U, son, have a ton to learn, but u keep changing YOUR oil @10,000 miles. I've been working on cars for DECADES. If u think we're wasting money/time, so be it. Oil IS the heartbeat of the ICE. I'm not even going to debate u, it's a waste of time. 🤡 @JuanMartinez-vf5hd
Don’t listen to Jaun Martinez comments. These guys are great I’ve been to there shop they teach young people to do professional work . Jaun Martinez is probably a wet back that swam over the Rio Grand
@@JuanMartinez-vf5hd what "ARE" you talking about, I follow these guys and they are on the money, I'm also a mechanic with 45 years expereince, 10 on BMW 10 on Porsche, nothing wrong with there 10k oil change video
Best of the best advice! My buddy who is a german mechanic, told me years ago: If you want a quality brake job, do it yourself! Many thanks for your stellar advice!
About 5 yrs ago I got brave enough to try to do a brake pad job myself on my Jag XKR. I watched a video on how to do it and all your tips were in that vid: use an S-clamp to hold the caliper, clean all debris, use a thin layer of grease on back of pad, break-in, etc. After my success with that, I had the confidence to do the brakes on my Enclave, Camry, Giulia....etc. Good to know I was well trained. 🙂
Definitely go check out Royalty’s brake job video. Best one on YT. Use the right lube in the right places. Go the extra mile to avoid come-backs. Grateful to Royalty that I watched it in prep for my 1st brake job. But wish the Professor had mentioned pad break-in in that video.
Followed your previous brake job video to do my own brakes for the first time recently, as a first time homeowner who finally has a garage to work in. Appreciate y’all taking the time to show how to do things right!
Rust belt warrior here! In my shop it's a must to needle scale the caliper bracket. Especially where the anti rattle clips go. We permatex green synthetic brake grease both sides of the clip. Always every time. Prevents rust from building up between and seizing brake pad. Great video and correct techniques
Started seating the pads while I was at the dealer and continue to do it at my shop. Usually do various speeds and not to a complete stop if I can avoid it. I always tell customers to avoid hard braking for 250 miles if they can. Some brake pad brands actually print the brake in process and mileage in the box. This is a very good video and advice. I totally agree that more techs need to follow these steps.
You have it good in the South. Those rotors coming off are less-rusty and cleaner than after we wire brush ours in the North. Love the content, intent, and perspective of your videos. Please continue to be yourself and genuine.
You are wrong for some Floridians. If you live near the ocean, especially within two blocks, we do get massive rust. My vehicles have rusted pretty badly. Both underneath the car and even all the body panels. The body panels rust from the inside out. Now I ceramic coat my vehicles 3 times a year and apply lanolin grease underneath the vehicles 2 or 3 times a year. The atomized salt in the air combined with humid are worse than road salt. Road salt can simply be washed off with the wheeled attachment that connects to pressure washer if people just did it once a week in winter.
@@hothmobile100- I don’t think you have much experience with road salt. There’s no “washing it off”. You can wash your car every day winter spring and summer, and that thing is still going to be a mass of cancerous rust in 10 years. Just no avoiding it. And it’s not just a little surface rust, it’s frame and suspension rot.
Stumbled across your channel. Some of the best, most direct, no BS, we emphasize quality car care videos I've seen. Much appreciate the real world pad break in process. Not everyone can make 30 random 30-5 or 50-20, etc stops in real world traffic with real world stop signs and lights without serious risk of something bad happening.
Great video. I'm living in Denmark, part of the rustbelt, and it's very important to put some kind of grease under the shims here, to try to prevent the rust buildup under the shims. Likewise I will use very little amount of grease or fluid film on the hub where the rotor sits against, which is not done from the factory, but If I don't do that I will have a very hard time removing the rotor again. That's the "beauty" of living in the rustbelt.
so I'm a technician originally from upstate NY, so hardcore salt country. we were in a small town, so lots of repeat customers and we got our brake jobs to last alot longer by little improvements here and there. we made cleaning the saddles faster and better by using a sandblaster like you mentioned and in rust country we did see a small improvement by putting a thin layer of brake lube in the saddle under the clips. this worked well because it kept the rust from forming for many months keeping the pads free in the saddle. the key here is we used a thin layer of brake lube and not anti seize which would be too thick on most cars. and we also always lubed the slide pins and on top of the clips where the pad slides which kept the rust from forming on those and kept everything moving freely. 2 things I will mention that were not in the video and might only apply to rust country, is we had to inform our customers with disc rear brakes that they needed to perform 1 hard stop from 50 or 60mph to 10 to 30mph once a week and that cleans the rust off the rear rotors allowing the brakes to last significantly longer and we had to stop using the purple ceramic brake lube. we started using the ceramic brake lube when it first came out and about 6 months later we started having come backs and the problems were all the same. the pads were sticking in the saddles we could see the purple brake lube was dried up and hardened sticking the pads so they couldn't slide free. I'm not sure if this only applies to rust country but we had to stop using that lube and the come backs stopped.
