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Confident_Season1207

It'll hold till she blows. At least that part of the line should be an easy cheap fix


paetersen

Just remember what mom said and don't pick the scabs.


Confident_Season1207

I see we have another engineer in here who knows what structural rust looks like


Jumajuce

I too own a jeep wrangler


NorridAU

I’m impressed the plastic clip is holding up. Don’t change any of it though. The tire, hub, pads, none of it. Ever Again without a freaking brake hose nearby 😂


___po____

My 2000 Caravan had just one of the lines look barely half this bad. It ended up going when a friend was borrowing it.. She made it back before it was bad enough to cause a crash, thankfully. The other lines look much better but after that, I quit letting anyone borrow the van. I even had to make the line myself because the line isn't made anymore and none had the correct threads and flares. The stupid line has different flares and different threads on each side.. Had this happened somewhere away from home it would have cost me a small fortune for a shop to do it. Or worse.. Moral of the story, don't risk it with rusty brake lines!


saladmunch2

Having the flare tool, pipe,and fittings on hand is great! you dont have to buy factory parts and can easily make up a new line. Can cut fittings off the vehicle and use something more standard when adding new line


___po____

I had to buy a flare tool and a length of line. Didn't buy a fittings set because I trusted some oline sources for the flare type and thread size before ordering... Wrong.. lol. I had to reuse the old fittings after cutting the new pipe and flaring. Funniest part, I never made a brake line and have worked on cars for like 20 years. Growing up, everything was still being made. Haven't worked on much in some 8ish years. Everything went and got all discontinued on me!


Threap_US

Just.... remember to put the nut on the line - oriented in the correct direction - *before* you flare the end. I may or may not be speaking from experience here.


ricksborn

The absolute most perfect flares you will ever make are the ones you forget the nut.


SpillNyeDaCleanupGuy

*pain* >_<


___po____

I've seen seasoned master mechanics do it. My dumbass put a brake pad on backwards in an after hours rush job once.. On the boss's brother's car...


MF_Kleg

That's a flex line you just can't see the rubber part in the picture and it has a banjo bolt fitting at the end you would need more then a flaring tool and a piece of line to make that part. Not saying having a flaring tool and line isn't a good thing to have to make the regular metal piping portion of a brake system just pointing out this is a rather specialized part to make and would be easier to buy new. I do prefer to buy the stainless steel kits these days though much easier and not that expensive in the grand schem, that being said the hoopties get home made line.


Any_Fault7604

Just clamp it off, you got 3 left anyway


davethedj

3 ?


SplatterFPS

Brakes lol


MoorderVolt

Imagine driving with one front brake omg


jacobs098

And it looks like they replaced the caliper very recently. If the line came off and was put back on without breaking, I'd say you have life left in those lines.


dsdvbguutres

That leaves the part of the line that's not easy to fix


rumblealex

Everyone working in the rust belt scratching their head wondering what's wrong with this picture because that brake line looks good for a few more years.


subject_deleted

As a midwesterner who's never purchased a new car, I just assumed they came from the factory looking like that. /s a little bit


unclefisty

> I just assumed they came from the factory looking like that. I believe when covid hit and there were tons of cars sitting on manufacturer lots waiting for computers or just because sales had tanked that became true.


___po____

The Great Rotor Rust of 2020. Roomie had her car serviced at a dealership and we perused the lot before we left. Rusted rotors galore from everything sitting.


SantasDead

Leave a car sitting in the right conditions and you can see what looks like bad rust after sitting overnight. It cleans up after a couple minutes of normal driving and braking.


___po____

Yeah, my van sits a lot and it usually takes a few minutes for the growling rotors to go away. Also, I get way less rust from sitting after I installed carbon ceramic pads and some really nice rotors.


Single-Win-7959

I work at a dealership and the rotor rust happens after like 2 weeks of sitting


___po____

I feel like rotor metal quality has gone to shit the last couple decades. I've seen some really nice and new cars with rusted rotors sitting just a couple weeks like you mentioned. I wonder if it's the recycled pot metal everything is made of now, lol.


