Brake Job Today
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 03-01-2010
Posts: 121
From: Texas
Brake Job Today
Had my tires rotated the other day and looked at the front brakes and they
looked pretty thin. I have 72K on the car.
Today I had my regular brake guy look at them and he said they had about 30-35% left. The way I was looking at them the ends looked real thin but he showed me how they are tapered at the ends so that is what caused my misconception of the remaining pad. The backs have about 50-60% left.
Since I plan on keeping the HHR I told him to go ahead and replace the front ones. They put Wagner ThermoQuiet® Ceramics on it. From what I read they are pretty high rated pads.
I guess my point of this is I had heard all the horror stories on the 09 rotors and breaks but I seem to have been one of the lucky ones.
I know some people wonder why, being so easy to do, I didn't do them myself.
Being 71 and having a bad back my car maintenance(I do my own washing and waxing) days or in the past and I truthfully don't miss bending over the fenders and busting my knuckles trying to save a few bucks.
looked pretty thin. I have 72K on the car.
Today I had my regular brake guy look at them and he said they had about 30-35% left. The way I was looking at them the ends looked real thin but he showed me how they are tapered at the ends so that is what caused my misconception of the remaining pad. The backs have about 50-60% left.
Since I plan on keeping the HHR I told him to go ahead and replace the front ones. They put Wagner ThermoQuiet® Ceramics on it. From what I read they are pretty high rated pads.
I guess my point of this is I had heard all the horror stories on the 09 rotors and breaks but I seem to have been one of the lucky ones.
I know some people wonder why, being so easy to do, I didn't do them myself.
Being 71 and having a bad back my car maintenance(I do my own washing and waxing) days or in the past and I truthfully don't miss bending over the fenders and busting my knuckles trying to save a few bucks.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 03-01-2010
Posts: 121
From: Texas
Tires and brake pads in 72K isn't bad. I keep thinking I am going to trade the HHR off and when I go look at the new ones I want they have all the add-on stickers on them and that is not going to happen for
The Honda dealer I went to actually had a salesman that told me Honda encouraged them to add the tint, pin stripe and other junk on their cars. He
must have though I just fell off a turnip truck. This stuff isn't just on the sticker it is put on the cars when they offload them at the dealer.
The Honda dealer I went to actually had a salesman that told me Honda encouraged them to add the tint, pin stripe and other junk on their cars. He
must have though I just fell off a turnip truck. This stuff isn't just on the sticker it is put on the cars when they offload them at the dealer.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 03-01-2010
Posts: 121
From: Texas
After a lot of reading and videos I have come to the conclusion I could cause more problems by doing the procedure(bedding in) wrong than not doing it at all.
Here is the main reason I have come to that conclusion.
"The bedding-in process involves a gradual build up of heat in the rotors and pad compound. This process will lay down a thin layer of transfer film on to the rotor surface."
"These pads have ceramic fibers in the friction material, so they dissipate heat much more quickly than organics or semi-metallic pads. Due to the faster heat dissipation, they last far longer and prevent material transfer to the rotors, reducing the “warped” feeling."
From what I understand the ceramics would make this null and void.
Just my .02 worth.
Here is the main reason I have come to that conclusion.
"The bedding-in process involves a gradual build up of heat in the rotors and pad compound. This process will lay down a thin layer of transfer film on to the rotor surface."
"These pads have ceramic fibers in the friction material, so they dissipate heat much more quickly than organics or semi-metallic pads. Due to the faster heat dissipation, they last far longer and prevent material transfer to the rotors, reducing the “warped” feeling."
From what I understand the ceramics would make this null and void.
Just my .02 worth.
Senior Member
Joined: 09-11-2007
Posts: 1,379
From: Palm Bay, Florida
I'm with you Deke. I had a shop replace all the brakes at 92K miles. I had them do all the brakes, new brakes, rotors and even new rears. I haven't done a brake job on a car since doing the ones on my 66 Pontiac Catalina, some 40 years ago. Those brakes needed replacement every 20K miles.