For the most part all the tips you mentioned was how i was taught. The way i was taught in seating the brake pads in was to get up to about 35-40MPH and brake moderately down to about 5-10MPH and do that about 5 times. Something that i have learned doing brakes which i dont believe was mention is not to use Antiseize for the slides pins they don't allow the pins to move as free as they should and results in the pads wearing abnormal or wear faster then they should. Another tip i was taught from a guy i worked for is to try and save the old clips due to them being made better and machined better. If they are to damaged then replace them.
I really like all your videos. You’re very informative, and articulate about how things are supposed to be. And how things should be. I started watching your videos , when I saw what happened to the bmw, that you guys had a problem with, and it came back and you took responsibility for a mistake and got it done at your own cost. Not many shops do that. And don’t admit their mistakes. Keep up the good work and love your videos
I'm 71 now, & I took auto shop in HS & attended GM Chevrolet Division back in the 70's. I've learned the hard way & have perfected over the years. There are few great sites like this. Even I WATCH these. U can never learn too much. Good for u! 👍
Been using bungees but need to check out this s hook thing. Great video been doing my own brakes for longer than I can remember, I do not want to mess my brakes
Completely agree with the lubrication of the caliper, I live in UK, lots of rust, I put silicone grease under the brake hardware and also on the tips of the pads. No issues with binding or clogging up, also watched a video from ATE, their factory advises this
this is where/when i learned just how important a proper pad bedding actually was. i never let any brake job go without at least a 15~20 minute test drive, even just a pad hang. this was back in the late 80s or early 90s. i had a mushy petal after a brake job. when it came in it had a sticking caliper and leaking wheel cylinders, so it got both calipers, wheel cylinders and all 3 hoses. Wagner MX pads and riveted shoes. new rotors and turned drums. i never got it to do it, but customer said once at a light the brake petal dropped after a few seconds sitting so a new master cylinder too. the job went fine with nothing unexpected happening, until it got bled. i could not get a good solid petal. it was like it had a big slug of air stuck in it. and yeah, i had arc ground the shoes. i spent more time bleeding than i did on the entire rest of the brake job. i normally used a pressure bleeder that held about 2~2.5 gallons, so it was a one man job. i only ever used DOT 4 fluid. after every time you released the petal, you had to pump it backup to get a decent petal. the first hit was a state safety inspection fail. the first hit the petal was less than an inch off the floor. pressure bleed didn't work, so i did the 2 man pump it up bled. after going thru at least 2 gallons of fluid, i clamped the hoses to find where the air was at. with everything clamped off, the petal was rock hard. you unclamp any one thing and the petal got spongy, it was a lot worse with both fronts than the back. thinking maybe a bad hose, i put one of the guys in the truck and while watching the hoses, had him push hard on the petal, the hoses were good. then closely watching the pads, i released the clamp on a caliper and watched the pads,.. compress,.. a LOT. both sides was doing it, and im pretty sure the rear shoes were too. i swapped out the front pads 2 times with no improvement. then a third time i tried some old used pads and got a good petal. i spent time on the phone with Wagner tech, they had nothing that helped. after having it 3 days, the guy needed his truck back and i finally decided there was nothing else to do but drive it and see what happens. i went to my secluded test drive road and started the bedding. the petal slowly got better. i was there almost 2 hours. when i gave it back, i still wasn't happy with the petal and let the guy know to take it easy if he could. a few weeks later he came back with about 2000 miles on it, and with a high & rock hard brake petal. i had done plenty of brakes on cars with 4 wheel drums, some without power brakes so i knew the shoes had to match the drums pretty good or you had a bad petal, front drums need to match side to side or you get a brake pull. but this was my first brake job on such a basic vehicle with front disc brakes. manual brakes do not move much fluid so it doesn't take much to kill the brake petal. the vehicle, it was a 1984 or 85 chevy pickup, no air conditioning, no radio, 3 on the tree, inline 6, no power steering, and no power brakes. the heater was either windshield or the floor, no dash vents. it did have kick panel vents. i forget the make, i had one from "another shop" that the anti rattle retainer/spring on the back of the inside pad was pushing the piston back in. that car could have either the phenolic or steel piston calipers. the retainer/spring was attached to the pad so the pads were different part numbers. he had phenolic pistons with pads made for steel pistons. i actually think he had done the pad swap and was trying to not look bad.
Great video Sherwood! As a DIY’r, learned most of my auto skills on my own, long before UA-cam. Learned about “bedding in“ brake pads 20 years ago. Excellent note on doing so after completing a brake job. Please add an explanation about doing the same on a new auto. Nobody ever addresses this scenario. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Nice. I also remove and clean slide pins and clean bores out with brakleen and compressed air. Then, reinstall with fresh grease. You can also put a little grease under the shims to prevent rust jacking.
Great rules for brake jobs. Im always a bit jealous watching you all work on rust free cars. Sometimes, I have to change out the caliper brackets when they rust jack so bad that the files won't work.
