Atherton & the Tablelands
Brake repairs & servicing
Wet roads, red dirt that turns to slurry and steep runs off the range all ask more of a braking system than a dry winter does. We inspect the whole system, tell you straight what needs doing and what does not, and cover the electrical side of braking as well as the mechanical.
Pads, rotors, drums and hydraulics
Pads, rotors, drums, hoses and the hydraulics inspected and replaced on cars, utes, 4WDs, vans and light trucks, with the brake fluid checked as part of it. You hear what the inspection found and what it will cost before any work starts, so you only pay for what actually needs doing.
- Brake inspections
- Brake pads
- Rotors
- Drums
- Brake hoses
- Hydraulics and brake fluid
Signs your brakes need a look
A squeal or grinding when you brake, the vehicle pulling to one side, a soft or sinking pedal, a shudder through the pedal or the steering wheel, or a brake or ABS light on the dash. Any one of those is worth getting checked sooner rather than later, because pads left too long can take the rotors with them.
The electrical side of braking
Modern brakes are not purely mechanical. An ABS or brake warning light needs a scan tool and someone who can trace the circuit, and on a towing setup the van brakes only work as well as the controller and wiring driving them. Being auto electricians as well as mechanics, we cover both halves.
- ABS and brake warning light diagnostics
- Electric brake controllers
- Breakaway systems
- Seven and twelve pin trailer wiring
Workshop or on site
A lot of brake work can be done on site across the Tablelands. Anything that needs the hoist comes into the workshop at 9 Railway Lane, Atherton, and we will tell you which up front.
Common questions
Brake repairs & servicing, answered
How do I know if my brakes need replacing?
Common signs are a squeal or grinding when you brake, the vehicle pulling to one side, a soft or sinking pedal, a shudder through the pedal or wheel, or a warning light on the dash. Any of those is worth getting checked early. We inspect the whole system and tell you what actually needs doing.
How much do brake repairs cost?
It depends what the inspection finds. New pads on their own is a very different job to rotors, hoses or a hydraulic fault, so we will not guess at a number over the phone. We inspect first and tell you what it will cost before any work starts.
My ABS light is on. Can you fix it?
Yes. An ABS light needs a diagnostic scan to find out why it is on, then the circuit traced to the actual fault, which can be a sensor, wiring or a connector as much as the brakes themselves. As auto electricians and mechanics, we do both halves of that job.
Can you fit an electric brake controller for a van or trailer?
Yes. Electric brake controllers, breakaway systems, and seven or twelve pin trailer wiring, all wired and fused so it holds up on dirt.
Also from Nixon
What else we do
Farm machinery auto electrics
A machine that will not start in the middle of a job does not cost you a repair bill, it costs you the day. And on the Tablelands the alternative is a float and a tow into town, which costs more again. So we bring the workshop to the paddock.
Read moreAuto air conditioning
This is Far North Queensland. Air conditioning is not a luxury item, and a car with no air con in February is close to unusable. We fix the reason it stopped rather than just filling it back up with gas.
Read moreDual battery & 12V setups
A 12V setup either holds together on corrugated roads or it does not, and you find out which a long way from town. The difference is almost always in the fusing, the cable size and how the joins were made.
Read moreAuto electrical repairs
Something has stopped working, the dash is lit up, or the car will not start, and nobody has been able to tell you why. Electrical faults get expensive when they are guessed at, because you end up paying for parts that were never the problem.
Read moreMechanical repairs
Being an auto electrician and a mechanic in the one van is the whole point. Out here the alternative is often a tow into Mareeba and two separate bookings, and a fault that crosses the line between electrical and mechanical is exactly the sort that gets passed back and forth while nobody fixes it.
Read moreLogbook servicing
A logbook service is the manufacturer schedule done properly: the right parts, the right oil and fluids, and the book stamped at the end. You do not have to take a new car back to the dealer to keep the warranty, and because we are auto electricians as well as mechanics, anything electrical that turns up can be sorted in the same visit.
Read moreECU tuning & remapping
A remap changes how the engine actually behaves: where the power comes on, how it tows, and how much fuel it drinks doing it. Done properly it makes a vehicle nicer to drive and cheaper to run. Done badly it costs you an engine.
Read moreBased in Atherton and mobile across the Tablelands, including Tolga, Yungaburra, Kairi, Herberton, Walkamin, Malanda and out to Mareeba, Millaa Millaa, Ravenshoe. See the full service area.
Get in touch
Tell us what
it is doing
Send through a few details and we will get back to you with what it is likely to involve. If it is urgent or the vehicle will not start, ring us. That is always faster.
Call the workshop 0439 064 720