Brake Pads and spring clips, were they always this annoying?

[bhgl]

Howdy folks,

I just finished doing my 3rd set of pads and rotors for the year, and for the 3rd time this year, and each time I've had to go absolutely insane grinding down the ears of every single pad I've replaced to just make them fit.

At first I thought I was doing something wrong, maybe I wasn't properly fitting the spring clips, but even after laboriously cleaning the caliper bracket, forming spring clips to the best of my ability, and getting really specific with lubricants, I've still had to spend a ton of time fiddling with these god damn ears to get them to slip into the caliper brackets, and not bind. This is across a pretty wide variety of brands too, from Canadian Tire's Pro OE Series, Napa, even Power Stop!

I feel like I used to just replace the spring clip, and the things would just neatly slide in no questions asked or lube necessary. Now I feel like I'm custom fitting each pad to each car every single time I do a pad change.

Am I crazy? Or do you guys find yourself with a rasp grinding away at the ears of your brake pads too?

 

[sgtsandman]

Howdy folks,

I just finished doing my 3rd set of pads and rotors for the year, and for the 3rd time this year, and each time I've had to go absolutely insane grinding down the ears of every single pad I've replaced to just make them fit.

At first I thought I was doing something wrong, maybe I wasn't properly fitting the spring clips, but even after laboriously cleaning the caliper bracket, forming spring clips to the best of my ability, and getting really specific with lubricants, I've still had to spend a ton of time fiddling with these god damn ears to get them to slip into the caliper brackets, and not bind. This is across a pretty wide variety of brands too, from Canadian Tire's Pro OE Series, Napa, even Power Stop!

I feel like I used to just replace the spring clip, and the things would just neatly slide in no questions asked or lube necessary. Now I feel like I'm custom fitting each pad to each car every single time I do a pad change.

Am I crazy? Or do you guys find yourself with a rasp grinding away at the ears of your brake pads too?

I've run across it a time or two but it hasn't been a regular thing. I did the front brakes on the 2011 and the rear brakes on the 2019 not that long ago and didn't have any issues. The new spring clips themselves were a little ornery in letting me slide the pads in place on the 2011.

 

[Shran]

You're not crazy. I have run into that a time or two. New parts are just junk these days and it's across the board, every brand. I got into watching these sweat shop Pakistani manufacturing videos on YouTube and they're making me feel like that's where my parts are coming from, dudes in steel toe sandals and safety squints making everything!

Actually I know they are, I ordered some air filters for my Rolair compressor and this is what I got. Frickin Energizer battery cases that were recycled:

 

[pjtoledo]

grinding the pads, no.
grinding the rust out of the slots in the bracket, yes.
it's a ritual here in the rust belt.

 

[bhgl]

grinding the pads, no.
grinding the rust out of the slots in the bracket, yes.
it's a ritual here in the rust belt.

Fellow rust enjoyer here. I usually kinda assault them with the wire wheel/brush

 

[pjtoledo]

hit them with a small chisel, bigger chunks will fall off.
hardened masonry nails make nice miniature chisels.
then a small square file to flatten the surface.

 

[Jazzer]

You have to take a file to each surface on the caliper that the clip contacts, until you’re down to bare metal. Then wipe those surfaces with a thin film of brake lube. If the clips don’t fit in easily, the pads won’t either.

That’s not to say that you might not get ill fitting pads, you might. Parts are sometimes crap nowadays.

 

[bhgl]

Going forward I'll def give the caliper brackets a bit more of a clean ahead of time vs the pad ears themselves.

Honestly I find the spring clips to be the most malformed parts of all, often the angles on the sections of the clip that actually sit in the caliper bracket are basically 10 degrees closer to obtuse vs. right.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Going forward I'll def give the caliper brackets a bit more of a clean ahead of time vs the pad ears themselves.

Honestly I find the spring clips to be the most malformed parts of all, often the angles on the sections of the clip that actually sit in the caliper bracket are basically 10 degrees closure to obtuse vs. right.

That's what makes them fit tight and not allow things to rattle.

I've never had much of an issue with them. Clean up the slots on the bracket... insert rattle clip end in first... compress spring clip and pop the other end in place.

 

[bhgl]

That's what makes them fit tight and not allow things to rattle.

I've never had much of an issue with them. Clean up the slots on the bracket... insert rattle clip end in first... compress spring clip and pop the other end in place.

I figured as much, but I want to say that the angles are a bit more extreme than they ought to be? Without either grinding pad ears, or gently forming the clips I straight up wouldn't be able to get any of my pads in properly.

 

[Curious Hound]

Dang it! I've never had an issue. But I'll be doing some this weekend. So y'all probably just jinxed me.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Dang it! I've never had an issue. But I'll be dound some this weekend. So y'all probably just jinxed me.

Thanks a lot!

Me too...

I actually have fresh powdercoated calipers and brackets though. I can see the powdercoat possibly creating and issue.

 

[901wd#2]

Third set of pads on the same vehicle?

 

[sgtsandman]

Third set of pads on the same vehicle?

The way I read the original post, yes.

 

[bhgl]

Third set of pads on the same vehicle?

The way I read the original post, yes.

No sorry, three different vehicles. My B3000, Toyota Corolla, and the rears on my mom's Mazda 6.

If I was going through 3 sets of pads a year even at 24 000KMs a year, I should probably be investing in bigger brakes lol.