Brake work is not what it used to be, said Bendix Technical Training Manager Jay Buckley during an expert panel technical seminar at Showpower in Chicago on March 27-29. 
"Technicians don't understand how complex brakes can really be," he said. "With the advent of ABS, stability control, and traction control, there is a huge need for continuing education."
Buckley was accompanied on the seminar panel by Brian Rench, national service manager for Big-O-Tires; Brent Wadey of Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops; and Ron Henningsen, technical editor for Undercar Digest and moderator for the seminar.
Henningsen echoed Buckley, adding that not only are brakes complex, but they are the only part on a vehicle that you inspect and repair in a static mode but use and worry about problems in a dynamic mode.
"AC guys get to start engines and check pressures, drivability guys have scan tools," Henningsen said. "We get to check the vehicle not moving, inspecting a few parts visually, and try to make a determination of what happens as the vehicle moves down the road."
What are the biggest brake issues?
Each panel member discussed what they believe to be the biggest brake issues facing shops today. Problems included brake pulsation, improper or lack of lubrication, and trying to compete with big-box stores by offering cheap brake jobs.
"You are never going to be the cheapest, so why not be the best," Buckley said. "Get a sign that says, 'We repair $69.95 brake jobs.'"
Consumers need to be educated on the difference between a $69.95 and a $159.95 brake job, he said, adding that one of the reasons the automotive repair industry is not popular with the consumer is because technicians to tend be good mechanics but lousy communicators.
"The shop owners that are complaining about big-box stores offering cheap brake jobs are usually not willing to take the time to explain to people why they charge more and tell them what they are going to get with a premium brake job," Buckley said.
Pedal pulsation and brake dust.
One of the primary contributors to pedal pulsation and wheel dust is delayed pad retraction due to old and/or faulty calipers, said Buckley, adding that any caliper that has more than 100,000 miles, especially on cars that have not had regular brake fluid flushes, is not retracting the brake pad from the rotor properly.
"Even if the brake pad lies against the rotor for a few seconds after releasing the brake instead of pulling away immediately, it will cause excessive brake dust," he said. "Just because a caliper doesn't leak, doesn't mean the internal working of it is good. A lot of pedal pulsation can be caused by a pad that is lying against the rotor too long, which causes a friction layer transfer on the rotor, and eventually that friction material piles up on the rotor and causes roughness or brake pedal pulsation."
Post-service rotor cleaning.
Henningsen said the first step in cleaning a rotor after servicing it on a brake lathe is washing the rotor with a brake cleaner or something that can cut through petroleum-based contaminations.
The second step, he said, is washing the rotor with soapy water, followed by a water rinse, and finally a wipe-down with a paper towel. Refrain from using a shop rag or air because they contain oil, he said.
Why do rotors require a special cleaning sequence?
Up until around 2000, almost all brake pads on a car were semi-metallic, Buckley said, so when a rotor was machined on a brake lathe, metal powder was embedded in the rotor, and it could be sprayed with brake cleaner and reapplied. When the brake pad pressed against the rotor and picked up the metal powder, it did not really affect the performance of the brakes because the brake pad was already 50 percent metal, he said.
However, since 2000 the automakers have been using ceramic/organic pads. Currently, seven out of 10 vehicles have ceramic/organic pads, he said.
"If you leave that powdered metal on the rotor after machining it, it will embed itself in the surface of that organic/ceramic brake pad, and it will not break in properly, and it will make noise in the pad that (the manufacturer) said would not make noise," Buckley said.
The noise occurs due to an improper cleaning of the rotor, which leads to metal particles embedding themselves in the organic/ceramic pad, Henningsen said.
"Proper rotor cleaning is as easy as having a squirt bottle with soapy water and another spray bottle with water," he said.
Although doing a proper brake job may add a little time to the repair, Buckley said it will make the customer happy, and there is no better advertisement than a satisfied customer.
"Think about it this way," he said. "Guys always tell me that they don't have enough time, but they always have time to do it over again."
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