Tech Tip: Brake Lathes Continue to be a Profit Center for Busy Shops
A brake lathe has long been an indispensable piece of equipment for shops that do brake work. A bench lathe is necessary to resurface rotors and drums. An on-car lathe is also a great tool for turning troublesome rotors on vehicles that are sensitive to rotor runout issues, and those with captured rotors. But with cheap offshore rotors flooding the aftermarket, and some new cars now being equipped with lightweight rotors that are too thin to turn, you may be questioning the need for a brake lathe ….
Porsche: Maintenance Essentials
Boost System Performance & Customer Satisfaction
Tech Tip: What Should a Technician Know When Ordering Rotors?
It is tough for a technician to know what they are getting when they buy a rotor. According to a recent U.S. International Trade Commission report, 80% of the rotors sold today are made in a country other than the United States. If the technician or counterman is only going on the price on the screen, it is difficult to pick the best rotor ….
Tech Tip: Rotor Runout Checklist
The vehicle owner may say that under light braking the vehicle pulses to a stop, or under heavy braking the vehicle shudders. Technical service bulletins (TSBs) often describe these symptoms as a "judder." There are only two causes for judder – lateral runout and disc thickness variation on the rotor’s friction surface. What could have caused the lateral runout? The causes of the condition range from ….
Rotor Runout Check List
The vehicle owner may say that under light braking the vehicle pulses to a stop, or under heavy braking the vehicle shudders. Technical service bulletins (TSBs) often describe these symptoms as a “judder.” There are only two causes for judder — lateral runout and disc thickness variation on the rotor’s friction surface. What could have
Tech Tip: Brake Burnishing Procedures for New Brake Pads or Shoes
After every brake job the technician should first confirm that he has a good brake pedal by gently stroking the pedal to move the wheel cylinders and caliper pistons back out to the normal position. After confirming a good pedal, the follow burnish procedure should be used during the test drive ….
Tech Tip: Lower Mass Brake Rotor Causing Noise, Fade and Failure Problems
If a customer complains of noisy brakes, increased stopping distances and pedal pulsation after brake rotors were replaced or machined, the rotors may be the source of the problem. It’s easy to blame the pads or brake hardware, but technicians need to look at the rotor. Affinia Global Brake & Chassis discovered during a recent benchmarking study of the competition that some rotor companies have reduced their ….
Tech Tip: When Drums Lock Up
Drum brakes that occasionally lock up should not be ignored, but a relatively recent drum-brake-lockup condition is often dismissed because it doesn’t happen all the time. Since it’s usually not present by the time a technician gets to look for its cause, it’s often tempting to suggest the customer simply live with it ….
The 3rd (or 4th) Pedal
When was the last time you used your park brake? During a training seminar recently filled with brake people I got a lot of blank stares. Ok, rule number one don’t ask open ended questions right after lunch. Rephrasing, how many of you used your park brake when you parked the car today, one hand
Truck Brake Update: Service Procedure Boosts Performance while Eliminating Steps that Add Time and Expense
Toyota trucks have been the standard bearer for small trucks for more than 40 years. The Hilux (now known as the Tacoma) line has been the small truck class leader, and over the last 15 years the T100 and Tundra models have moved into the medium- and full-size classes to set new standards there. With
Upgrading Rotors for Hard-Driving Fleets
Police cars, ambulances, taxis, parcel delivery trucks and even pizza delivery vehicles can chew up brake pads and rotors almost as fast as any race car. Hard use, combined with frequent, sudden stops, makes the brakes run hot, and when brake temperatures shoot up, the life of the pads and rotors plummets. For every increase
Rotor Debate: Installing New Problems?
We have seen a slow increase in rotor prices over the last year. Every link in the supply chain from manufacturers to your local parts supplier has adjusted its prices. This is due to rising raw material costs. Also, the cost to manufacturer and ship rotors to your bay has increased dramatically. Resurfacing can restore