My rear brake fiasco (dealership, I know)

[Astro14]

It may be worth investigating and determining the root cause. Calipers are not designed to be replaced with every brake pad change. Doing things this way would require bleeding the system at each pad replacement and would simply drive the parts and labor up exponentially. Imagine going to a dealer or a muffler shop and having them say calipers are needed at each brake job.

I agree - on the other hand, he’s in upstate New York, with heavily salted roads. He probably gets one set of new calipers before the entire vehicle rusts out…

 

[KrisZ]

My last rust belt car had 14 years when I got rid of it and had all original calipers. I did clean and grease the pins annually and inspected and cleaned the piston boots every pad change.

Not sure what some of you are doing that would require so many caliper changes.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

It's specifically the salt brine that NY uses. There's additional chemicals in it that are extremely corrosive - even eats radiator hoses and rubber bits low and exposed to the road. The state also sprays it on dirt roads to keep the dust down .. I drive on a lot of dirt roads so my vehicles get exposed to it year round.

I'll pop the line off and can't even run the piston back in with the c-clamp.

Our Sentra did just get a pad slap. But it doesn't get driven in the winter. I had to pull the brakes off of the Marquis when I did the ball joints and just to get the front brakes back on I had to use a c-clamp to drive the pistons back in. Those calipers are only 2 years old but the ones that came off are the same. I still have them and will hone the bore and put in new pistons before winter.

 

[John105]

It's specifically the salt brine that NY uses. There's additional chemicals in it that are extremely corrosive - even eats radiator hoses and rubber bits low and exposed to the road. The state also sprays it on dirt roads to keep the dust down .. I drive on a lot of dirt roads so my vehicles get exposed to it year round.

I'll pop the line off and can't even run the piston back in with the c-clamp.

Our Sentra did just get a pad slap. But it doesn't get driven in the winter. I had to pull the brakes off of the Marquis when I did the ball joints and just to get the front brakes back on I had to use a c-clamp to drive the pistons back in. Those calipers are only 2 years old but the ones that came off are the same. I still have them and will hone the bore and put in new pistons before winter.

Just a thought…my 1998 Maxima was purchased new and I lived in Albany. I do think that just 1 1/2 years there did damage from the salt. I moved to Phila which is not as bad but there still is salt and by year 12 my lower rad support collapsed.

I just remembered that on this car yes the rear calipers went at least 3x. Also, the piston required being winded back ie twisted with my tool to compress them. I always thought bad design was the culprit, but maybe corrosion too? Though no issues on fronts…

It’s a shame that the salt does so much damage…

 

[Doc8404]

It's specifically the salt brine that NY uses. There's additional chemicals in it that are extremely corrosive - even eats radiator hoses and rubber bits low and exposed to the road. The state also sprays it on dirt roads to keep the dust down .. I drive on a lot of dirt roads so my vehicles get exposed to it year round.

I'll pop the line off and can't even run the piston back in with the c-clamp.

Our Sentra did just get a pad slap. But it doesn't get driven in the winter. I had to pull the brakes off of the Marquis when I did the ball joints and just to get the front brakes back on I had to use a c-clamp to drive the pistons back in. Those calipers are only 2 years old but the ones that came off are the same. I still have them and will hone the bore and put in new pistons before winter.

The new garage I go to in Clinton NY charge $156 an hour but the work they do is amazing.

They put different types of protection on everything they touch.

 

[John105]

just did a pad slap job today, very hot outside…(real feel 99F)

The seal on the right is not nice like the left. I stepped on the brakes to see if any difference when the piston extends, and no

13 yo and 127k hoping won’t ever need a replacement

 

[D60]

It may be worth investigating and determining the root cause. Calipers are not designed to be replaced with every brake pad change. Doing things this way would require bleeding the system at each pad replacement and would simply drive the parts and labor up exponentially. Imagine going to a dealer or a muffler shop and having them say calipers are needed at each brake job.

My local indy "brake specialist" pretty much does exactly this. I don't 100% blame them as I'm always leary of old, swollen phenolics that get shoved back in to the piston bore after years of being exposed and mashed against the pad backer.

IOW, it should reduce comebacks, but that also conveniently ignores the fact all aftermarket calipers are garbage.

The other thing those guys LOVE to do is measure moisture content in the fluid and tell you you need a full bleed every time. They give you a number for moisture content.

I'm pretty sure you could get 100% fresh fluid in the system and one day later they'd say it has too much moisture.

 

[D60]

Just a thought…my 1998 Maxima was purchased new and I lived in Albany. I do think that just 1 1/2 years there did damage from the salt. I moved to Phila which is not as bad but there still is salt and by year 12 my lower rad support collapsed.

I just remembered that on this car yes the rear calipers went at least 3x. Also, the piston required being winded back ie twisted with my tool to compress them. I always thought bad design was the culprit, but maybe corrosion too? Though no issues on fronts…

It’s a shame that the salt does so much damage…

Wound. Please,  wound

 

[Doc8404]

My local indy "brake specialist" pretty much does exactly this. I don't 100% blame them as I'm always leary of old, swollen phenolics that get shoved back in to the piston bore after years of being exposed and mashed against the pad backer.

IOW, it should reduce comebacks, but that also conveniently ignores the fact all aftermarket calipers are garbage.

The other thing those guys LOVE to do is measure moisture content in the fluid and tell you you need a full bleed every time. They give you a number for moisture content.

I'm pretty sure you could get 100% fresh fluid in the system and one day later they'd say it has too much moisture.

I just paid for a a brake flush. My Indy tests for corrosiveness