Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_December_2019 - 30

Break away from
self-inflicted brake problems
Tips and tools to avoid come-backs after brake maintenance and service.
By Barry Hoyland, Contributing Editor

t seems like the simpler, or more
routine a repair is, the easier it is to
make errors that affect the outcome
of, or outright prevent, a quality
repair. These errors, mostly due to
technician complacency or poor quality
control, will influence your customer's
perception of your shop and, just as
important, your bottom line.
In this month's Tool Briefing, we
will discuss how you can take a little
extra time (and use the right tools) to
help ensure vehicles are being repaired
correctly. With this in mind, you are
more likely to reduce customer comebacks while maintaining productivity
and profitability.

COMMON ISSUE 1: IMPROPER
BRAKE INSPECTION PRACTICES

Any complete repair begins with a proper
diagnosis, and brake work is no exception. Many technicians will inspect
brakes by using a wear gauge such as
the GEARWRENCH 3962 wear indicator
set. These gauges will give the technician
an accurate measurement of the brake
pad thickness.
A common problem with using these
tools is many technicians do not remove
the wheels or the calipers from the vehicle before taking the measurement. Even
though the technician can measure the
brake pad thickness with the wheels on,
removing the wheels and the calipers
will allow the technician to identify any
additional faults present in the brakes.
When a technician removes the
wheels and calipers, he or she can then
visually check for uneven wear, measure
the rotor thickness, and/or determine if
the pads or rotors have any cracking or

PTEN

DECEMBER 2019

TOOLS USED:
* Brake wear gauge
* Scan tool
* Vehicle information
* Brake fluid tester or test strips
* Dial indicator
* Torque wrench
* Torque stick or socket
* Brake hub polisher
* Brake bleeder screw repair kit
heat related issues. They can also determine if any leaks are present.
Another error I have seen technicians
make is to not remove the rear wheels
and check the rear brake system, especially with vehicles that use drum brakes
in the rear. This is mainly due to the
technician's experience that rear brakes
do not wear at the same rate as the fronts.
Even though that is true, rear brakes
still wear and require periodic inspection
and adjustment. Additionally, rear parking brakes will wear and require service,
including rear disc systems which may
need both a caliper/pad adjustment and
an inspection of the rear parking brake
shoes, which will necessitate removing
the rear rotors.
Another often overlooked part of a
brake inspection is to connect a scan
tool to determine if any codes are present in the ABS or traction control system. Any codes you receive will indicate
an issue that needs further inspection.
Along with scanning the system, use

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your vehicle information database to
check for TSBs and for updated service
maintenance procedures.
It is also critical to check the brake
fluid with either a test strip or an electronic tester such as the OTC 4598
DOT 3 tester, or the Cal-Van Tools No.
66 tester which tests all brake fluids
for contamination.
Each of the above steps is necessary
to provide both you and your customer with an accurate analysis of their
brake system.

COMMON ISSUE 2: VEHICLE
HAS VIBRATION AFTER
BRAKE SERVICE

This complaint is very common in
recent years since many shops routinely
replace brake rotors rather than use a
brake lathe to surface them. The cost of
replacement rotors has dropped significantly ever since imported parts became
readily available, so many shops choose
to replace, rather than surface, rotors.
One potential issue with these rotors
is that during shipping they may have
been stored on their side, rather than flat,
which can cause them to warp. Other
possible defects of new rotors include
imperfections in the surface that meets
the hub, or variations in the thickness
of the rotor.
A technician can detect such conditions by spending a few moments during the installation process using a dial
indicator, like the Steelman 60378, to test
for run-out. Many shops go on to install
rotors without checking the run-out, or
might even fail to measure the rotor to
ensure it meets size specifications. We
have even seen some instances where a

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Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_December_2019

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