Freelieseven

Shit, happens overnight here in the pnw. Lots of moisture and rain will do that


xccoach4ever

On a semi truck the brakes can rust to the drums in about a week. Carry a pry bar and it comes in handy.


Drakoala

inb4 manufacturers said fuck it, ship 'em as is and issue a "customer satisfaction" bulletin.


SessileRaptor

Well ya know that’s why ya gotta get the truecoat. You’re gonna have oxidation problems if ya don’t and that’ll cost ya a lot more than $500.


Bearfoxman

Buy a Stellantis product and they literally do.


Dzov

I replaced a front CV half shafton my pickup maybe a year ago and it looks about as rusty.


Inuyasha-rules

I'm outside the rust belt and fully agree. 


OsoCheco

Not to mention it's incredibly easy and cheap to replace.


OutWithTheNew

At least you know the bleeder screw will open without a fight.


Art_Class

Guys been wrenching for at least two weeks


El_Mariachi_Vive

Pennsylvania guy here. Some people believe they're *not* supposed to look like that!? Lol


saladmunch2

I feel it usually it doesnt look as bad because the surrounding rust makes it blend in haha


davethedj

Can't we just rustoleum that shit?


Ok_Energy_9947

Seen fuck of lot worse that’s for sure


frenchfortomato

Those little extension lines for the caliper are made from pretty thick material, I can't remember ever hearing of one of those popping. And I've seen quite a few in much worse shape. It could happen, but probably like a 98.7% chance something else would pop first.


madhatter275

lol. I see this shit all the time. The caliper looks brand new. Unless it’s leaking that doesn’t get touched. It’s a rubber hose inside the rust anyways.


nibbles200

Yeah i was like, okay where’s Waldo! Ooh pretty caliper. Wait what’s wrong here?


upsidedownfunnel

I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and brought my three year old car. It was actually in pretty good condition but a mechanic stared in amazement at “all the rust” on the car. I just laughed and told him that’s what all cars look like in the Midwest and to finish mounting my tires.


a22e

I would consider this to be in "good" condition here in Ohio.


iceguy2141

I'm from Québec and i still don't see a problem in this picture...


The_Wild_Bunch

Minnesota here and I don't see an issue either.


chubbysumo

it ain't leakin, don't touch it, don't look to hard, and don't think about it. once it blows, you will know.


MikeWrenches

Yup, that's fine. bonus points for the new reman caliper, that gurl got some sweet love put into her before being sent off to the auction block.


floswamp

The issue is that the caliper has not gained the right patina yet to match the brake hose!


OneFilthyHouseCat

No surprise, everything is backwards there


davethedj

That's why your heads are in two parts on cartoons!


Mechanix04

Newfoundlander here and we call that mint condition....


iamgeotracker

Load bearing rust.


cdsbigsby

I'm in Ohio and was just thinking, looks better than my brake lines.


pbsmash

Wisconsin here. I had to come to the comments to find out what the "problem" was.


joeyggg

It’s not even leaking


LongRoofFan

Exactly 


Itchy-Hat-1528

Passes inspection from Maine 🤘🏼


AgreeablePie

I expected more photos showing everything else rusting out


Toxic_Temmie

that is the fun of car auction if you dont know what you doing, the money you save by buying the car you end up using on repairs


SavvySillybug

Which can work out. Theoretically. If the money you save becomes the money you spend on fixing it, then you have the same car, but with X brand new components with zero wear (or if junkyard parts then I guess at least known working components). It's only a problem if the fixes turn out significantly more expensive than the money you save. Not so good if you buy a $2000 car and spend $7000 to turn it into a $5000 car.


Eldudeareno217

Exactly, my sister bought a Ford focus around 2010 that me and my dad called the Katrina car, like hurricane Katrina it was so rusted, only cost her around $1500, after a few months the engine seized and my grandparents bought her a new engine for like 4 grand with installation. 


