lets talk about front brakes

[silverbullet]

ok guys this started a couple days ago i started noticing slow fluid loss and my brake warning light going on and off. so i decided it would be easier to pay the shop to do it for me i was hoping it would just be a line leak somewhere. what i found out today was that both calipers are leaking and they also said my pads are wearing unevenly and i needed new rotors. this is starting to sound very expensive. so just to have the calipers replaced was four hundred dollars. thats more than i can afford atm so i got the car back and ill be taking care of it all on my own. so i just want to get opinions or any advice on my plans and parts i plan on getting. i just put in special order for both duralast reman brake calipers http://www.autozone.com/autozo...8knro and i plan on getting those on asap because the leak is my biggest problem here. and btw a hundred bucks for both not including core charges way better than the shop charges. while i am taking the time to get brand new calipers i am going to paint them before they go on so i got silver caliper paint while i was there. and for the moment i am going to reuse the pads and rotors. and hopefully in about a week or two i am going to get pads and rotors. i will be getting the duralast c max brake pads http://www.autozone.com/autozo...6108_ and i planned this upgrade in the future but because of the situation i will spring now for drilled slotted rotors. and it is very important to me to get a good coating so they wont end up rusty. these look good to me what does anyone else think? where has anyone else got drilled slotted rotors and do you think i should trust these to have a quality coating?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...oriesthanks guys

[yyamad1]

I really cant believe both calipers are leaking, I would look for yourself before changing them out. Toyota calipers are pretty darn reliable. Uneven wear is most likely due to seized or stuck guide pins.. which is easy to fix. Pads they are what I use and after couple of years still holding up well. There's almost no brake dust from these ceramics Dont buy these cheap rotors from Ebay. You will regret it. Buy name brand rotors. Brembo, ATE, R1. They will warp or crack by the drilled holes. Not worth it! Drilled rotors are just for looks, no point really. Your life depends on these rotors... why save a few bucks?Just my 2 cents

[silverbullet]

OK cool im hoping for minimal dust to keep the wheels clean. also i have brake dust that has settled into parts of the paint on the car and rusted. not a good look. and yes i am aware the rotors would be pretty much all for looks and that's fine with me. mabye i will look around at brand names and check around for other options and prices. just for appearances im just not sure about spending gobs of money on brembo or otherwise, i am just guessing on that tho ill have to look into prices. also i have no reason to suspect anything shady from this shop i have been working with them for over five years and i defiantly trust them, although they tend to be a little pricier than other places. but as for the guide pins could you elaborate on that a little? this should be contained within new calipers correct? and im guessing this would be involved with releasing the pads and the seizing could be leaving part of the pad in contact? also my rotors will have lifetime guarantee so im not too hesitant about replacing the whole thing. will be the last set i will ever have to buy even if i had another future problem.

[Kincaid]

I understood that slotted rotors were good, but drilled was bad.I have Hawk brake pads on my Civic - I thought they were ceramic but they dust the wheels like a mofo.

[Water boy]

I have C-max on my van.One word.....DustyDustyDustyDustyDustyDustyInstalled new NAPA rotors as well.They are eaten up from wear.Don't know what was on the van before but the pads were clean and the rotors worn evenly and cleanly.Next time it is Hawk pads for me. A lot of auto forums highly recommend them.Slotted and/or drilled is only for the WOW factor when parked. Don't waste your money.My 4 cents

[jkm311]

Quote, originally posted by silverbullet »so just to have the rotors replaced was four hundred dollars.HOLY SMOKE! Rotors for $400?! Did you mean new calipers were $400? That must be 80% shop labor charges and 20% parts.Good rotors should only set you back $125-175 for the front pair. You can even go as low as $30, but don't chase those. Because, I agree that...Quote, originally posted by yyamad1 »Your life depends on these rotors... why save a few bucks?And as far as the fluid leaking, brake line pressure loss will cause your brakes to malfunction. I somewhat doubt the calipers themselves are failing at the very same time. Maybe the lines are in need of replacement, but I would also inspect the other components of the system (pump, lines, reservoir). Is the fluid leaking in one spot, or multiple? If multiple, check to see if it's pooling up anywhere (bottom engine cover, especially) and just dripping in multiple places because of that. Sounds like you were wise to back out of the shop taking care of this one, given the charges involved and the relative simplicity of our car's braking system. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[Cougar Vibe]