Thank you SO much for this video, Sherwood. I have been cleaning and servicing brakes the same way and in the same spots you show in this video, and I always perform a good road test afterward. I have lost count of the number of times bosses (including my current one) have told me that I "don't need to be so thorough with my brake services". Thanks for giving me hope that there are still techs and shops out there doing it right and caring about their work 👊.
Another great video, as I’ve remarked on South Main auto. I’m a semi retired although not retired enough Mechanic bordering on 47 years. I’ve done all this stuff before. I don’t know why it’s been all this time watching it, except you and Eric are very personable, and I just seem to like your philosophy. By the way, that’s pretty much how I’ve always done my break jobs, lubing pins for sure I use a little more grease on the back of the pads and you do and I at least get around the center of the hub where the rotor sits to get that rust off. I then treated with a swipe of either anti seize or caliper grease. But I can fast. I don’t spend a lot of time on the entire knuckle area. Anyway, cheers. I wish you all the best.
Glad to see these advice videos. They have helped me do the brakes recently on my wife's car. The originals lasted 70k miles and I'm confident with the right process the new ones will last just as long.
Just did my own rear brakes a rotors after watching another one of your videos. All the little details matter, installed my own brakes/rotors without any issues afterwards.
Sherwood, thank you for verifying I'm not crazy. I'm just a driveway DIY'er, but I clean all this stuff, wire brush, etc., on my vehicles. It takes me a long time to do a brake job, but I know it's done right. I try to put my vehicles back like they came off the line...
Great respect. The requisite Blue Heeler in the background brings it home. I learned many years ago to clean and grease the grooves after hammering loose pads on a F100 that had been put up dry. My 2006 Highlander was built with no grease, which caused me to replace a bunch of pins and brackets at low mileage. The car is reaching 200K without a lube related failure. I use hi-temp silicone grease behind the shims. I live in a high corrosion area of Ohio.
I've always wondered about the S hook part. Great idea. The break in piece on the pads was good to know too. Lots of good bits of knowledge, thank you.
Well done/great advice. Im 71 & have been doing my brakes for decades. I live in the rust belt of PA & I just started lubing the back of the clips. I had ALWAYS done like u do. So now, I put a coat in front AND behind. A SUPER thin coat behind & a thin coat where they ride. Mechanics say, lube attracts dirt. I agree, but mostly rust also. And pins? I totally agree with u. As expensive vehicles & parts, not worth shortcuts. But most of all, SAFETY. 👍
The tip on breaking in the break pads was not something I've seen despite watching many videos on brake jobs (prior to attempting my first DIY brake job). Great tip!
It's a real pleasure to hear you giving these basic advice ! With the years I passed in mechanics, I know more than ever that I will have to learn about new tech. But all fine knowledge can not avoid basic principles! Wish you all the best! 🤙
On BMW, not sure about other makes, but BMW wants their Brake Pads put on their anti rattle shims Dry, But I do add it in between the Caliper bracket and the anti rattle shim. Great tips and tricks video on brake jobs!
I can say with certainty that cleaning the areas he’s referring to are critical for smooth braking, pedal pulsation, rotor warping etc. I cleaned everything like you recommended on this video. Turns out everything he’s saying is right. By far the best break job I’ve ever done on my 2000 GMC Sierra with 353k miles thank you.
I like to clean with brass brush and brake clean, good video thanks! Burnishing the pads into the rotor is something that should NEVER be left for the customer to finish. Especially when you do the job for family. And i have the perfect brake-in road just north of me. Your instructions are spot-on. I explained it to my granddaughter the last time she got a brake job done and you would think i had 2 heads. I said go with your grandmother and get lunch , I’ll take your car 1 hour later i was happy with the job i did and she has been driving the car for a year with no issues. With the brakes!
Excellent advice! Everything you stated is totally accurate. Honestly, I don't think that I've ever burnished the brakes in 30 times though. I probably do more like 10 times and just take it easy on them for a while...no hard stops if it can be avoided.
Whaoo 😅 y his is a really good video about how to take your time and do a better job. I am not a mechanic, but after watching your videos, I feel like I just wanted to go to the garage to apply all the good stuffs learned from your videos. Thanks for sharing all good knowledge and motivating real mechanics to do a better job. God bless you and your team. Please continuo doing the great job.
Love the video. I definitely put grease under the hardware in the salt belt area. Rust builds up under and freeze that pad in between. I put it under and on top of the hardware, behind the pads and a bit on the ends of the pad too. It helps prevent rust, we have no choice here. I live in Quebec, Canada and i clean and lube my front and rear brakes every time i change tires so twice a year and it definitely increase life of my rotors and pads for sure. I have 3 vehicles. Keep up the channel it's great thank you.
Love the fact the you guys use Zimmerman rotors and textar pads. I've had great experience w/them on my 17 AUdi Q7.Textars may put a lot of dirt on rims, but I found them good at stopping and no squeals(even at -40 temps) compared to the factory pads from Audi.
I got these orange nite ize twist tie type of things that idk are maybe 8 or 10in long and they work great for holding up calipers or pulling harnesses out of the way etc.
Great video. Brake bedding is always a curious procedure for me. I was taught that you’re supposed to do the procedure similar to what you stated but not to let the brakes cool in between. I’m always looking to improve.