I figure that with new brakes, my HHR should be around for another few years.
I figure that with new brakes, my HHR should be around for another few years.
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Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,483
From: Fredericksburg,VA
After a lot of reading and videos I have come to the conclusion I could cause more problems by doing the procedure(bedding in) wrong than not doing it at all.
Here is the main reason I have come to that conclusion.
"The bedding-in process involves a gradual build up of heat in the rotors and pad compound. This process will lay down a thin layer of transfer film on to the rotor surface."
"These pads have ceramic fibers in the friction material, so they dissipate heat much more quickly than organics or semi-metallic pads. Due to the faster heat dissipation, they last far longer and prevent material transfer to the rotors, reducing the “warped” feeling."
From what I understand the ceramics would make this null and void.
Just my .02 worth.
Here is the main reason I have come to that conclusion.
"The bedding-in process involves a gradual build up of heat in the rotors and pad compound. This process will lay down a thin layer of transfer film on to the rotor surface."
"These pads have ceramic fibers in the friction material, so they dissipate heat much more quickly than organics or semi-metallic pads. Due to the faster heat dissipation, they last far longer and prevent material transfer to the rotors, reducing the “warped” feeling."
From what I understand the ceramics would make this null and void.
Just my .02 worth.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 03-01-2010
Posts: 121
From: Texas
Platinum Member
Joined: 01-09-2007
Posts: 16,081
From: SE USA
Deke-
What is the brake pad brand ?
When you put on pads (premium or economy, organic or ceramic) you must bed the pads properly for their material or a boundary layer never forms properly on the face of the rotor. I've had many vehicles with brake complaints about poor or hard braking and it takes bedding the pads to their proper temperature for the material makeup and you do smell the pads as they have to be hot enough to de-gas (aka out gassing) properly.
Just sayin..
What is the brake pad brand ?
When you put on pads (premium or economy, organic or ceramic) you must bed the pads properly for their material or a boundary layer never forms properly on the face of the rotor. I've had many vehicles with brake complaints about poor or hard braking and it takes bedding the pads to their proper temperature for the material makeup and you do smell the pads as they have to be hot enough to de-gas (aka out gassing) properly.
Just sayin..
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 03-01-2010
Posts: 121
From: Texas
I know where you are coming from. It's kinda of one of those things that there are lot's of different opinions on. I actually had a email ready to send Wagoner and decided what the heck.
From the two quotes I inserted in there I feel as though I don't get any or very little transfer with the ceramics so didn't do the bedding-in.
To tell the truth I have been driving and owning cars for over 50 years and have never done it and had braking good enough for my needs.
Wagner ThermoQuiet® Ceramics
I do appreciate all the comments from here as you folks are a very knowledgeable group of people.
PS. Just visited your state a couple of weeks ago. Enjoyed the Opryland Hotel, Opry Mills Mall and various routes through the Great Smoky Mountains. Had some fun(not to the wife's liking) cruising on the curvy mountain roads. Lots of motorcyles and Minis.
Went to the CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD in Ga and that was a sobering experience about what a horrible toll a war can inflict on the population.
From the two quotes I inserted in there I feel as though I don't get any or very little transfer with the ceramics so didn't do the bedding-in.
To tell the truth I have been driving and owning cars for over 50 years and have never done it and had braking good enough for my needs.
Wagner ThermoQuiet® Ceramics
I do appreciate all the comments from here as you folks are a very knowledgeable group of people.
PS. Just visited your state a couple of weeks ago. Enjoyed the Opryland Hotel, Opry Mills Mall and various routes through the Great Smoky Mountains. Had some fun(not to the wife's liking) cruising on the curvy mountain roads. Lots of motorcyles and Minis.
Went to the CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD in Ga and that was a sobering experience about what a horrible toll a war can inflict on the population.
