buick skylark braking system

[wuzzup]

well the skylark is my 2nd car next to my altima that i use for commuting. its a 1990 with 62K with the 2.5liter engine and 3spd auto. The brakes on this car are the worst i've come across, i dont know if its a problem with the car or the way its designed. it has the usual power front disc/rear drum setup(no ABS) when i step on the brake the pedal feels like its pushing back on you and requires great force to just stop normally, in a panic situation i know for sure thta the car wont stop b/c after flooring the brake the car still goes! the brake pads and shoes are new and so are the brake lines. Buick dealer says they're ok

 

[tech jake]

You said the pads and shoes are new, but are the front brake rotors and rear drums new. If not were they resurfaced on a brake lathe? It sounds like the front rotors are glazed. If they look real shiney like a mirror that means they are glazed. The rotors need to be dull looking which means they will drag more. Make sure the rears are adjusted right and it wouldn't hurt to resurface the drums either, but the main problem would be in the front. New rotors are probably a few bucks more than a resurface job and wouldn't be a bad idea.