Trike Brakes

After 2 disappointing experiences,  I wondered if "3rd time was the charm" as I took my trike to yet another so called mechanic that said he could fix the back brakes for me. Well, it wasn't!!  I paid this guy, Dean, $450 just to drive away and find that my back brakes don't work any better than they did before I took it to Dean. There was no point in taking it back as he had said he'd done the best job he could do short of redoing the entire linkage system and that would cost me $1500.00!!!

Phil and I decided that the only other thing it could be was the brake shoes.  We had been told by Rod (2nd disappointment) and by Dean that the shoes were okay, but at this point they were the only other thing it could be since we had gotten Dunbar Automotive to machine the drums ($28), I paid Ray last year to change the wheel cylinders, Dean had done this work to the linkage.  So we ordered in shoes, cost me nearly $60, Phil put them in and still no back brakes.

So finally we took the trike to Myron's Automotive Repairs and it turns out my neighbor, Doug, is working there.  Doug seems very knowledgeable so this is a good thing.  He checked out several things and finally they decided that the brake drums are too big, they have been machined too many times and Dunbar should not have machined them for me, it was illegal for them to do so as they were past the point of that being right to do.  So they ordered in a new set of brake drums for me and put them in this morning ($125).  The trike stops better than it did, but still it is not stopping like it should!!! This is really crazy!! Doug is going to change the linkage that I paid Ray to do, Dean to redo, and now will be paying Doug to do the 3rd time!!