One thing I would add is use a non contact thermometer with laser to check average brake rotor temps. The more you use it on the rotor face the better you will understand what is normal and what is not. We have found many problems using this method at the end of the test drive/break-in.
Sprayed the bracket down with vinegar and used a screwdriver and fine sandpaper to clean the guides until the were shining bright, then used ceramic greas on the guides and the ears of the brakepad aswell as the backingplate, cleaning and dressing the rubber boot of the piston also helps against grime getting to the piston
Recently discovered your channel. I used to do all my own work and enjoyed it. I don’t do much any more - cars are too complicated and you need more specialized tools and diagnostic equipment. I’m in North Texas and have run into a frustrating issue. I have an airbag warning light on. 2018 Mustang. Over the last several months I’ve repeatedly been to three separate Ford dealerships for service. The response is always been the same, “Leave the car here, we will service the car in the order in which it has been left with us - no appointments” Typical wait two to ten days! The service manager’s explication - Sorry we just don’t have qualified technicians!!!! My car is under Ford extended warranty, which is great - But I can’t get service 🤔
I began greasing under the hardware when I worked up on Long Island, so even though I'm in Florida I still like to grease under the hardware, sparingly to reduce rust and corrosion under the hardware. I also see some over grease the pins causing a hydraulic effect that springs the pins outward. Also brake cleaning new or machined rotors before installing to remove anti corrosion coatings or machining dust. Seating pads is HUGE, first few applications the brakes aren't very effective until seated in. Don't send someone down the road in that condition. Thanks for the video!.
Great tips, thank you. I used to grease the anti rattle clips on the pad side, but I don't any more. They have such a small point of contact with the pad ears and they collect dirt. I live in the rust belt and always grease on the back side of the anti rattle clips.
Very well laid out video informative I always enjoy watching every video and can't wait to enter that contest I could use a good win of nice mechanics stuff I've been going through a lot at least I can watch your videos thank you and God bless you all
Loved your video, one thing I think you missed is... clean your rotors before you install them. Brand new rotors have oil all over them to prevent rusting. Alot of people don't clean them and all that oil transfers to the pads. Keeps up the good work and thanks for sharing your work @
Only time I did a brake job on a car ( front only ) I think I semi cooked the front brakes. Saw I guess smoke coming off the front pulled over to let them cool down. I was bedding them in too. Oh well. It was city traffic with a lot of lights and stop signs but late at night. I think now I was lucky because it was a stick and I always engage the e-brake like I was taught and is legally required when at a stop in the UK. Brakes worked fine for many miles after that. It was a while ago so my memory isn't perfect about it. 30 times shouldn't be that hard in a city especially one with the classic grid system using the e-brake obviously and late at night too in the wealthier areas with much less traffic. Great video btw and thanks for the links to the products as I will most likely have one or two 4 wheeled vehicles to do soon.
I have been using the steps you outlined. I use the brake parts manufacturers website on their recommended procedures including the application of recommended lube and burnishing procedures. I use Wagner's website. Working on vehicles that are used in heavy duty applications like police cars, emergency vehicles, Dail-A-Ride, and Transit Bus services require attention to the correct practices in brake maintenance to ensure safe and long life of braking systems
This is a fine example of professionals being professional, because they care. Love it.
yes this is great if you have all the time in the world, but reality does not work like that.
This is why I'm subscribed, no screwing around with "wait till the end" from start to finish all great, no bait and switch, no crap, txs guys !
U are subscribed to some random clowns not real mechanics. Go check out 10k miles oil change. Its bad.
U, son, have a ton to learn, but u keep changing YOUR oil @10,000 miles. I've been working on cars for DECADES. If u think we're wasting money/time, so be it. Oil IS the heartbeat of the ICE. I'm not even going to debate u, it's a waste of time. 🤡 @JuanMartinez-vf5hd
Don’t listen to Jaun Martinez comments. These guys are great I’ve been to there shop they teach young people to do professional work . Jaun Martinez is probably a wet back that swam over the Rio Grand
@@JuanMartinez-vf5hd what "ARE" you talking about, I follow these guys and they are on the money, I'm also a mechanic with 45 years expereince, 10 on BMW 10 on Porsche, nothing wrong with there 10k oil change video
Best of the best advice! My buddy who is a german mechanic, told me years ago: If you want a quality brake job, do it yourself! Many thanks for your stellar advice!
About 5 yrs ago I got brave enough to try to do a brake pad job myself on my Jag XKR. I watched a video on how to do it and all your tips were in that vid: use an S-clamp to hold the caliper, clean all debris, use a thin layer of grease on back of pad, break-in, etc. After my success with that, I had the confidence to do the brakes on my Enclave, Camry, Giulia....etc. Good to know I was well trained. 🙂
Definitely go check out Royalty’s brake job video. Best one on YT. Use the right lube in the right places. Go the extra mile to avoid come-backs. Grateful to Royalty that I watched it in prep for my 1st brake job. But wish the Professor had mentioned pad break-in in that video.
