1990 Buick Lesabre

THE BRAKES ON A 1990 BUICK LESABRE FAILED IN THE DEALER LOT WHEN I WENT TO TEST DRIVE THE CAR. THEY ASSURED ME THEY WOULD REPAIR THE BRAKES AND CALL ME WHEN THE CAR WAS READY FOR SALE. AFTER THE REPAIR, I PURCHASED THE CAR, BUT THE BRAKES SOON FAILED AGAIN. I THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINE REPAIR HAD BEEN MADE WITH COMPRESSION FITTINGS INSTEAD OF HIGH-PRESSURE INVERTED-FLARE HYDRAULIC FITTINGS. I SUSPECT THIS WAS UNLAWFUL. I CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS, AND THE AGENT I TALKED TO DOESN'T SEEM TO COMPREHEND THAT THE USE OF COMPRESSION FITTINGS IN A BRAKE LINE IS UNLAWFUL, AND TRIVIALIZES MY CONCERNS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR "AS-IS".*AK

THE ABS POWER BRAKE RELAY FAILED DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION AND I PAID TO REPLACE IT.ZIMBRICK MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL COULD NOT FIND SOURCE OF INTERMITTANT BRAKE PROBLEM UNTIL I BROUGHT THE CAR IN WHILE THE BRAKE RELAY WAS MALFUNCTIONING. IT WAS STUCK AND CONTINUED TO BUZZ EVEN AFTER THE IGNITION HAD BEEN SWITCHED OFF. THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED IN OCTOBER 1997. MY WIFE WAS IN COTTAGE GROVE AND THE CAR HAD NO POWER ASSIST TO THE BRAKES AT STARTUP. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO MADISON AND THE BRAKE RELAY WAS REPLACED AGAIN. IN THE FALL OF 1998, I EXPERIENCED NO POWER ASSIST TO THE BRAKES DURING A DRIVE IN THE POURING RAIN. I HAD ALMOST NO EFFECTIVE BRAKES, BUT DROVE CAREFULLY AND PARKED THE CAR OVERNIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING THE BRAKES OPERATED NORMALLY. I SPENT ABOUT $900 ON BRAKE WORK AT ZIMBRICK'S IN APRIL OF 1999, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE SOURCE OF THE BRAKE PROBLEM. THE NEXT FAILURE HAPPENED MAY 28, 1999 WHILE MY WIFE'S DAD WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO EAU CLAIRE, WI. THE CAR HAD NO POWER ASSIST FOR THE BRAKE SYSTEM DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE DRIVE (AFTER STOPPING FOR GAS). THE NEXT MORNING THE BRAKES WERE OPERATING NORMALLY AND HE DROVE THE CAR TO THE CABIN ON LAKE NANCY. ONE DAY, ABOUT A MONTH LATER (THE CAR WAS DRIVEN INFREQUENTLY DURING THE SUMMER - ABOUT TWICE PER WEEK), THE BRAKE PROBLEM REAPPEARED FOR ONE DRIVING EPISODE AND THE NEXT DRIVE THE BRAKES OPERATED NORMALLY. BECAUSE OF THE INTERMITTANT PROBLEM, THE SERVICE PEOPLE AT ZIMBRICK HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PERMANANTLY FIX THE BRAKE PROBLEM. AND THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC ERROR CODES DO NOT REGISTER ANY INFORMATION.