A customer’s complaint about brake noise fixed my technique

This guy came back twice with a squeak after I did his pads. He said “My last mechanic never had this problem.” Made me realize I was skipping the brake pad chamfer. Now I grind a 45 on every set - no comebacks in 6 months. Any other tricks for quieting drum brakes?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade5171mo ago

Wait, you mean you were just slapping pads on without chamfering them? That's wild man, I thought everybody knew that trick by now. I remember my first couple years in the trade I had the same issue with a 2005 Civic, customer came back three times before an old timer showed me the grinder trick. For drums I always use a little anti-seize on the backing plate contact points where the shoes sit, not too much though or it'll melt into the drum.

-1

holly_reed551mo ago

Anti-seize on the backing plate made a huge difference for my old Tacoma drums too.

wood.eric1mo ago

Man @jade517 is right about the anti-seize thing, learned that lesson the hard way when a drum locked up on me mid-test drive and I looked like an idiot calling the tow truck for my own work. Still got a scar on my thumb from the time I chamfered a pad and the grinder kicked back, so I guess the trick stuck with me permanently. Now I'm just clumsy with extra steps instead of clueless without them.