True! The only thing that was missing
Key words right in the title :Take pride in your work. Do it right, do it once. Always great work guys!
Followed your previous brake job video to do my own brakes for the first time recently, as a first time homeowner who finally has a garage to work in. Appreciate y’all taking the time to show how to do things right!
Good for you for trying it yourself!🍻
Rust belt warrior here! In my shop it's a must to needle scale the caliper bracket. Especially where the anti rattle clips go. We permatex green synthetic brake grease both sides of the clip. Always every time. Prevents rust from building up between and seizing brake pad. Great video and correct techniques
Started seating the pads while I was at the dealer and continue to do it at my shop. Usually do various speeds and not to a complete stop if I can avoid it. I always tell customers to avoid hard braking for 250 miles if they can. Some brake pad brands actually print the brake in process and mileage in the box. This is a very good video and advice. I totally agree that more techs need to follow these steps.
You have it good in the South. Those rotors coming off are less-rusty and cleaner than after we wire brush ours in the North. Love the content, intent, and perspective of your videos. Please continue to be yourself and genuine.
You are wrong for some Floridians. If you live near the ocean, especially within two blocks, we do get massive rust. My vehicles have rusted pretty badly. Both underneath the car and even all the body panels. The body panels rust from the inside out. Now I ceramic coat my vehicles 3 times a year and apply lanolin grease underneath the vehicles 2 or 3 times a year. The atomized salt in the air combined with humid are worse than road salt. Road salt can simply be washed off with the wheeled attachment that connects to pressure washer if people just did it once a week in winter.
@@hothmobile100- I don’t think you have much experience with road salt. There’s no “washing it off”. You can wash your car every day winter spring and summer, and that thing is still going to be a mass of cancerous rust in 10 years. Just no avoiding it. And it’s not just a little surface rust, it’s frame and suspension rot.
Stumbled across your channel. Some of the best, most direct, no BS, we emphasize quality car care videos I've seen. Much appreciate the real world pad break in process. Not everyone can make 30 random 30-5 or 50-20, etc stops in real world traffic with real world stop signs and lights without serious risk of something bad happening.
Great advice. The only thing you forgot is to torque the lug nuts. That's the number one reason the brakes pulsate. Thank you
Great video. I'm living in Denmark, part of the rustbelt, and it's very important to put some kind of grease under the shims here, to try to prevent the rust buildup under the shims. Likewise I will use very little amount of grease or fluid film on the hub where the rotor sits against, which is not done from the factory, but If I don't do that I will have a very hard time removing the rotor again. That's the "beauty" of living in the rustbelt.
so I'm a technician originally from upstate NY, so hardcore salt country. we were in a small town, so lots of repeat customers and we got our brake jobs to last alot longer by little improvements here and there. we made cleaning the saddles faster and better by using a sandblaster like you mentioned and in rust country we did see a small improvement by putting a thin layer of brake lube in the saddle under the clips. this worked well because it kept the rust from forming for many months keeping the pads free in the saddle. the key here is we used a thin layer of brake lube and not anti seize which would be too thick on most cars. and we also always lubed the slide pins and on top of the clips where the pad slides which kept the rust from forming on those and kept everything moving freely. 2 things I will mention that were not in the video and might only apply to rust country, is we had to inform our customers with disc rear brakes that they needed to perform 1 hard stop from 50 or 60mph to 10 to 30mph once a week and that cleans the rust off the rear rotors allowing the brakes to last significantly longer and we had to stop using the purple ceramic brake lube. we started using the ceramic brake lube when it first came out and about 6 months later we started having come backs and the problems were all the same. the pads were sticking in the saddles we could see the purple brake lube was dried up and hardened sticking the pads so they couldn't slide free. I'm not sure if this only applies to rust country but we had to stop using that lube and the come backs stopped.
For the most part all the tips you mentioned was how i was taught. The way i was taught in seating the brake pads in was to get up to about 35-40MPH and brake moderately down to about 5-10MPH and do that about 5 times. Something that i have learned doing brakes which i dont believe was mention is not to use Antiseize for the slides pins they don't allow the pins to move as free as they should and results in the pads wearing abnormal or wear faster then they should. Another tip i was taught from a guy i worked for is to try and save the old clips due to them being made better and machined better. If they are to damaged then replace them.
Always happy to see Sherwood in my feed.
Your high quality videos are much appreciated. Please keep them coming!
I really like all your videos. You’re very informative, and articulate about how things are supposed to be. And how things should be. I started watching your videos , when I saw what happened to the bmw, that you guys had a problem with, and it came back and you took responsibility for a mistake and got it done at your own cost. Not many shops do that. And don’t admit their mistakes. Keep up the good work and love your videos
Thanks, very detailed. Back in my day their never was a boss that would teach any of this
I'm 71 now, & I took auto shop in HS & attended GM Chevrolet Division back in the 70's. I've learned the hard way & have perfected over the years. There are few great sites like this. Even I WATCH these. U can never learn too much. Good for u! 👍
U need to get Snoop Dog to advertise this. "sticky icky icky"😂🤣 And I'm a senior white guy! 😁
Great reminders!