Conversely, I have C-Max pads on my Vibe.Two words.....Clean, QuietClean, QuietClean, QuietClean, QuietClean, QuietClean, QuietSeriously, I've had no problems w/the C-Max pads. The OEM pads were still good, but the noise & brake dust drove me nuts; the C-Max were relatively cheap and they have the lifetime warranty (so free pads next time!).Cougar Vibe

[silverbullet]

Err.. excuse me while I edit my post. Yes I meant calipers not rotors. Well Monday I think ill get a good chance to get in the garage and get a look underneath for myself.

[silverbullet]

ok i spent a couple hours reading all about drilled, slotted, and even learned about dimpled rotors i have never heard of before. it seems that there is no clear answer just lots and lots of contradicting opinions. some people have experienced cracked rotors after as little as two month of use. so thanks guys for getting me to take a second look at my plan. i mostly just hate the way rotors and calipers get so rusty it seems instantly. so im going to paint the calipers and the non contact areas of the rotors. my summer wheels are black with a silver lip, im thinking silver on the calipers and black on the rotors? sound good? just gotta make it happen i guess

[yyamad1]

Powder coating the calipers is the best way, but alot of work. even the hats, paint will eventually come off.. powder coat will resist much longer. Ive used drilled, after a year of street use, it didnt crack, I ran the car 90 Eclipse GSX (~350hp at the time) at a track, after one day it cracked, tossed it in the trash. For track I use dimpled and slotted 13 inch discs. Now they are good. as for the vibe, its my daily driver and never get abused, so I use a good quality plain rotors. Looked into getting a 11.65inch rotors like the 09 GT but they have different lug pattern. I found couple cars that came close in all the right dimensions but havent gotten around to it.. aftermarket Big brake kits are so expensive and seems too much for my daily driver. Getting stock rotors from another car that fit a Vibe, would be really nice, just need brackets to move the rotors out and its basically a PowerSlot Plus big brake kit... instead of 600 tho, I bet I can do it for less than 200... hard to find the rotors tho.

[Sublimewind]

Drilled/slotted rotors on your car are a waste of money.. Your car isn't a high performance car (sorry to break it to you) adding drilled/slotted rotors actually LESSENS your overall breaking performance.. Less overall swept surface area.. You'll never likely drive the car to the point that drilled/slotted becomes a benefit to you.. They are more prone to cracks as well, ESPECIALLY if they are not seasoned properly.. (with proper pad bedding)If you want to spend the money on looks, that's all you, but in terms of performance you aren't benefiting AT ALL..

[kowell]

My front pads are due to be changed and the discs aren't doing too good either and I've been shopping around for parts.Local parts shop is suggesting BPR pads with Freemax slotted discs for a reasonable price/quality ratio.I can find plenty of information on BPR and quite a few recommendations but I can't find anything on Freemax rotors. Even their website is minimalist at best... No part catalogue, no pictures, nada.Anybody ever heard of their products?

[vibedrivermatt]

hey I was gonna suggest trying to rebuild the front calipers instead of buying new fronts but I dont know how difficult that would be or if you'd need any special tools. I bet the rebuild kit itself is pretty cheap though.

[silverbullet]

actually i considered that I've bought rebuild kits in the past for like ten bucks. I'm sure i could have used it here but just easier to buy new ones and i have a lifetime warranty on the calipers and the pads now so if i have a problem again ill save the work again. seemed worth it to me. i should be getting this all wrapped up this weekend and ill have some extras going on as well so ill get pics up afterword. also even if my pads just wear out i wont have to buy new ones i can just get a new set under warranty

