Old guy at the parts counter changed how I work on brakes

Last Tuesday I was at the NAPA store on 3rd street trying to get pads for a 2014 Civic, and this retired mechanic named Frank stopped me. He said I should always file the edges of new pads even if they come pre-chamfered, because the corners catch rust ridges. I tried it on a job yesterday and the pedal felt way smoother on the first stop. Anyone else still do old school stuff like that or am I just behind?

2 comments

2 Comments

west.claire17d ago

Oh man, my buddy Mike swore by the same thing after an old timer showed him that trick... he said it saved him from having to grind down rust ridges on his own car's calipers later on.

iris_dixon9117d ago

That thing about grinding down rust ridges... my buddy Jenna actually had a similar issue with her old Subaru. @west.claire, she said her mechanic showed her a trick with a wire brush and some wd40 that kept her from needing to replace the calipers altogether. Weird how those little tricks get passed down like that.