I’ve had very good luck adding a little grease to the brake pad hardware
Been using bungees but need to check out this s hook thing. Great video been doing my own brakes for longer than I can remember, I do not want to mess my brakes
Great advices, i would add to be careful what kind of grease people use. Don't use grease that will swell rubber brake parts.
Completely agree with the lubrication of the caliper, I live in UK, lots of rust, I put silicone grease under the brake hardware and also on the tips of the pads. No issues with binding or clogging up, also watched a video from ATE, their factory advises this
this is where/when i learned just how important a proper pad bedding actually was.
i never let any brake job go without at least a 15~20 minute test drive, even just a pad hang.
this was back in the late 80s or early 90s.
i had a mushy petal after a brake job. when it came in it had a sticking caliper and leaking wheel cylinders, so it got both calipers, wheel cylinders and all 3 hoses. Wagner MX pads and riveted shoes. new rotors and turned drums. i never got it to do it, but customer said once at a light the brake petal dropped after a few seconds sitting so a new master cylinder too.
the job went fine with nothing unexpected happening, until it got bled. i could not get a good solid petal. it was like it had a big slug of air stuck in it. and yeah, i had arc ground the shoes. i spent more time bleeding than i did on the entire rest of the brake job.
i normally used a pressure bleeder that held about 2~2.5 gallons, so it was a one man job. i only ever used DOT 4 fluid.
after every time you released the petal, you had to pump it backup to get a decent petal. the first hit was a state safety inspection fail. the first hit the petal was less than an inch off the floor. pressure bleed didn't work, so i did the 2 man pump it up bled.
after going thru at least 2 gallons of fluid, i clamped the hoses to find where the air was at. with everything clamped off, the petal was rock hard. you unclamp any one thing and the petal got spongy, it was a lot worse with both fronts than the back.
thinking maybe a bad hose, i put one of the guys in the truck and while watching the hoses, had him push hard on the petal, the hoses were good. then closely watching the pads, i released the clamp on a caliper and watched the pads,.. compress,.. a LOT. both sides was doing it, and im pretty sure the rear shoes were too. i swapped out the front pads 2 times with no improvement. then a third time i tried some old used pads and got a good petal.
i spent time on the phone with Wagner tech, they had nothing that helped.
after having it 3 days, the guy needed his truck back and i finally decided there was nothing else to do but drive it and see what happens.
i went to my secluded test drive road and started the bedding. the petal slowly got better. i was there almost 2 hours.
when i gave it back, i still wasn't happy with the petal and let the guy know to take it easy if he could.
a few weeks later he came back with about 2000 miles on it, and with a high & rock hard brake petal.
i had done plenty of brakes on cars with 4 wheel drums, some without power brakes so i knew the shoes had to match the drums pretty good or you had a bad petal, front drums need to match side to side or you get a brake pull.
but this was my first brake job on such a basic vehicle with front disc brakes.
manual brakes do not move much fluid so it doesn't take much to kill the brake petal.
the vehicle, it was a 1984 or 85 chevy pickup, no air conditioning, no radio, 3 on the tree, inline 6, no power steering, and no power brakes.
the heater was either windshield or the floor, no dash vents. it did have kick panel vents.
i forget the make, i had one from "another shop" that the anti rattle retainer/spring on the back of the inside pad was pushing the piston back in. that car could have either the phenolic or steel piston calipers. the retainer/spring was attached to the pad so the pads were different part numbers. he had phenolic pistons with pads made for steel pistons.
i actually think he had done the pad swap and was trying to not look bad.
Great video Sherwood! As a DIY’r, learned most of my auto skills on my own, long before UA-cam. Learned about “bedding in“ brake pads 20 years ago. Excellent note on doing so after completing a brake job. Please add an explanation about doing the same on a new auto. Nobody ever addresses this scenario. Thanks and keep up the great work!
great information.
Nice. I also remove and clean slide pins and clean bores out with brakleen and compressed air. Then, reinstall with fresh grease. You can also put a little grease under the shims to prevent rust jacking.
Great rules for brake jobs. Im always a bit jealous watching you all work on rust free cars. Sometimes, I have to change out the caliper brackets when they rust jack so bad that the files won't work.
Finally somebody's tells it like it should be done. I do paint the caliper ears lightly but we are in the rust belt. Great video man!!! 👍🏻
Thank you SO much for this video, Sherwood. I have been cleaning and servicing brakes the same way and in the same spots you show in this video, and I always perform a good road test afterward. I have lost count of the number of times bosses (including my current one) have told me that I "don't need to be so thorough with my brake services".
Thanks for giving me hope that there are still techs and shops out there doing it right and caring about their work 👊.
Very well done.
