Brake stuck?

[Relaxo]

the past couple of days I've noticed an annoying shimmy in the front of my car at about 40+ mph (about 65 km/h). I feel it in the steering wheel but also the seat.

I got new tires about a month and a half ago / about 1000 odometer miles ago, so I figured I must have lost a balance weight. no sweat. Oddly, the shimmy gets worse the longer I drive (a pivotal clue, I now realize. Duh, yesterday-self!).

Well, this morning I discovered a nasty burning type smell after driving to work, and realized the front passenger wheel was hot enough to roast a ham (while the driver side was only warm, presumably normally so). Now I figure it's really a stuck brake cylendar.

SO here's (finally) my question: Do I panic? Is this a huge deal?

Obviously it's something to have fixed (I'm going tomorrow), but it is OK to drive (slowly) in the meantime?
The advice online and the mechanic himself seemed not too worried. I'm concerned to cook the rest of the brake system, melt a hose or somesuch. Or is the only risk just premature brake pad wear?

THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE!!!

[Treebore]

You will probably also need to have your rotor replaced, since the heat probably damaged that as well. We have to replace our rotors every so often anyways, because that is the surface our metallic brake pads rub against to create the friction for stopping, and that can add over $100 per wheel in costs when doing a "brake change".

[Treebore]

As for advice, I would not drive it unless you absolutely HAVE to.

[BoomerET]

My Dodge Viper shimmy's after I hit 175mph, Dealer was a bit shocked, not sure why.

[Relaxo]

Now I'm jealous. do you seriously have a viper? I love those things!
Instead, I plod along with my 2002 Corolla jalopy.
such is life.

[BoomerET]

Nope, I don't have A viper.

[BoomerET]

Seriously, I do not own a viper.

We went to the dealer to buy my wife a new Town & Country, and they had one on the showroom floor, sticker price was $133k.

So the wifey gets the new T&C, I get the old T&C and our godson gets my 2003 Ford Focus ZX5.

The previous answer was pulled from what I told my students once.

I used to teach college, and most of my students were from Inner city Oakland.

One of my students asked me, "Dr. B, do you own a gun", to which my reply was...
"No, I do not own A gun"

The firearms are gone now though, once we had a child, we got rid of them.
(As well as the 5gal buckets, but that's another story)

[Arduin]

Obviously it's something to have fixed (I'm going tomorrow), but it is OK to drive (slowly) in the meantime?
The advice online and the mechanic himself seemed not too worried. I'm concerned to cook the rest of the brake system, melt a hose or somesuch. Or is the only risk just premature brake pad wear?

THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE!!!

Don't move the car except maybe to get it (slowly) to a nearby shop. Do NOT take it to the mechanic who advised you that it is okay to drive the car otherwise...

[Treebore]

Obviously it's something to have fixed (I'm going tomorrow), but it is OK to drive (slowly) in the meantime?
The advice online and the mechanic himself seemed not too worried. I'm concerned to cook the rest of the brake system, melt a hose or somesuch. Or is the only risk just premature brake pad wear?

THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE!!!

Don't move the car except maybe to get it (slowly) to a nearby shop. Do NOT take it to the mechanic who advised you that it is okay to drive the car otherwise...

By the mechanics standards it is "OK" for him to drive it, it just means more repair charges he gets to demand later.

[Arduin]

Obviously it's something to have fixed (I'm going tomorrow), but it is OK to drive (slowly) in the meantime?
The advice online and the mechanic himself seemed not too worried. I'm concerned to cook the rest of the brake system, melt a hose or somesuch. Or is the only risk just premature brake pad wear?

THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE!!!

Don't move the car except maybe to get it (slowly) to a nearby shop. Do NOT take it to the mechanic who advised you that it is okay to drive the car otherwise...

By the mechanics standards it is "OK" for him to drive it, it just means more repair charges he gets to demand later.

That was my 1st thought! My second (less likely) was that the mech was incompetent.

[Sir Ironside]

These are always so hard to diagnose, over the internet. But, the vibration at only higher speeds sometimes suggest it could be a wheel bearing. If that is what it is be prepared for a fairly high cost for repair. Also if it is just the wheel bearing then the mechanic is right in saying just driving it to the repair shop it should be fine.

So, take that for whatever it means.

[Treebore]

These are always so hard to diagnose, over the internet. But, the vibration at only higher speeds sometimes suggest it could be a wheel bearing. If that is what it is be prepared for a fairly high cost for repair. Also if it is just the wheel bearing then the mechanic is right in saying just driving it to the repair shop it should be fine.

So, take that for whatever it means.

With the intense heat I am pretty sure he is right about the cylinder, I would think a bearing would seize by that point.

[Relaxo]

good news all around.
I hate having a car, frankly.
well she's going to the shop tomorrow and we'll see.

[Relaxo]

So, I am now the proud owner of new brake cylendars and rotors. (and pads, it does without saying). Everything else was fine, which is a mercy. One the pads was literally burned away to nothing but the metal frame. Damn!
Mech tells me they looked like the original cylendars from when the car was new, and it's a 2002 model so, yeah.

the brake functioning is a hundred times better too, so that's a relief. it put a hard dent in my rainy day funds (by that I mean, ate all of it and then some) but the car will be safe for a few more years now.

I still hate cars.

[Treebore]

I'm lucky, I have a local, privately owned auto shop, that lets me buy my replacement parts and bring them in. So I got the new rotors for my Mountaineer for $42 each, instead of $90+ each, and got the part kits for $6 each, instead of $12 each, and he did all the work for $90. I still need to go get the vehicle today.

[serleran]

I would ask my wife, who is a mechanic, but she doesn't like advising on anything not seen... or better touched. Hopefully, it will work itself out or not be too terribly expensive.