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by silverbullet »i mostly just hate the way rotors and calipers get so rusty it seems instantly. so im going to paint the calipers and the non contact areas of the rotors. my summer wheels are black with a silver lip, im thinking silver on the calipers and black on the rotors? sound good? just gotta make it happen i guessYou are going to paint the ROTORS?!?!?!!!???! One word for you...... DON'T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!There is no way to prevent rotor surface rust. IF you paint them you've just destroyed the braking ability of the front wheels with a coating of paint that will melt off and gum up the brake linings!Again, DO NOT PAINT THE ROTOR'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you don't like being able to see a rusty rotor (which is NOT rusty after the first application of the brakes after starting to drive) get wheels that don't show the rotors or calipers.Dave

[06pvibe]

I'm sure he was only referring to the rotor hats and possibly the edges.SB doesn't sound like a noob that would actually consider painting the rotor braking surface.I do have one suggestion for you though: Besides the anti-rust coating that usually comes on new parts, take the time to scratch the surface with sandpaper before painting them or the plating that usually exists on new/remanned parts, often zinc, will not allow the paint to stick for more than a few days of regular use.THEN get out the Brakleen and give them a thorough cleaning to get any grease, soap, dust, etc off before applying the paint.

[silverbullet]

Ha ha yea no paint on the surface where that is used by the pads. And thanks 06 that pretty much sounds like what I'm planning. I'm picking them up tomorrow and I'm sure it will come with some sorgt of coating but probly nothing that will last too long. Anyway it should all be done by Saturday night.

[silverbullet]

So it turns out the hole is stripped out on the left side caliper where the brake line goes. Yes on the new ones I just bought. So unfortunatly I will be without the vibe for a few more days at least. Its gonna take two days for my next special order replacment. And I know I did not do this. Just hand tightening it down I could feel it. You can add this most major set back to the list for this project. Lugs with messed up heads sockets would not stay on and everytime I need say two new lug nuts or two rotors autozone only ever had one of either in stock...... I just want my car back

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »There is no way to prevent rotor surface rust. IF you paint them you've just destroyed the braking ability of the front wheels with a coating of paint that will melt off and gum up the brake linings!Again, DO NOT PAINT THE ROTOR'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DaveReading comprehension... Quote »i mostly just hate the way rotors and calipers get so rusty it seems instantly. so im going to paint the calipers and the non contact areas of the rotors. my summer wheels are black with a silver lip, im thinking silver on the calipers and black on the rotors? sound good? just gotta make it happen i guess

[silverbullet]

hey sublime thanks for writing up that front brake tutorial. its one of those things i should not have had too much trouble figuring it out but its nice to have to have something to look at first, made things a little smoother. too bad you could not have helped with my part supply problems. i ended up just getting my left side from another supplier. now hopefully it will finally be done this weekend without anymore surprises

[Sublimewind]

Right on man, glad to be of service..!! And it's a breeze once you start.. have a 1/4-20 bolt on hand to pop the rotors off it they are stuck to the hub..

[silverbullet]

yea used that trick for the rear brakes came off real easy. fronts were fine. but i am having one problem.ive got everything together bled the brakes several times, just did the fronts since the rear didnt get opened. pedal feels good, firm and doesnt drop at all. but the brake warning light will not go off i dont get it. it doesnt need to be reset anyway correct? and yes the e brake is off. i checked that about twenty times too

[silverbullet]

figured it out and got everything done and my car finally back. the way to shut off the light is to get frustrated and go eat cookies. when you come back the light will be off. so glad to have the vibe back.

[06pvibe]

Well, there ya' go!!Every good mechanic and DIYer knows that the answer to everything is eating cookies, though some would say "beer"!! Now you know too, but its nothing we could divulge to you ahead of time. You have to learn that one on your own.HAHAHAHA!! Funny stuff, Man. Glad you were able to figure it out and get your car back.

[silverbullet]

Yea unfortunatly I am currently out of beer or that would have helped better. Found a couple mikes hard in the back of the fridge tho. Ha ha. I'm loving having it back now after all the troubles. One caliper is froma autozone and the other had to come from orielys. I should be able to get some pics for the garage once I get out of work later. I like it its a nice look but its suttle not being a bright color

[Caretaker]

I put Akebono ceramic pads and Centric brake rotors on the front of the Vibe today. My mechanice said they were both Japanese, and should be better than what was on there. Anyone ever heard of these?