That is the correct way to service a brake system, always good to see quality work.🇦🇺
Thank you 👍 shade tree mechanic here from Texas. Love your guys content 💯
Great information! I was taught that cleanliness was the key to a good brake job. Thanks for explaining burnishing in the breaks
Another great video, as I’ve remarked on South Main auto. I’m a semi retired although not retired enough Mechanic bordering on 47 years. I’ve done all this stuff before. I don’t know why it’s been all this time watching it, except you and Eric are very personable, and I just seem to like your philosophy. By the way, that’s pretty much how I’ve always done my break jobs, lubing pins for sure I use a little more grease on the back of the pads and you do and I at least get around the center of the hub where the rotor sits to get that rust off. I then treated with a swipe of either anti seize or caliper grease. But I can fast. I don’t spend a lot of time on the entire knuckle area. Anyway, cheers. I wish you all the best.
Glad to see these advice videos. They have helped me do the brakes recently on my wife's car. The originals lasted 70k miles and I'm confident with the right process the new ones will last just as long.
Yes good video Sherwood Living in the city it’s 30 30 30 great advice CHEERS
Awsome . That’s the way to do a brake job .
You are correct about breaking in the disc brake pad
Great information. Thank you!
Just did my own rear brakes a rotors after watching another one of your videos. All the little details matter, installed my own brakes/rotors without any issues afterwards.
Sherwood, thank you for verifying I'm not crazy. I'm just a driveway DIY'er, but I clean all this stuff, wire brush, etc., on my vehicles. It takes me a long time to do a brake job, but I know it's done right. I try to put my vehicles back like they came off the line...
Great advice on the break in process
Some great tips for doing a proper disc brake job. Thanks
Great respect. The requisite Blue Heeler in the background brings it home. I learned many years ago to clean and grease the grooves after hammering loose pads on a F100 that had been put up dry. My 2006 Highlander was built with no grease, which caused me to replace a bunch of pins and brackets at low mileage. The car is reaching 200K without a lube related failure. I use hi-temp silicone grease behind the shims. I live in a high corrosion area of Ohio.
Congratulations Sherwood and the team for reaching 100 k subscribers. Keep up the excellent work!
I've always wondered about the S hook part. Great idea. The break in piece on the pads was good to know too. Lots of good bits of knowledge, thank you.
love their videos, thanks!
You can have pride when you are at your level, some people have to hustle and they put the most pride they can into it, but it is what it is
Thank you for these videos, the information you provide is helpful.
Well done/great advice. Im 71 & have been doing my brakes for decades. I live in the rust belt of PA & I just started lubing the back of the clips. I had ALWAYS done like u do. So now, I put a coat in front AND behind. A SUPER thin coat behind & a thin coat where they ride. Mechanics say, lube attracts dirt. I agree, but mostly rust also. And pins? I totally agree with u. As expensive vehicles & parts, not worth shortcuts. But most of all, SAFETY. 👍
All great advice!
Been doing break jobs exactly the same way you described in central florida for 15yr and never had a single complaint or problem doing it this way.
The tip on breaking in the break pads was not something I've seen despite watching many videos on brake jobs (prior to attempting my first DIY brake job). Great tip!
It's a real pleasure to hear you giving these basic advice !
With the years I passed in mechanics, I know more than ever that I will have to learn about new tech.
But all fine knowledge can not avoid basic principles!
Wish you all the best! 🤙
Very clean looking shop !
On BMW, not sure about other makes, but BMW wants their Brake Pads put on their anti rattle shims Dry, But I do add it in between the Caliper bracket and the anti rattle shim. Great tips and tricks video on brake jobs!
LOL doggo showing how it needs to be clean
I can say with certainty that cleaning the areas he’s referring to are critical for smooth braking, pedal pulsation, rotor warping etc. I cleaned everything like you recommended on this video. Turns out everything he’s saying is right. By far the best break job I’ve ever done on my 2000 GMC Sierra with 353k miles thank you.
353k! Nice brutha!!
Thank you for the great video. So down to earth
Very informative video. Thanks again.
I appreciate your information. You have a lot of great advice.
I like to clean with brass brush and brake clean, good video thanks! Burnishing the pads into the rotor is something that should NEVER be left for the customer to finish. Especially when you do the job for family. And i have the perfect brake-in road just north of me. Your instructions are spot-on. I explained it to my granddaughter the last time she got a brake job done and you would think i had 2 heads. I said go with your grandmother and get lunch , I’ll take your car 1 hour later i was happy with the job i did and she has been driving the car for a year with no issues. With the brakes!
I like these guys
Great information as always!
Live the growth of this channel you deserve it and I would’ve loved you as a teacher at my school :)
Excellent advice! Everything you stated is totally accurate. Honestly, I don't think that I've ever burnished the brakes in 30 times though. I probably do more like 10 times and just take it easy on them for a while...no hard stops if it can be avoided.
Whaoo 😅 y his is a really good video about how to take your time and do a better job. I am not a mechanic, but after watching your videos, I feel like I just wanted to go to the garage to apply all the good stuffs learned from your videos. Thanks for sharing all good knowledge and motivating real mechanics to do a better job. God bless you and your team. Please continuo doing the great job.
I love you. Real love. MAN LOVE
Thank you sir.
Also how seriously clean you, your guys, and your shop are is like crack to the eyes
I really like your teaching style and attention to detail! Subscribed!!
