any chance of a picture?make/model/location perhaps?otherwise all we can do is take our best guess.you mention a copper pipe,they dont corrode typically and are not original fitment on most cars so i would suspect a fitting/fouling/damage problem of some sort.the front suspension check you mention may not have even looked at the pipes,theyre brakes not suspension altho they could have been removed for some suspension repairs.as i previously mentioned its very unusual for the worst cowboy in the world to delibrately sabotage someones brakes purely on the legal implications alone but as mentioned below there is a right of appeal if you are certain that they have done this.you need to be sure that they didnt fail due to existing problems,during normal driving most folks dont press the brakes very hard compared to when we test them and any weak spots show up then.
