Another reason to not use aftermarket brake pads?

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: JustinC25
Originally Posted By: Spazdog


Besides, who's to say that these OE pads that you praise aren't made by Bendix, Wagner, Morse, Raybestos, etc... and just packaged differently. That OEM box sure does cost a lot for the same part.



OEM Honda pads are made by Akebono, Nissin, or Sumitomo, as with many Japanese cars.


Pads are sourced from those companies.

No guarantee that those companies are actually making the pads.

Especially on a 10+ year old car that the calipers and associated components are no longer in production for.


Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
there are more reasons to use aftermarket than oem

1) cheaper
2) oem is usually semi metallic-dusty and louder
3) ceramic pads are easily accessible


...And in the case of Tokico motorcycle brakes, the OEM pads are harder. It makes for a longer wearing pad but it doesn't offer much feel, requires more effort at your fingertips and right foot, it's harder to modulate, and is brutal on the brake discs.

Back to back comparisons on my Kawasaki pretty much settled it for me. EBC had a shorter lifespan but the brakes were so much noticeably better that I stuck with the EBCs.

 

[another Todd]

In the case of Ford, motorcraft pads are not OEM. You can buy motorcraft or "genuine Ford". The motorcraft which they want you to believe are OEM are cheaper replacements to the OEM, no better than aftermarket. OEM are extreemly overpriced.

 

[4x4chevydude]

I dont know what dealers yall go to but every dealer thing I have bought seems to be very competive with the price I find at the stores. Also any cheap pad is going to be made cheap thats why one set cost 20 and another 50. You want good quality buy the good quality ones. Bashing dealers high prices makes no sense as ive done price comparisons and found that some things are even cheaper.

 

[97f150]

I dont rely on an indicator to tell me something is wearing thin, especially not on an safety item like brake pads. Every 5,000 miles when I change the oil in both of my cars, I stick my head under there and inspect the pads that way I know well in advance when they will need replacing. No way would I use Mopar or Motorcraft OEM pads and have them dust the rim and tire up 5 minutes after washing for something as silly as a wear indicator.

 

[CBR.worm]

Not that it matters, but some cars (BMW) tell you how many miles each axle has left on it's brake pads.

Our front pads have 11K left in them, the rear 19K. So they should get us just out of the free 50K maintenance.

 

[4D-56]

im glad i posted, there have been many great replies that I have learnt from, thanks you gentlemen! great perspectives.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I only buy OEM brakes as well. I've been unhappy with aftermarket pads too many times. The cheap aftermarket pads that were on my Dakota when I bought it didn't have the wear indicators (they didn't fall off: they just simply didn't have them) and didn't have the correct spring clips on the pads that the OEM pads did. So they rattled.

I've been happiest with OEM pads.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I only buy OEM brakes as well. I've been unhappy with aftermarket pads too many times. The cheap aftermarket pads that were on my Dakota when I bought it didn't have the wear indicators (they didn't fall off: they just simply didn't have them) and didn't have the correct spring clips on the pads that the OEM pads did. So they rattled.

I've been happiest with OEM pads.


Give the Wagner TQ a try. I think I may be a Wagner TQ convert.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
How about regular inspections. Some of us don't need to rotate, and a few of us aren't supposed to!

Besides, the pads you buy at the parts counter are rarely the pad that was truly factory-installed on your car.


Most maintenance schedules include regular inspections. So unless something is broken, such as a stuck caliper, etc, normal wear should be caught during one of the periodic inspections.

The wear indicators are not the primary means of detecting a worn pad. They are a last ditch effort to catch those who are not following the schedule, or had something cause abnormal wear since the last inspection.

 

[KrisZ]

Periodic inspection is the key in my opinion as well. I just had to change my rear brake pads and rotors not because there was no material left, but because the pads were sticking and not wearing evenly because of rust. This caused mushy brakes and junked the rotors. The pads and rotors were original OEM and were replaced with Thermoquiets and aftermarket rotors.

I already have the aftermarket pads and rotors up front and the are performing very close to OEM.

 

[Paulson]

I inspect every time I rotate.

I'm a tightwad but when it comes to safety that's where I draw the line. While I do use the cheapest brake pads I can buy (when it comes to the back brakes on my old intrepid) or on an old Blazer, I always check them.

I figure even if they last dramatically less than more expensive pads, it doesn't matter to me because on my cars they are easy enough to change out whenever I want to. Never had an issue with sub $12 brake pads.

Rotors are a different story... I'd never buy OEM but I try to spend a little bit more than the cheapest available as I've had some issues with warped rotors right out of the box, and that's never a fun issue to have.

 

[38sho]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I often wonder why dealers don't make their parts and service more user friendly. In other words, if they competed price wise with the parts stores and independent garages, they would have much more traffic into their facility, generating more profit?

Maybe their overhead is just too high to compete? I would buy more OEM parts if they were not 3 times more expensive.

You are correct in the general concept, stro_cruser. Sometimes dealer parts just work better. Sharing our experiences here helps determine which parts those are.


Actually, I find Ford is often cheaper than many of the parts stores.



Orly?

my ford pads are close to 100 bucks............

Lexus/Toyota are about the only OEM pads I'd use normally, they are fairly cheap(although I don't make hardly any money off of them) but they last a long time and are very quiet....

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: 38sho
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I often wonder why dealers don't make their parts and service more user friendly. In other words, if they competed price wise with the parts stores and independent garages, they would have much more traffic into their facility, generating more profit?

Maybe their overhead is just too high to compete? I would buy more OEM parts if they were not 3 times more expensive.

You are correct in the general concept, stro_cruser. Sometimes dealer parts just work better. Sharing our experiences here helps determine which parts those are.


Actually, I find Ford is often cheaper than many of the parts stores.



Orly?

my ford pads are close to 100 bucks............

Lexus/Toyota are about the only OEM pads I'd use normally, they are fairly cheap(although I don't make hardly any money off of them) but they last a long time and are very quiet....


Pads for the Expedition were around $50 IIRC?

 

[38sho]

are you talking Ford blue box or Motorcraft red box?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: 38sho
are you talking Ford blue box or Motorcraft red box?


Motorcraft red box.

 

[38sho]

89.23 from Ford, I normally see them in the 90's online if you can still find them, great pads though....

the police brake pads MSRP is 156.62 =0


motorcraft red box is not Ford OEM parts. They are totally different, and of a lesser quality..... In fact of the two sets I've installed this year(one was on my rears), both squealed something horrible.... all I did was change the brake pad and not touch anything else and the noise whent away instantly lol... with so many other brake pad options out there I think I will stay away from the Motorcraft red box pads.....

and some of those can get pricey too, I think some for the vans are up their in price

 

[nthach]

For me, the times I used OEM they are good pads from a NVH standpoint but the stopping power left much to be desired. I'm happy with Axxis/PBR or Monroe pads, not so much with Wagner.