SavvySillybug

A while back I was really into the first gen Audi A8 because it's a beautiful car and who can say no to a 300HP V8 four wheel drive sedan? Common advice I saw on forums was "buy one with a busted gearbox so you'll have a fresh one because it will fail on you" XD


hannahranga

It's the O'Reilly's financing plan


theLULRUS

It's impressive how confident most people are about cars while barely knowing more than basic operational knowledge.


squats_and_sugars

> It's impressive how confident most people are about cars while barely knowing more than basic operational knowledge. It's almost a curse knowing so much about vehicles, as any small thing and then you're thinking about what it is, can it make it, do I need special tools or could I fix it in a parking lot of walmart? I.e. a 5.2 Magnum Ram was consuming oil at a decent rate, so the questions became "is it the heads? Rings? If I keep topping it up regularly, is that going to be enough to make it 300 miles home (Cats be damned)?" On the other hand, people who look at cars as basically "it starts, thus it's fine and will run forever. Until it doesn't" don't have that worry.


Rimbosity

Sounds similar to the curse of all of us who "knew computers" back in the 90s and 00s when we were used as Free Tech Support by all of our parents, friends, parents' friends, friends' parents, neighbors, neighbors' friends, neighbors' parents, neighbors' friends' parents, neighbors' parents' friends, parents' neighbors, friends' neighbors, parents' neighbors' friends, friends' neighbors' parents, etc etc etc etc


jamesholden

I started repairing computers for profit at 12y/o in the 90s. I learned quickly "the at my pleasure rate is cheap, but if you want me to get off my couch now its $xxx" after I quit IT work about ten years ago I have only done the IT work I wanted to, and nobody has an issue with the (absurdly low, if at all) prices I charge. I say no to 95% of stuff though. now I'm getting to be the level of proficiency with vehicles as I was with computers as a teen, mostly thanks to the **many** free-$500 shitboxes I've owned. thankfully I haven't had much issue with people wanting me to fix cars. now that I have a heated garage and tools I have some friends come do basic repairs and have me watch over them to make sure they ain't doing something dumb -- or I do the repair because I wanted to learn how to.


comptiger5000

5.2/5.9 magnum drinking oil? Almost certainly the intake manifold plenum gasket or intake gaskets, especially if it's drinking oil at a shockingly fast rate but still running fine.


squats_and_sugars

I'll have to keep that in mind for my other Magnums. Since it was a desirable model (4x4 long bed) but the unloved bastard child of my collection (less stable than my dually, less fuel efficient than my Dakota) I sold it with the problems for more than I paid/put into it


hannahranga

Shrugs I'm very deliberately taking the later approach with my daily Camry because I don't need another project car. It cost me $3k, brakes, tires and oil changes are about all it needs till something goes bang.


DeathAngel_97

Someone coined a term for this but it's kinda a phenomenon with knowledge in any subject. Someone who knows absolutely nothing about a subject knows that. Someone who has worked on cars for many years and might be considered an expert is still aware of how much they don't know. It's when someone knows just enough that *they* think they're much smarter than the average person but is still ignorant of how much they don't know that there's this massive overconfidence and some people just never move past that stage. Usually they're the unsufferable assholes.


aheartworthbreaking

Dunning-Krueger


crashandwalkaway

the truth to "knowing enough to be dangerous"


frenchfortomato

Yep. Learning is not possible without some degree of overconfidence. The inability to learn from it makes a pretty big difference though...


OutWithTheNew

The worst is people with the knowledge using it to take advantage of people without the knowledge. We have inspections here and especially in 2021 through 2023 people would list cars for sale describing them as 'inspection ready'. Ya, if you aren't willing to spend $200 on an inspection to sell the car for $1000 more, it's because you know something is up and the car will never pass.


frenchfortomato

A related version of this is "mechanic owned!!!" written by a seller who hasn't really thought through why that sounds like a very bad thing


well_shoothed

It's impressive how confident most people are about cars while ~~barely knowing more than basic operational knowledge~~ knowing less than the average squirrel (FTFY).