Love the video. I definitely put grease under the hardware in the salt belt area. Rust builds up under and freeze that pad in between. I put it under and on top of the hardware, behind the pads and a bit on the ends of the pad too. It helps prevent rust, we have no choice here. I live in Quebec, Canada and i clean and lube my front and rear brakes every time i change tires so twice a year and it definitely increase life of my rotors and pads for sure. I have 3 vehicles. Keep up the channel it's great thank you.
Excellent! Love your beyond reproach standards.
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Thanki you for making this video. Very good Teaching Skills
thank you
Love the fact the you guys use Zimmerman rotors and textar pads. I've had great experience w/them on my 17 AUdi Q7.Textars may put a lot of dirt on rims, but I found them good at stopping and no squeals(even at -40 temps) compared to the factory pads from Audi.
I got these orange nite ize twist tie type of things that idk are maybe 8 or 10in long and they work great for holding up calipers or pulling harnesses out of the way etc.
Great video. Brake bedding is always a curious procedure for me. I was taught that you’re supposed to do the procedure similar to what you stated but not to let the brakes cool in between. I’m always looking to improve.
One thing I would add is use a non contact thermometer with laser to check average brake rotor temps. The more you use it on the rotor face the better you will understand what is normal and what is not. We have found many problems using this method at the end of the test drive/break-in.
I do this, tremendously helpful for diagnosing sticking or weak brakes from air in caliper
great video the points you pointed out are very important
Sprayed the bracket down with vinegar and used a screwdriver and fine sandpaper to clean the guides until the were shining bright, then used ceramic greas on the guides and the ears of the brakepad aswell as the backingplate, cleaning and dressing the rubber boot of the piston also helps against grime getting to the piston
Recently discovered your channel. I used to do all my own work and enjoyed it. I don’t do much any more - cars are too complicated and you need more specialized tools and diagnostic equipment. I’m in North Texas and have run into a frustrating issue. I have an airbag warning light on. 2018 Mustang. Over the last several months I’ve repeatedly been to three separate Ford dealerships for service. The response is always been the same, “Leave the car here, we will service the car in the order in which it has been left with us - no appointments” Typical wait two to ten days! The service manager’s explication - Sorry we just don’t have qualified technicians!!!! My car is under Ford extended warranty, which is great - But I can’t get service 🤔
Loved the video, thanks!
As a young technician I surely learned something 🫡
Great channel. Keep up the good work.
Awesome channel.
Watching from Alberta Canada
Congratulations on your reaching 100,000 subscribers!.
How great new to me, 30 30 30 rule thx bro, from Belgium, Bob
I began greasing under the hardware when I worked up on Long Island, so even though I'm in Florida I still like to grease under the hardware, sparingly to reduce rust and corrosion under the hardware.
I also see some over grease the pins causing a hydraulic effect that springs the pins outward.
Also brake cleaning new or machined rotors before installing to remove anti corrosion coatings or machining dust.
Seating pads is HUGE, first few applications the brakes aren't very effective until seated in. Don't send someone down the road in that condition.
Thanks for the video!.
Thanks, Jimmy. I knew you were from LI by your accent. I'm subscribed to you as well. All great info.
Great tips, thank you. I used to grease the anti rattle clips on the pad side, but I don't any more. They have such a small point of contact with the pad ears and they collect dirt. I live in the rust belt and always grease on the back side of the anti rattle clips.
Very well laid out video informative I always enjoy watching every video and can't wait to enter that contest I could use a good win of nice mechanics stuff I've been going through a lot at least I can watch your videos thank you and God bless you all
Loved your video, one thing I think you missed is... clean your rotors before you install them. Brand new rotors have oil all over them to prevent rusting. Alot of people don't clean them and all that oil transfers to the pads. Keeps up the good work and thanks for sharing your work @
break in is something that took me 30 years to figure out. That can make a huge difference in the pedal feel over the life of the breaks.
This was a great video. Very good info
Another great video. 👍🏼
Only time I did a brake job on a car ( front only ) I think I semi cooked the front brakes.
Saw I guess smoke coming off the front pulled over to let them cool down. I was bedding them in too. Oh well. It was city traffic with a lot of lights and stop signs but late at night.
I think now I was lucky because it was a stick and I always engage the e-brake like I was taught and is legally required when at a stop in the UK. Brakes worked fine for many miles after that.
It was a while ago so my memory isn't perfect about it.
30 times shouldn't be that hard in a city especially one with the classic grid system using the e-brake obviously and late at night too in the wealthier areas with much less traffic.
Great video btw and thanks for the links to the products as I will most likely have one or two 4 wheeled vehicles to do soon.
Good examples!
I have been using the steps you outlined. I use the brake parts manufacturers website on their recommended procedures including the application of recommended lube and burnishing procedures. I use Wagner's website. Working on vehicles that are used in heavy duty applications like police cars, emergency vehicles, Dail-A-Ride, and Transit Bus services require attention to the correct practices in brake maintenance to ensure safe and long life of braking systems
Thank you that was so helpful. 🙏