Prisma brake issues

[Iggy65]

The rear brakes on my Prisma have always seemed a bit temperamental especially in winter. I sensed some greater problems last week with brakes binding and duly found the rear left caliper badly seized. With no replacement available, have bitten the bullet and sent both calipers to Brake Engineering, Wrexham for refurbishment. Will then have new discs and pads fitted along with new handbrake cable.
Does anyone have any tips for keeping the calipers in good order once this work is done?

[lancianut666]

regular use seems to help... the rear brakes don't have much to do on a FWD car especially if a limiter is fitted. My Prisma had very soft front springs so the back end rode very high so the back brakes probably did nothing to earn their keep. I changed the front springs and shocks and noticed a considerable improvement in the braking as the car rode more level. If the calipers are the wind out type it might be worth stripping them and winding them in and out every 6 months or so.
Clarkey

[Mikenoangelo]

Brake hard a couple of times a week to make sure the back brakes know how to do their share! For cars which are not used every day disc corrosion is a severe problem leading to pitting and deep rust. Hard braking helps to keep the discs bright.

Mike

[Iggy65]

Thanks Clarkey and Mike for the tips. Will make sure I do some hard braking when I get the new calipers fitted! I don't think my car has the same issue with the front springs. It sits pretty level back and front and brake effectiveness is good. Ian

[HF_Dave]

when New or re-furbished callipers are fitted  you need to slacken off the handbrake cable , turn on the engine and pump the pedal hard , this action pushes the piston fully out to the disc . Then tighten the cable up . I found that doing this once or twice a year helps to force out the piston and keep the hand brake working fully . Thanks David 

[Iggy65]

Thanks David. Was expecting to get the car back on the road today but it seems there has been some misunderstanding over the caliper refurb and they will not now be finished until next week! Will certainly follow these useful tips in future. Ian