I am hoping someone can give me some idea of what to do, I feel like I have run out of options with this. I know it goes on a bit but please bear with me.
Back in March 2008 it got to the point where the when braking there was a lot of noise from the back indicating that they were on their way out. Went to local kwikfit and got a deal for four new brake pads and discs . All good until started driving it after and was getting lots of noise and vibration from front which would stop if you touched the brakes.
Back to kwikfit a few times with this problem, discs changed etc but to no avail. Eventually on of the visits one of the technicians pointed out it could be that the alloys are very bent and showed me as such. He said that it can be very hard to balance the wheels and that ford alloys are very easy to get bent. The car was a 54 Reg and I had bought it second hand when it was about a year or so old. Four new ford alloy wheels were got and also tyres were nearly worn too so got a deal on four new Pirellis. Ever since then I have always had a vibration on the steering wheel when driving at speed. Over the course of the last two years it has been into Kwikit and Ford numerous times with steering wheel vibration at speed and it seems to be exaggerated when braking through the speed where it vibrates.
The discs and pads have been changed numerous times as well as countless wheel balancing, tracking and moving wheels around (back to fron etc). For a while in one of the ford garages they got it down a bit but was still there, by moving or changing whatever they wee doing managed to change the speed it happened at as well as the severity.
Last year at another Ford garage after hearing that it might be the discs getting bent out by bent hubs I had them change the hubs, bearing, as well as the pads and discs again. That was in about March 10, since then everything was fine with it which was a real relief. I do a lot of motorway driving and recently noticed a bit of vibration when braking at speed, the car had been driven by someone else so I thought that the tracking might be out. Took it to kwikfit and they said that the tracking was indeed out and put it right. Problem was as soon as I took it up to about 70mph the vibration was back again, as bad as ever.
As it wasn’t that long since all this had been repaired by a Ford garage so I took it back to them. They said there was a wrapped disc and changed it under warranty. The vibration is still there.
I even took the car down to Elite in Essex to do a force field test on all four wheels in case it was a problem with the wheel/alloy but no problem there.
How has this problem re appeared after a number of months of bliss after just getting the tracking readjusted. The car has been booked back into Ford for them to look at it again but I’m afraid I will get the usual response of “could not replicate” or something of that nature. Is there anything in particular I could ask them to look at or pay attention to that might be causing the problem. I don’t know if it was like this before or for how long but the sterring wheel seems to be ever so slightly off centre when driving straight., could that be anything to do with it?
I know this has been very long winded but any help or advice would be most appreciated.