Brake pads - made in China = NEVER
02-18-2009, 08:55 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 06-22-2008
Location: BC Canada
Posts: 87
Brake pads - made in China = NEVER
Read this article ...
Safety of offshore brake pads questioned
The Canadian Press
The next time you step on the brake pedal of your car or truck, consider this: Do you know who made your brake pads?
There are no mandatory Canadian standards for replacement brake pads, and "it's a huge problem, because what's happening is that we're getting huge amounts of Chinese product dumped into Canada," declares Rick Jamieson, chief executive of ABS Friction Corp., a pad maker in Guelph.
Amid worries about Chinese-sourced lead in toys, melamine in dog food and poison in toothpaste, and while governments blame crashes on cellphone use, "maybe it's the brake pads the guy's got on his car that aren't stopping fast enough," Jamieson says.
ABS has its own research centre which has tested competitive products, and "the stuff coming into Canada, much of it isn't safe, and no one has any concern about it," he asserts.
"We have standards on auto glass that you can replace in a windshield, but we don't have standards on what stops the car."
There are mandatory requirements for original-equipment brake systems, as well as for aftermarket pads in Europe. In Canada, except for heavy-truck parts, there is only a "self-certification program" for makers and importers of replacement pads.
Voluntary standards exist, notably BEEP -- Brake Effectiveness Evaluation Procedure -- which can provide assurance to consumers.
However, "it's industry-driven," says Denis Laporte, a spokesperson for the Standards Council of Canada, a Crown corporation that reports to the federal industry minister. "There is no mandatory requirement to go through a testing lab, for example like an electrical product."
Transport Canada spokesman Eric Collard confirmed it doesn't regulate any aftermarket vehicle-related products under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, aside from child seats and tires.
"What we found was really scary," says Ray Arbesman, chairman of Nucap Industries Inc., a Toronto maker of steel backing plates that hold brake-pad friction materials.
In testing at Nucap's research and development centre, "out of every 1,000 pads that we checked, there's at least five or six or seven pads that completely separated from the steel," Arbesman said.
Some ignited, and "what we found in friction materials was scary," Arbesman said, adding that brakes have become the leading cause of car fires.
At BEEP-certified ABS Friction, "I export 95 per cent of my goods," says Jamieson, while "a disproportionate amount of brake pads in Canada are Chinese product -- really cheap Chinese product."
Sun Jinhuan, a spokesperson in the Chinese consulate's commercial office, observes that "inevitably there are some products of inferior quality; that is the fact."
She adds: "If you pay more, you can get good quality."
In simulated panic stops on ABS Friction's dynamometer, Jamieson says, some pads "self-destruct -- the brake pad will literally break down, just break into pieces."
Many contain undisclosed asbestos, he adds, endangering the health of mechanics and generating carcinogenic dust into the environment as they wear.
Nucap's Arbesman estimates 40 per cent of the brake pads sold in North America come from offshore, many supplied to brand-name manufacturers and retailers.
Scary hey!!
This is the place to be for REAL brake pads: http://www.absfriction.com/
Safety of offshore brake pads questioned
The Canadian Press
The next time you step on the brake pedal of your car or truck, consider this: Do you know who made your brake pads?
There are no mandatory Canadian standards for replacement brake pads, and "it's a huge problem, because what's happening is that we're getting huge amounts of Chinese product dumped into Canada," declares Rick Jamieson, chief executive of ABS Friction Corp., a pad maker in Guelph.
Amid worries about Chinese-sourced lead in toys, melamine in dog food and poison in toothpaste, and while governments blame crashes on cellphone use, "maybe it's the brake pads the guy's got on his car that aren't stopping fast enough," Jamieson says.
ABS has its own research centre which has tested competitive products, and "the stuff coming into Canada, much of it isn't safe, and no one has any concern about it," he asserts.
"We have standards on auto glass that you can replace in a windshield, but we don't have standards on what stops the car."
There are mandatory requirements for original-equipment brake systems, as well as for aftermarket pads in Europe. In Canada, except for heavy-truck parts, there is only a "self-certification program" for makers and importers of replacement pads.
Voluntary standards exist, notably BEEP -- Brake Effectiveness Evaluation Procedure -- which can provide assurance to consumers.
However, "it's industry-driven," says Denis Laporte, a spokesperson for the Standards Council of Canada, a Crown corporation that reports to the federal industry minister. "There is no mandatory requirement to go through a testing lab, for example like an electrical product."
Transport Canada spokesman Eric Collard confirmed it doesn't regulate any aftermarket vehicle-related products under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, aside from child seats and tires.
"What we found was really scary," says Ray Arbesman, chairman of Nucap Industries Inc., a Toronto maker of steel backing plates that hold brake-pad friction materials.
In testing at Nucap's research and development centre, "out of every 1,000 pads that we checked, there's at least five or six or seven pads that completely separated from the steel," Arbesman said.
Some ignited, and "what we found in friction materials was scary," Arbesman said, adding that brakes have become the leading cause of car fires.
At BEEP-certified ABS Friction, "I export 95 per cent of my goods," says Jamieson, while "a disproportionate amount of brake pads in Canada are Chinese product -- really cheap Chinese product."
Sun Jinhuan, a spokesperson in the Chinese consulate's commercial office, observes that "inevitably there are some products of inferior quality; that is the fact."
She adds: "If you pay more, you can get good quality."
In simulated panic stops on ABS Friction's dynamometer, Jamieson says, some pads "self-destruct -- the brake pad will literally break down, just break into pieces."
Many contain undisclosed asbestos, he adds, endangering the health of mechanics and generating carcinogenic dust into the environment as they wear.
Nucap's Arbesman estimates 40 per cent of the brake pads sold in North America come from offshore, many supplied to brand-name manufacturers and retailers.
Scary hey!!
This is the place to be for REAL brake pads: http://www.absfriction.com/
02-19-2009, 12:33 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: 09-07-2008
Location: NorCal
Posts: 237
That article is just more of the typical slanted and short of facts/data/analysis modern "journalism" that we're subjected to on every subject. Lots of "blah-blah-blah...government needs to save us...blah-blah-blah...let the government be our nanny...blah-blah-blah...the government needs to be in charge of everything...blah-blah-blah...blah-blah-blah." 
02-19-2009, 12:46 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-21-2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 939
There might be some truth to this article but I'd rather see some information on the quality of these Chinese products come from an independent lab and not one run by a competitive manufacturer (who is probably losing business.) If I tested a competitve product at my own lab you bet I could subject it to failures as well.
To me, this article is likely a large amount of fear mongering to drum up more busy by trying to show that the other guys are bad and that you will be in danger if you buy their products.
There might truly be a serious concern though, I don't know. I'm sure that Transportation Canada would investigate accident causes if and when brake failure was to blame.
To me, this article is likely a large amount of fear mongering to drum up more busy by trying to show that the other guys are bad and that you will be in danger if you buy their products.
There might truly be a serious concern though, I don't know. I'm sure that Transportation Canada would investigate accident causes if and when brake failure was to blame.