Bicycle Mechanics - Hydraulic Brake destruction

I recently brought my bike in to have the fork serviced and when they gave it back to me they had left one of my HAYES DISK BRAKE pads out. I rode it a short distance before I realized the problem and took it back for them to put the pad back in. After getting it back and riding it, the brakes went out in the first 100 feet of my first ride. I took it back again and they charged me for a new set of pistons because the seals were gone. I got it back and again, after riding it no more than 100 yards the brakes were gone once again. I took it back AGAIN and this time they say my master cylindar is shot and for $50 parts and $20 labor they put a new one in. My question is... can operating my brakes with one brake pad missing cause the damage to my master cylindar? Is this 100% their fault?

I recently brought my bike in to have the fork serviced and when they gave it back to me they had left one of my HAYES DISK BRAKE pads out. I rode it a short distance before I realized the problem and took it back for them to put the pad back in. After getting it back and riding it, the brakes went out in the first 100 feet of my first ride. I took it back again and they charged me for a new set of pistons because the seals were gone. I got it back and again, after riding it no more than 100 yards the brakes were gone once again. I took it back AGAIN and this time they say my master cylinder is shot and for $50 parts and $20 labor they put a new one in. My question is... can operating my brakes with one brake pad missing cause the damage to my master cylinder? Is this 100% their fault?If you were having your fork worked on there's no reason that they should have messed with your brakes. the fact that one of your pads was left out is ENTIRELY their fault as is any subsequent damage. I'd demand a refund, a full replacement brake kit and the address of another bike shop ASAP.

Raiyn,

I'm certainly under the impression that this is all their fault but I'm looking for a source of authority on this. Do you mind me asking if you really know whether or not all of this IS a direct result of their action?

Thanks,
S.

Would you except that kind of work on your car?

I can't believe you paid those guys!!!!!!!

Get your butt back there and give 'em hell man!

If you are positive that both pads were there when you brought it in then yes, it is entirely their fault. They should refund your money for the pistons, seals and the work they did to fix it. You may even need a new rotor since you had metal on metal so you should check that too.

It should not have done anything to the master cylinder. If you have had the brakes for a while you may need to rebuild the mc but not because of the missing pad/s.

:beer:

They shouldn't have left the pad out. Their fault
Braking without the pad in place could, and probably would damage the piston and score the rotor. It would only damage a seal if you did some real heavy braking overheated the piston.
The seals on a Hayes are in grooves in the caliper, you would not need to replace the pistons to replace the seals. Usually the seals only need to be replaced every couple of years to give good piston return(They act like a spring to pull the pistons back away from the rotor)
When you say the brakes "went out", do you mean they started leaking or the lever went to the bar? Leaking is pretty obvious, but lever going to the bar can be air in the system. This is easy they just need to be bled. It can also be a master cylinder failure, where fluid is leaking internally past the seals in the cylinder, but not out onto the ground. If the master cylinder is bad, it is even money to just get a new lever assembly.


The whole thing sounds a little odd to me. If you are going to service a fork(properly) you would take the caliper off, to get it and the line out of the way, so you can pull the legs. It sounds like they just pulled the pads to keep them from getting oiled, pulled the caps, turned the bike upside down to dump the oil and refilled it.

I realy think these guys are culpable. Before you do anything else, try and find a shop that does highend mtb or downhill bikes and have them check over your situation. I believe your present shop is suffering from some competency issues.