Simple Job Turned Complicated by Cheap Parts - Why Every Garage Should have a Grinding Wheel

Wife's Fit needed brakes. I was putting it off, but the screechers were getting louder, so I figured it was time. She's driving a lot this week, so I'd just get some cheapos from the local OReily's. Ok, so I upgraded to the BrakeBest Ceramics for $40. 

Changing pads on the Fit is a 20 minute job. 

Unless the aftermarket pads are complete junk, the backing plates are not cut correctly, and don't even fit in supplied shims, much less the original shims. 

So my 20 minute job was turned into 1.5 hours, most of which was spent grinding down the tabs of the pads to fit the original abutment shims. Made more difficult was that my angle grinder is out of commission due to a lost fixing bolt and I don't have an angle grinder, so I was doing this with a belt sander and 60 grit belt. 

Lesson learned: decent pads are more than just material, sometimes it's the ability to fit without effing with them. Oh, and I need a grinding wheel!

The original brakes on my 2011 Accord (bought new) were in decent shape so I changed out the pads at 120,000 miles.   

Against my normal thoughts I bought replacements from the Honda dealer.   It really is a 20 minute job.   

I refuse to work with junk. I would rather spend 1.5 hours bitching at the parts guys to get me a decent part than to work with somebodies poorly made product.

Dremel would have made reasonably quick work of that too. I spent way too many years grinding and cutting E36 M3 with a Dremel.

Then I got a HF grinder. Holy crap does that make quick work of cutting metal in comparison. 

I've never had fitment issues with cheap pads from Advanced or Zone. That is messed up. 

Most Japeanese cars really dislike the generic compounds that Wagner/Raybestos/etc use.  Squeals suck.  Luckily, most Japanese manufacturers sell the factory original pads for a pretty reasonable dollar.  I very seldon send a Honda out of my shop with non-Honda pads.

Pretty sure I would have assumed I got the wrong parts in the box and returned them before I started grinding on them. But I agree I need a bench grinder in my garage.

A bench grinder with grinding wheel and wire brush are essential shop equipment.

sorry pheller, there is just no way I would spend that much of my time putting junk brakes on a car. I would have taken them right back, gotten the better ones that fit, and considered it a well done job. Nothing cheap is worth an hour and a half of cursing, sweating, and trying to make parts fit

I think this is a relatively new thing.

The last several sets of pads from various manufacturers I have purchased (including VERY expensive race pads) have all needed a little trimming here and there (this is across 4 different cars...).

I think they are just cheaping out.

Weird.  I've done brakes on 20+ cars from three continents and never had trouble fitting the pieces together.  Second the "take back something that doesn't fit out of the box" but I live one mile from the nearest parts store so running parts back isn't too arduous.

I have also had the same thing happen. I thought I was doing something wrong until I compared backing plates between old vs new and the new were just a little off. They didn't even fit with the included spring clips right.

My NAPA pads needed a little cleaning up around the ears so that they wouldn't stick in the caliper.

Quick and easily done.

I have grinders, two bench mounted with different stones, and three hand held in the corded and battery variety.

I would have returned the pads. 

Try a different brand, the Autozone gold pads I put on the Colorado Tuesday, fit perfectly. 

wvumtnbkr said:

I think this is a relatively new thing.

 

The last several sets of pads from various manufacturers I have purchased (including VERY expensive race pads) have all needed a little trimming here and there (this is across 4 different cars...).

I think they are just cheaping out.

Agreed.  The last few brake jobs I've done needed the surfaces trimmed down to fit properly.  Not just cheapie pads on closeout from RockAuto either.

It seems they are skipping the finish point on the backing plates.   Just kind of rough.

Something I learned a long time in Comercial roofing. You never chase something if you drop it or the wind catches something. Odds are you and what ever you are going after will go off the roof.  This simple rule I have applied to life and particularly car repairs. When I something is hitting the fan 99.9 percent of the time it is better to stop and think and not act on instinct or knee jerk reaction. Saved me from doing some very dumb things.