brakes rubbing

[Milothicus]

I bought my 85 MR2 about 6 weeks ago. 2 days later i took it in to have the brakes checked at a national autocentre. needed new front disks and pads, and rears needed a service. about a week later, started noticing the steering wheel shaking when braking. it wasn't bad at city speeds, but at motorway speeds it was more noticeable. so... 2 weeks after having the work done, i took it back in, and was told it's not the brakes.

this was 3 or 4 weeks ago, and it's getting worse...

also, i had a corner jacked up for other reasons, and tried spinning the wheel. it spun ok,except at one spot (same spot each rotation) i could feel the brake rubbing. I also tried moving the wheel in all directions to feel for play, but couldn't feel any.

is it normal to have the brake rubbing a little bit? should i be taking it back to the shop? i'm not sure what to do.

[MegatronUK]

They usually only rub like that when the disc is warped or not fitted properly (ie rust behind the disk not allowing it to sit flush against the hub).

You didn't go slamming the anchors on after having the new discs fitted did you? If not, then I'd suggest they haven't fitted them properly. Vibration through the wheel when braking is a sure sign of something the matter with the calipers or discs. Take it back.

btw.. some drag on the wheels from the brakes is normal, if you jack it up and spin them - should be pretty much constant all the way round though... not just one spot.