Thread: Holden Atra disc brakes

I replaced the front pads on my wife's astra two weeks ago. The brakes are fantastic... only they are too good. The slightest pedal pressure causes the brakes to lock up and the car to slide on the wet road. What have I done wrong? The vehicle does not have anti lock brakes. Jim

Originally Posted by jx2mad

I replaced the front pads on my wife's astra two weeks ago. The brakes are fantastic... only they are too good. The slightest pedal pressure causes the brakes to lock up and the car to slide on the wet road. What have I done wrong? The vehicle does not have anti lock brakes. Jim

Hi Jim,

Pretty hard to diagnose by remote. 2 suggestions. Did you you replace the rotors at the same time? Astra's are hard on the brake system, and chew through rotors. If your rotors are undersize and have a worn surface, and you have only replaced pads, the mismatched surfaces could cause the pads to grab until they bed in.( and they will wear quicker )

The power boosters generally have a reaction washer on the end of the plunger linked to the brake pedal. If this reaction washer is missing or defective, you can experience 'sudden death' brakes. Like an on /off switch. Very difficult to brake gently with this condition. Not sure if it will have the same effect, but some vehicles will drag their brakes when they have this problem. Jack the car up and ensure the road wheels are spinning freely. If you have a booster issue, it is not a home handyman repair. See a specialist.