Re: Milano brakes

[Howard and Pat Warren <warrenwood@domain.elided>]

<<<<<
There is only one problem.  The brake pedal is really soft.  It has a lot 
of play, it seems like it really has no effect until you press it in all 
the way.  But if you press it down all the way (and I do mean all the way 
to the floorboard) it stops the car just fine.
:
I will have an Alfa mechanic check it out beforehand anyways, but I just 
wanted to get an input from fellow digesters.
>>>>>

It may be as simple as poor bleeding.  The rear calipers on the GTV6 and 
Milano require a different bleeding technique than normal brakes.  Not 
hard, just different.  An otherwise expert mechanic may not know this 
unless he/she has worked on Alfa Romeo transaxle cars.

Of course, it could be old pads, rotors too thin, old rubber brake lines 
that swell under pressure (reducing pressure to the pistons), leaking 
calipers, etc.  You're doing an excellent thing by having it checked out by 
an EXPERIENCED Alfa mechanic.  Point this problem out to him/her.

<<<<<
BTW, the owner sais that he has driven the car this way for almost a year 
without problems, and his Alfa guy sais that is just the way the car is, 
and to not worry about it.
>>>>>

His Alfa guy is an idiot (evidence of above).  The brakes on my transaxle 
cars are hard as a rock, and wonderful to drive with.  Point out the 
problem to *YOUR* Alfa mechanic and make the repairs part of the price 
negotiations.  (BTW, if you need new pads, consider the AXXIS 
semi-metallic.  They take a few miles to setlle in, but I like them a lot!)

Howard K. Warren, Little Rock, AR
1988 Milano Platinum, "SnowHawk", 162k miles
1991 164L, "Peregrine", 60k miles (my wife is driving the p*** out of this 
car)
1984 GTV6, "Falconi", 132k miles (waiting for the heat wave to break)

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End of alfa-digest V7 #945
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