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I have had my bike for about 2 months now and about 2 weeks in the rear brake stopped working properly and I thought it just needed a bleed. The shop assistant showed me that my disk had oil on it however I have no idea how it got there. He was nice enough to replace my pads for no cost.

About 1 and a half month on I'm having the same problem on my front and rear brakes now and they're about to charge me £35 per brake just for new pads and service charges.

Why is there oil on my disks. I am not touching the disk or dropping items on the disk and my bike is stored in my living room covered with plastic away from any liquids or any contaminants.

The back brake is okay but it lacks braking power. The front brake lever comes about 2cm away from my grip before locking out fully. However when I pump it a few times it works but as soon as I stop pumping it resets which is a pain as that means it takes me at least 5 seconds to even engage the front brake.

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  • If its a fault causing a leak, with both brakes failing it indicate its a flaw in the design or production run. What makes you so sure the oil comes from the brakes? What is the 'service' the shop is proposing to do? What brakes are they - I bough MT400's recently for £15 each end and it took me less than 15 minutes to install them.
    – mattnz
    Dec 27, 2019 at 22:45
  • They are shinamo brakes will check model.How else could oil get onto the discs?The shop is just proposing to charge me £15 for new brake pads and £20 for fitting and service charges per brake so £70 in total.I should also mention I'm new to biking so this bike I'm talking about is a Carrera Vengence Summer LTD not sure if that helps.
    – Jash2204
    Dec 27, 2019 at 23:02
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    If you told the repair shop you have to pump the front brake to get it to work and have chronic disc contamination (almost certainly from hydro fluid leaks) but they are only proposing changing the pads, go to a different repair shop! It sounds like they don't know what they are doing.
    – Argenti Apparatus
    Dec 27, 2019 at 23:08
  • Okay thanks i thought I could trust the shop as I went to halfords but they have been known to be stupid thanks.do you know any trustable shops in england?
    – Jash2204
    Dec 27, 2019 at 23:16

1 Answer 1

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There's very likely something wrong that's causing a fluid leak. Hose connection, piston damage, or some other mechanical defect. They did the prudent thing before by seeing if it was a one-off/fluke situation, but now it's likely proven that it's not. What's really needed at this point is for a mechanic to inspect the hose connections in case that's where the problem is, and go to caliper replacement if not. This stuff happens not infrequently on new bikes these days, and in part depending on the brake model there can be some different reasons how it came to occur on both brakes at once. The shop I work at would cover this under warranty no question, and if it is as you say we would likely cut to the chase and just do two new calipers.

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  • Yes I thought the exact same thing that the cables are probably lose however the shop denies it and shuts me down every time by saying that the fluid should've leaked out then.How much should I be paying for this kind of repair. Or should I take steps to try and get it for free as the shop hasnt assembled my bike properly.
    – Jash2204
    Dec 27, 2019 at 22:01
  • @Jash2204 my comment on the question notwithstanding, I think you can make an argument that they should completely service the brakes for free, as you have been having this issue since you bought the bike. However, if they dig in and refuse to do anything but change the pads take your business elsewhere, the fluid leak needs to be addressed and new pads will just get contaminated again soon.
    – Argenti Apparatus
    Dec 27, 2019 at 23:30
  • Thank you for the help Argenti but how do I argue the fact that every time they just say "there is still fluid in your brakes" and if there was a leak then there shouldn't he fluid in there
    – Jash2204
    Dec 27, 2019 at 23:39
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    The bike appears to have a fault, and you are probably covered by consumer protection laws. (Presuming UK because of the "£35" ) Refer to which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/….
    – mattnz
    Dec 28, 2019 at 0:33
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    @Jash2204 consider returning the bike as "unfit for purpose" for a full refund on the purchase price. Then buy a bike elsewhere, not a car-parts shop like hell-fords. You will only have a short time where this is legally mandated, so don't dally. Keep documentation of all your interactions with the shop.
    – Criggie ♦
    Dec 28, 2019 at 1:45

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