My brake job.

[silver]

Well i thought i would have a go installing the Bendix 4WD front brake pads i got off Gumtree for $42.50.
I was a bit nervous about doing it as i have never done this but figured the worst that could happen was i would have to get a mobile mechanic to come and fix it up if i botched it.
I bought some Permatex Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube in sachets from Superchina for $11.95 the other day (i joined the Superchina club online for $5.00 which gave you $10 off the first order).
I read a few things here and watched a few Youtube clips and got to work.
WELL....bugger me if that's not a simple job!!!!
I didn't do anything complicated...just had a look at the disc,which was fine,only undid the bottom nut and checked the slide was moving freely and pulled the pads off and got a bit of a surprise!!



I've done 142,712klms,some towing a camper trailer,some towing a caravan,a boat,living in stop start traffic on the Gold Coast, highway miles and off road stuff.
The OEM pads have almost as much left on them as the new ones i WAS going to put in. I figured there was no point yet.
The surface area of the Bendix pads is not quite as large as the OEM ones but i suppose it's more to do with the materials used. I reckon there is around 7-8% difference.
I also checked the back rear ones just for a comparison and they are the same as the front.
At this rate i would get 250,000klms minimum out of the OEM ones.
I don't know if brake material degrades over time but i assume it probably would so i will do the job in the next few months anyway just to see if there is an improvement in the braking.
I got a quote for the rear pads of an ARB shop in town and he quoted $85 for the set. This was for Bendix GCT (or GCP) and the front being the 4WD pads i'm guessing would have been ...say....$100.
Subaru wanted $165 F and $130 R so $295 against $185 for Bendix.
They also wanted $195 to fit them F&R (thats all up,not for each end).
So if you took it to Subaru the all up cost would be $490. Do it yourself..$185 plus $11.95 for lube..call it $200.
Subaru is saying,roughly, 2 hours for fitting the pads which is fairly outrageous considering they are pros and have hoists and rattle guns etc.
I could easy do it myself in that time. I would think an organised workshop with 2 people working together would take 20 mins to finish the job.
Anyway,glad i did have a go and very surprised how simple it was.
MY CLEANING UP TIP......don't worry about getting expensive stuff for cleaning your hands....just use powdered laundry detergent. The powder works better than liquid and i have done this for years. It might surprise you how well it works.

 

[mr turbo]

Well done silver

Thanks for the tip about the powdered laundry detergent too
I'll have to try that next time I get my hands dirty whilst working on my Forry :ebiggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Scooby2]

Great job Silver! My experiences with brakes & brake pads has a lot to do with how the car is driven. Scooby2 had new front pads last service, at 190,000kms. Scooby I had brake work done at 130,000kms when I first got her, she now has 265,000kms, with no work done for 135,000kms... will be interesting to see how much further she goes... bearing in mind she's shaping up for another L Plater. I spoke to some1 recently that traded his Subaru for a Benz...(???!) that had done 75,000kms and had just spent $4,000 on the brakes...!

Excellent costings Silver

P.S. My hot tip for fast grease removal is washing up detergent and about a tablespoon of sugar. Comes close to Solvol if you don't have any handy

Regards,

 

[taza]

Thanks for the tips Silver. Brakes sure are easy to do, you don't need that lube but if you don't have it your brakes will squeal. I also use Anti-Squeeking spray for the rotors/disks.

 

[stilson]

Just coat everything liberally in CRC. Then they won squeal..... Or stop.

 

[idw]

I keep telling people changing disk pads is relativly easy, even the drumb brakes ive changed weren't that much harder. I even bought a bleeder kit once too, used it a couple of times then lent it to a mate, heard its not moved around 4 or 5 people if i want it back. It's ok though I've got someones spring comps and i dont know whos they are :lol:

Good to see you've done it yourself and great tips.

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Silver

To my knowledge, the only way brake pads can deteriorate is by wearing out ...

So I really wouldn't bother replacing them until it actually needs to be done.

On the subject of cleaning one's hands: I would not recommend using petrol, prepsol or degreaser, if you value your kidneys and/or liver ... :iconwink:

 

[silver]

Because it turned out to be so easy,next time i go for a longer trip with the boat or move house, which i probably will do in a year or so, i will throw the 4WD pads on just to see what they are like.

 

[Ratbag]

Yeah, doing brake pads is as easy as heck.

I could do the front pads on Roo1 in about an hour, from start to finish.

The rear drums never needed re-lining or anything else, other than routine cleaning and the occasional manual adjustment at service (when I had forgotten to do the auto-adjust trick of reversing and applying the brakes a few times ... ).