500 miles after 1st Brake Job - Impressions
12-17-2004, 10:03 PM
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500 miles after 1st Brake Job - Impressions
Ok so I've owned my Bonneville for ~10,000 miles now (purchased with 24k now at ~34k). When I first bought it, the brakes had just been done (or so I was told). They squealled since the day I picked it up and the rotors were lightly scored even then, but the brakes felt great! Fast forward 9,500 miles. The squealing was getting worse and a vibration was manifesting itself. I checked on the thickness of the pads and sure enough, there wasn't much left. Time for a brake job!
Now, the OEM pads were supposed to be ceramics and the dealer attested to this fact when I complained about the brake squeal. Common answer, "They are high performance ceramics, you'll get that kind of sound." What I find on there are just run of the mill semi-metallics. Those pads were the reason my nice chrome swoops were turning black 2 days after a thurough cleaning and polishing!!!
I have a bumper-2-bumper warranty ('til 75k), but brakes are a wear item and not warrantied. I never like paying someone else to do a job that I am completely able to do myself.
Now onto the brake job. I replaced the rotors after measuring them with a micrometer to find that they were dangerously below the recommended minimum safe thickness even on the inner edge where the pad does not contact. This worried me to no end. These rotors had been resurfaced atleast 1 time too many. But alas, I already was prepared to replace them. Due to past experience I knew enough not to trust the cheap brand rotors from Advanced and Autozone.
I bought a premium set of Bendix rotors from Advanced Autoparts where my father has an account. Also being installed in this job were the Bendix CT3 ceramic pads, also from Advanced Auto.
The brake job went without a hitch! And now after putting 500 miles on the car since the job, I can say, with all honesty, that these pads/rotors are amazing. Not only does the car stop 10 times better and smoother than it did when I picked it up, the squealing is gone and their is virtually no dust built up on my rims!!!
Now, the OEM pads were supposed to be ceramics and the dealer attested to this fact when I complained about the brake squeal. Common answer, "They are high performance ceramics, you'll get that kind of sound." What I find on there are just run of the mill semi-metallics. Those pads were the reason my nice chrome swoops were turning black 2 days after a thurough cleaning and polishing!!!
I have a bumper-2-bumper warranty ('til 75k), but brakes are a wear item and not warrantied. I never like paying someone else to do a job that I am completely able to do myself.
Now onto the brake job. I replaced the rotors after measuring them with a micrometer to find that they were dangerously below the recommended minimum safe thickness even on the inner edge where the pad does not contact. This worried me to no end. These rotors had been resurfaced atleast 1 time too many. But alas, I already was prepared to replace them. Due to past experience I knew enough not to trust the cheap brand rotors from Advanced and Autozone.
I bought a premium set of Bendix rotors from Advanced Autoparts where my father has an account. Also being installed in this job were the Bendix CT3 ceramic pads, also from Advanced Auto.
The brake job went without a hitch! And now after putting 500 miles on the car since the job, I can say, with all honesty, that these pads/rotors are amazing. Not only does the car stop 10 times better and smoother than it did when I picked it up, the squealing is gone and their is virtually no dust built up on my rims!!!
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