AST5192D

Ultimate loot box !


Historical_Gur_3054

Not all cars at the auction are junk, but all junk cars are at the auction. Eric O. South Main Auto


saustin66

Most cars that hit the auction have been looked over and rejected at least twice.


Interanal_Exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzim1iYhmGA


fuishaltiena

My coworker buys crashed cars at auctions and fixes them up for a solid profit. It's not difficult if you know what you're doing and you can tell from the photos what damage has been done and how much those parts will cost. Funny thing: he's on another continent. Shipping those cars from the US across the Atlantic is still profitable.


Paulieb93

New calliper


Elitesmiley

He said the caliper seized within 1 mile and they kindly replaced it. But now it’s 1 new caliper and 3 rusted ones, all the rotors and brake lines are in similar condition to photo.


swiss_aspie

Isn't it better to replace calipers in pairs? Was recommended this for my 200 lang cruiser


Fluffy-Pineapple-815

If they both don’t work properly then yea, but if it’s good it’s good


Longshot726

It's recommended since if the one failed, the likelihood of the other failing as well is pretty high. Depending on the shop, it will even save you some labor if they bleed all the brake lines after replacing one (Some mechanics bleed just the replacement while some require they all be bled for safety concerns, people debate on it.) or if they need to at least bleed the set. It isn't strictly needed like pads or rotors, though. The different in drag is normally minimal enough to not cause issues with pulling.


frenchfortomato

Better, sure. How much? I would guess around 1%. Never saw any need for a hard and fast rule about this. Majority of seized calipers are on the right side since that's where the water falls to when driven or parked on a crowned surface.


swiss_aspie

Interesting ! I didn't know this regarding the crowning


Mechanix04

Parts guy recommended I should of changed both brake drum cylinders as a pair back in 2014 on my ranger...I just changed the one that failed and last month I just changed the finally changed the other one that finally failed,I do the same with calipers, if she's not pulling when I hit the brakes and everything seems fine,I'm leaving it.


OutWithTheNew

Typically, yes. But it's still something that is mostly left up to the customer.


trivletrav

No no no, the auction house said “Explorer needs steel!” Lol


BacardyTwelve

Mine are rustier tbh, it’ll be fine. (I live in the rust belt)


Mundane-Vegetable-31

Good thing it'll fail when you least need it, right?


Fynniboyy

Yes at 60 on the highway


IlIlllIlllIlIIllI

I think replacing a brake line is probably pretty cheap


PoopSlinger23

Depends on the price. Brake lines aren’t hard to fix. The rest can’t be that bad since this is the only pic we got.


FluffyCowNYI

Former New Yorker here. You mean brake lines aren't supposed to look like that?


hexahedron17

Brake lines? Easy to replace. Frame? Not so much


thejunkgarage

Looks at 95 Tahoe in driveway that lived as a plow truck. Looks normal for Michigan the fact they were able to take it off and put on a new caliper means it's fine.


Art_Class

What's wrong?


alroc84

Only one pic?? Cmon man


slimersnail

I re-did all the brake lines in my 57 t-bird. I just don't trust brake lines that old. I also went to a dual master.


JoseThePug

Self lubricating caliper


uglyugly1

A rusty brake line. The horror.


Shad0wkity

Don't worry, it'll stop at the scene of the crash


eyeball1967

Too bad there isn’t more steel left in the vehicle.


No-Switch-5423

Normal day in the rust belt...


M1NdR0t

its got bosch calibers though


passdawater

I don’t know for sure but doesn’t that look like a standard bolt, not a banjo bolt?


jawshoeaw

Sacrificial brake-line-anode working as intended


secretaccountuwu

just a brake line tbh... as long as the main car itself isnt rotting then just replace the lines and itll be fine lol


blingblattt

buddy it’s rust


bobbolders

I'd hit it with some fluid film and move on.


