That one comment about my brake job saved me from a real disaster

Last spring I did front brakes on my 2004 Civic, got the cheap pads from AutoZone for like 35 bucks. I was pretty proud of myself, first time doing pads and rotors. Posted a pic in here saying how easy it was. This one guy replied something like 'grease the caliper pins or you will be back in 3 months.' I figured he was just being dramatic, but I pulled them anyway and sure enough one pin was dry as a bone. Took me an extra 20 minutes to clean and lube them. That was 14 months and 9,000 miles ago, still stopping smooth. So who else here skips the little stuff because it seems optional? Has anyone else had a cheap part fail because you skipped a step?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinnmitchell5h ago

I mean sure the wobble sounds scary but you probably would've caught that on your next drive anyway, seems like the panic was worse than the actual risk. @stellas56 at least you didn't have one of those pins seize up and turn your pads into sparks, now THAT would've been a real story.

stellas565h ago

Man, that guy was doing the lords work. I once skipped re-torquing my wheels after a brake job and got to experience a fun wobble at 70mph. Turns out "just snug it" is not a torque spec. 😂