Bosch - Service and repair tips: Brake discs
Published: 24 October, 2023
As a strong partner with extensive expertise in brakes, we offer your workshop everything you need for the efficient maintenance and repair of brake systems: first-class products, reliable service offerings and efficient diagnostic technology.
Scoring or grooves on the friction surface
Cause:
◾ Dirt particles on brake disc and pad
Effect:
◾ Brake noise
◾ Rubbing effect during braking
◾ Reduced braking performance
Recommendation:
◾ When changing the brake discs, always change the brake pads as well
Uneven wear
Cause:
◾ Uneven function of the brake caliper
◾ Run-out of the brake disc
Effect:
◾ Poor and/or irregular braking performance
◾ Vibration in the steering wheel
◾ Pulsing effect in the brake pedal
Recommendation:
◾ Check the brake caliper and wheel hub when installing new brake discs
Blue surface discoloration
Cause:
◾ Overheating due to jammed or seized brake pads
◾ Vehicle driven with activated or seized parking brake
◾ Brake caliper piston is sticking
Effect:
◾ Rubbing effect during braking
◾ Overheating
Recommendation:
◾ Check the entire brake system
◾ Ensure that the brake caliper is functioning properly
Indentations on the contact surface
Cause:
◾ Improper cleaning of the contact surfaces
◾ Damage to the contact surfaces through contamination
◾ Distortion of the wheel hub
Effect:
◾ Increased lateral run-out of the brake discs
◾ Chattering and rubbing effects
Recommendation:
◾ Clean the contact surface of the brake disc and the
wheel hub before mounting new brake discs
◾ Do not use paste lubricants (copper paste, etc.)
Corroded friction area
Cause:
◾ Impact of corrosive substances (e.g. road salt, cleaning agents)
◾ Damage through water or lack of use-low demand on the brakes
Effect:
◾ Noise during braking
◾ Irregular braking performance
Recommendation:
◾ Replace brake discs and pads
◾ Instruct the customer to occasionally stress the brakes by applying pressure appropriately (bed in the brakes)
Count on Bosch:
◾ High vehicle coverage: over 95%
◾ Matching solutions for all current vehicles
◾ Comprehensive OEM expertise
◾ Precise fit and easy assembly
◾ Reliable and fast delivery service
For more information, visit: www.boschaftermarket.com
- EBC: New brake discs for BMW M2
EBC Brakes Racing has released fully-floating two-piece discs and brake pad options for the new BMW M2. The 380x36mm front and 370x24mm rear discs can be bolted directly on to the axles. The fully floating disc allows the outer cast-iron friction ring to expand with temperature, eliminating warping. The discs are also grooved to allow the pad to vent without drilled holes, while G3500-grade high-carbon cast iron is used for the friction rings, offering greater crack resistance and an increased ability to conduct and then dissipate heat. Yellowstuff and Bluestuff road-legal brake pads, and RP-1 and RP-X track/motorsport brake pads are also available.
https://ebcbrakes.com/where-to-buy/
- Innovations and awards: Brake pads from Bosch
Bosch inventions from servo brakes to the copper-free brake pad
- Avoid screeching with Pagid Cera Tec
Created to work best with Pagid OE quality braking components, Pagid Cera Tec helps facilitate brake assembly and protect against scratching and corrosion. The copper-free make up of the brake lube means is designed not to interfere with vehicle ABS or ESP sensors, thus providing optimal safety performance. In addition, Cera Tec is highly heat resistant, up to 1000°C. The completely metal-free construction is ideal for the lubrication of disc and drum brakes, as well as compressors, central lubricating systems, axle bearings, chains, seat tracks, sunroof guides and battery contacts.
pagid.com
- Brake Life
A customer arrived at the garage and said that their brakes were making a scraping and grinding noise. Brakes shouldn’t really make a noise at all and they definitely shouldn’t be scraping or grinding. With brakes you can bet your bottom dollar the worse the noise the worse the issue. Being the only thing that is the stopping force for your vehicle, you don’t want them failing.
There can be many factors to noisy brakes. It could be dirt, brake dust, backing plates, faulty callipers, lack of pads or even warped discs. In this instance, the customer had not been proactive enough in getting brake pad inspected and changed, or they had failed to hear the early warning signs. It could even be their usual mechanic had not provided a quick glance at the obviously deteriorating discs and pads, so had not provided a warning. This led to steel-on-steel stopping the car as there simply was not any sacrificial material remaining on the pads. Result; The discs had deep grooves cut into them, and there was a consequential glitter of metal shavings on everything in proximity. As most of us already know, not everything that glitters is gold.
Correction
In this example the required correction was quite simple or so you would think. The resolution here was to add new brake pads and discs all around, on all four wheels. The pitting and scouring of the old discs meant they were no longer efficient, and even more importantly, no longer safe.
The work included a deep clean of the surrounding areas to remove contamination so that the new friction hardware was installed into a clean environment. There was one stumbling block however; A snapped pin. Yes, I know; “Typical.”
This vehicle had gone so long without brake maintenance that a pin had rusted so badly in the back of the pad carrier and sheared upon removal with what seemed to be thread-locker from the 1900s. I may be exaggerating a bit but this hadn’t been touched in a long time. 1990s maybe? That’s 30-plus years ago now. Anyway, the result was a lengthy removal and a new set of bolts.
Summary
To quote the 1990s, all this “…could be avoided if you take a route straight through…” and I can’t remember how the rest goes. Anyway, my point is that not only are pads relatively cheap to replace and maintain, but you can inspect them for your customer with a quick glance. If you have suspicions, take the wheel off and have a closer look. Don’t be fooled just because the outside pad looks good. It doesn’t mean the inside pad isn’t wearing thin. We know pads and discs should be changed at the same time on the same axle. However, just because the front right set-up looks good doesn’t mean the passenger side is good too. After the neglect of this vehicle the owner was landed with a much harsher bill to correct the issue at hand as more hardware and labour was required.
For more on brakes, turn to our feature on pages 46-47
- New parts from First Line
First Line has added 78 new references across the steering and suspension, filters, cooling, braking and clutches categories. Steering and suspension references added include a range of stabiliser links fitting the Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and CLA (2018-), the Volvo S60 and V60, as well as BMW’s X5, X6, and X7 (2019-). On the braking front, there are rear brake discs for the BMW 5 Series and 6 Series (2003-2010), and front brake discs for the BMW 1 Series (2012-2019), 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series (2013-) and 4 Series Grand Coupe (2014 - ). First Line’s Borg & Beck Clutch offering has also expanded with the introduction of 3-in-1 Clutch Kits for the Ford C-Max, Focus, and Kuga. These are also compatible with Honda’s Civic (2013-), CR-V and HR-V, as well as for Fiat and Alfa Romeo applications.
www.firstlineltd.com