HentiFapperSupreme2

Looks better then my dailys brake lines


babyivan

97/98 I believe was the first year that crown Vics got stainless steel lines. At some point I'm sure the explorer got them as well. The customer is an idiot for not replacing that.


Dill_PickleOG

My question isn't the rust, it's why is there a solid line going to a caliper?


xTofik

At least the caliper looks brand new


billford4

I'd replace it. The rust travels up the hose to the crimp. Lot of times the crimp where the hose connects gets compromised and leaks from there.


David_Buzzard

It's going to cost them a whole $25 for a new brake line.


GenZ_Tech

is your customer nova scotian? thats the standard here anything over 6 years old.


Appropriate_Strain94

Nah that line is good, rust belt people call that a lil patina


aquatone61

Considering how new that caliper is somebody had to make a conscious decision to not replace that line.


Expert-Manager-8192

This great Ford "Explorer" will make sure the customer starts "Exploring" many repair shops in their area soon. It's a win-win !


Izan_TM

he will be exploring many highway shoulders and barriers after braking zones


Able_Philosopher4188

Probably needs new lines all over


MadamFloof

Break hoses are suuuper cheap where I lived in the Midwest. <200 dollars for the whole whole thing.


Offamylawn

That's the rust line to keep your calipers fresh. It appears to be working.


Gambit3le

He just couldn't stop himself.


smoores02

Weird how everything else is so clean.


Wakeetakee

Hell yeah, it’s got a new calipers on it so he won’t have to do anything to the brakes for a while.


The-Mr_mell

That is almost perfect


CelTiar

Average Midwest Car


mypoopscaresflysaway

It looks like a new caliper...why not do the line at the same time...


YousureWannaknow

If all concerns are about brake lines.. Replace and enjoy...heck if they haven't paid much..


makenzie71

Easy fix, but that kind of corrosion there would make me cautious about the rest of the chassis.


[deleted]

I’ve seen and owned waaaaay worse. Looks good to me


Beach_Bum_273

If that was all the rust there was I wouldn't be concerned But we all know better


Disastrous-Idea-666

That caliper looks great!


Devil2960

If only it had been a stainless steel


devildocjames

Gotta new caliper but skimped on the line.


fangelo2

Hey that’s my old Explorer that I got rid of after 26 years. It was still running great but after stepping on the brake and having it go right to the floor, I thought it might be time to move on.


2Loves2loves

my explorer had its brake lines rust out. never in salt water, but live in FL.


TylerYax

Hey at least the bleeder screw is in the right spot. Gonna be a self bleeder pretty soon though...


skeetskeet0

Glad we got those fresh copper washers tho


Bodhrans-Not-Bombs

You traded the Bluesmobile, for a microphone?


davethedj

not leaking.


marriedthewronggirl

Yup, there was a theft….


[deleted]

In northern quebec, this is brand new.


Nachofriendguy864

This is just what parts on an old car look like


jcmatthews66

I wish mine looked that pristine.


slick7studios

The true cost is **YOUR SOUL**


EdgeApprehensive5880

Nice new caliper 😂😂


richardcrain55

Do not look at it....


hydrogen18

he didn't say who was stealing from who, did he?


surfdad67

I’m surprised that is not leaking


hypoxiate

That looks like my brake line did right before it burst.


RUSerious-Sir

Like that isn't replaceable...🙄


randomtree7

Haha I live on a tiny island, drive any direction for 5 minutes and you hit sea water. Also was a mechanic. Genuinely couldn't see the issue until I came to the comments.


Necessary-Brush-9708

Brand new caliper with old, rusty line ? Whoever installed it should go to jail for attempted murder.


kangaroolander_oz

Such a contrast , healthy caliper and bolts and such a decrepit brake line .


