Been seeing way too many people grease disc brake pad backing plates

I've noticed a bunch of posts lately where folks are putting grease on the back of brake pads to stop squealing, and it keeps biting them. Did two brake jobs at the shop this month where the customer had done this and the pads basically slid right out of the caliper after a hundred miles. The grease creeps onto the friction material when it gets hot, then you got zero stopping power and a rotor that's now ruined. I'm not saying anti-seize on caliper bolts or sliding pins is wrong, that's fine. But the backing plate sits in a tight space and any grease will migrate, it's just physics. Has anyone else seen this trend come through their stand, or am I just getting the unlucky ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph5294d ago

Are people seriously still doing this? I have seen it twice this month too and it ALWAYS ends the same way. The grease is going to creep no matter how careful you are, it just takes heat and time. Then you are buying new rotors and pads anyway, so what did you even save? The pins and hardware are fine to lube, but the backing plate is a totally different game. I really hope this is just a social media fad and not something that sticks around.

jana_price3d ago

Man, my last brake job was basically me watching a YouTube video at 2am and hoping for the best. I greased everything that moved and some stuff that didn't just because the video said so. Turns out the rotor was toast three weeks later and my neighbor got a good laugh watching me explain to my wife why we needed new brakes again. Guess I should have just stuck to lubing the pins and calling it a day. Lesson learned, wallet lighter.