluid to boil very easily when constant hard braking is carried out. And also Moisture creates RUST, so it can corrode brake parts from the inside!!!!! Which is the most common cause of brake component failure.

Most cars use DOT4 Brake fluid, which in older cars will supersede DOT3.  BUT in some cases DOT3 should be used in modern cars when specified; for instance, a late model Toyota with ABS specifies a DOT3 fluid. We use Penrite Super DOT4 Brake fluid which is compatible with both DOT3 and DOT4.

A Modern brake system can be very complex. There are a lot of components that all work hand-in-hand to make your brakes work properly.

Knowing what to replace and what NOT-TO replace takes experience.

As a example: 

A Year or so ago, i had a customer who did his “Own” work, He came in, Asked to purchase some parts for his Ford Falcon, As he told me he knew what he was doing, he needed Two new front calipers, I Advised him of the price, so the customer gave us his calipers to rebuild.

After fitting the Rebuilt calipers, he returned with the front brake hoses, and told me he needed to renew these as well, So we supplied him two new hoses.

About a week later he returned with the vehicle, He had not been able to fix the problem, asked me to fix it as he was at his wits end, he can not stop the front brakes from locking on.

After about 15 mins i found the problem, It wasn’t with the front brakes at all, it was a small $8.00 part that had swollen due to age, to the point where it would hold the front brakes on but NOT the rears,

So $8.00 for the seal Half hours labour for my time to replace it and he was on his way.

The customer was in fact a qualified mechanic but had been out of the industry for 10 years or so and had spent hundred of dollars replacing parts that were not faulty!

To give someone a idea of what something “Might Cost” over the phone is a very bad idea, as it can be very misleading for both parties!

That is why we DO NOT* charge for a brake inspection on light motor vehicles.