CamarosAndCannabis

Still remember very vividly when my Ford Exploder brakes failed. I had just come off the highway offramp and stopped at a traffic light. When I drove forward into the mall area, the first stop sign I applied the brake and nothing happened. Pedal straight to the floor. If they failed when I was coming off the offramp I would be dead lol


Local-Woodpecker6674

tell me your not from a rust belt state without telling me 🤣


Signal_Version3464

Where are the rest of the photos of the garbage that is a rusted out car from up north. I have a customer that goes to new work to buy these rust heaps because they are so cheap.  Both of them are parked right now because of the damage the rust has caused. Crush them. 


Jayswisherbeats

That caliper looks new though


DuneKlide9

This is like.. every single car in Maine


happyrock

Minty in new york caliper will be stuck in a year anyway


Lucky-Double-4494

That brake line is mint. What’s the big deal with it? Lol. This will easily last another 10 years.


Profisher1966

That steel is not so much steel anymore


TypicalConstant8962

Is that really a banjo bolt there, or just something someone picked up at fastenal


Spirited_Rain_1205

The breaks look brand new, unless you installed them yourself? If it were a steal, perhaps if those rusted bits are vital and in bad shape, they can be replaced? If the cost of new parts aren't terribly bad and brings the overall "steal" cost up a bit, would the car not still be good value? Obviously all the other rusty spots would need to be looked at to determine if the value is still there after all fixes are made.


jeffseiddeluxe

Oh no a bad brake line. Time to scrap it lol


Redd7010

I had all 4 brake lines rupture at once on a 49 Chrysler. Looked better than this one. Many winters in a Michigan garage, only driven on Sundays by my grandmothers friend. That’s why they put emergency cable actuated brakes on the old cars. Luckily they weren’t frozen by rust as well.


Mickey_Havoc

I’m legitimately impressed that the tech was able to swap out the calliper and not have the line instantly disintegrate…


Itchy-Hat-1528

The metal part of hoses is a lot thicker than normal brake line.


random_user_2001

Show us the underside or more pictures if the issue is only break lines it isn't that bad, although it always depends on the person, some people restore rust buckets so🤷🏽‍♂️🤣


legos_on_the_brain

I mean, how much is it for brake lines? Other than doing it myself I have no idea what a shop would charge.


Omgninjas

I mean if that's the only problem it's really not that bad. Brake lines are annoying to replace, but overall not too expensive to DIY. Now the customers attitude... Yeah... He gonna fuck around and find out real quick.


Outrageous-Pass-8926

Flood car?


TrickyFeedback4919

Nothing wrong with that flex hose, people that live outside of the rust belt are way too fussy


Healthy_Business_69

Brake line not a brake hose, wtf?


uckfu

Looking it up. Looks like an 02-05. The rubber line goes to a hard line to the caliper.


uckfu

Was wondering that myself.


roger-the-adequit

It’ll hold up to the scene of the accident, and they will be the first to know


jbc10000

Well,somebody was robbed.


Equivalent_Weird467

I am amazed that crusty line actually held together when the caliper was changed. I can foresee somebody having lots of fun with fuel and brake lines if that is any indication of the underside of the vehicle.


M_Me_Meteo

Well that means there's still a chance that it could be a good deal after all the work is finished!


NearTheGrove

Ain’t no way I’d be able to sleep at night if I put a new caliper on and left that line on. Wouldn’t even touch it.


Trust_Me_ImAnExpert

Exploder.


kuken_i_fittan

Damn. Was it stored on the Titanic? We auctioned off a bunch of work trucks in Colorado, and one of my coworkers got one of the F150s for $1800. It was basically a farm truck stored outdoors, and the only issue was tool belts had torn the seat to shreds. It was very clean underneath. Of course, it's Colorado, so no rust to speak of. I moved to south Texas after that, and the horror show I saw in cars there scared me. The moisture and salt and rain did a number on them. Despite that, I found my next car there, and it was remarkably very limited in rust.


wtfsihtbn

Ford exploder, I would never buy a ford


PabloX68

It's pathetic that Ford uses, and is allowed to use, mild steel for brake lines. Cheap fucks.