Rear drum brakes - why?

Update to post
10 year rear brake maintenance cost for 2010- 2016 Mazda 6, 2016-2020 Honda CRV vs 2010- 2021 Tacoma.

Honda + Mazda. Approx. $1200 for self service maintenance. Probably $2400 if dealer did work.

Tacoma $0. Still has original drums and shoes. Inspected annually.
By far most reliable and lowest cost of ownership vehicle I have ever owned.

 

Yikes, that's bad.

 

For all of you guys that thinks that disc brakes are easier and faster to maintain... you're not finishing the job. If all you think you have to do is replace the pads and rotors then you should be taking your truck to a shop and let a professional do the job.

 

Not a brake expert here. What are them fellers neglecting to do to finish the job?

 

The calipers. Have you ever wondered why when you replace your pad and rotors they never seem to last as long as the original ones? The calipers rust... and when iron rusts, it expands making channels smaller and removing the freedom of the pads to float. If it's the first brake job, things aren't too bad but the calipers must be removed and wire brushed and scraped at least. By the second brake job things are getting older and rustier. The same thing must be done again except this time you should probably do a seal kit and possibly a piston. If you are not up to this then you should spend the money and replace the calipers. Also, don't forget to bleed the brake lines.

 

I've had several "professional brake jobs" that were hit and miss. If there is any more to replacing pads and rotors than:
Remove old pads and rotors
Degrease new rotor, clean up rotor/hub contact surface and apply light coating of ant seize lubricant to hub and mount rotor.
Remove pads and clean up locating pins and caliper sliding surfaces, anti seize on contact surfaces, retract piston and inspect dust seal, inspect flex hoses and lines, install, check sliding surfaces for binding and torque to spec.
Install tires and torque to spec.
Function test brakes and emergency brake. Adjust as required.
Check brake fluid level and color. Replace if discolored or recommended change frequency is close.
Road test vehicle .

Am I missing anything?

 

Interesting chart.. Thanks

 

That's pretty good. Myself, I've never had good luck cleaning the caliper slide channels well enough without removing them to the bench. I use a chisel and scrape the rust scale off.

 

Do not use anti-seize compound on disc brakes. First, the "silver" version won't stand up to the heat. Then the "copper" version isn't really designed for brakes. (You can use it sparingly between the hub and back side of the rotor though.) I'd highly recommend lubricants designed specifically for disc brake applications. Toyota has some specific products just for brakes, but any parts store will also have the correct lubricants.

As an additional thought, if you're in the rust belt where brake components corrode pretty quickly, I'd replace anything corroded rather than "cleaning it up" on a wire wheel. Trust me, it'll last a lot longer.

 

OEM parts will get you that kind of service life. Aftermarket parts? Some are absolutely horrible. Let the buyer beware.

 

Maybe if you live in Canada or Massachusetts, but what if you live where there is no rust?

 

I guess I never considered that. That's a whole different kettle of fish. Must be nice for them folks.

 

Free brake pads for life... who cares if I have to replace pads every 2 years and rotors every 4 years.
Total brake job is around 180 bucks, pads and rotors from autozone. Go buy new pads for 40 or so dollars and return the cores for refund. Rotors are only like 60 bucks each.

 

While I agree that unreplaced calipers can lead to issues I don't really buy into Ole Steadfast's theory of expansion of iron due to rust being the problem here. Largely because that concept is mostly restricted to iron that is confined such as iron rebar contained within concrete as an example. The contaminants that can damage the system are things like road grime, brake dust, rust particles, sand and a host of others. These are prevalent everywhere Tacoma's are driven. The theory is as miles tick away and pads get thinner the piston is actuated OUT further and when you replace pads and rotors only, the pistons are pushed back INTO the bore to account for the thicker new pads. As this happens contaminants of all sorts get pushed past the seal and cause damage to it while mixing with the brake fluid which eventually can cause premature failure of components as well as a host of performance issues. Time and miles do the same thing. The idea is that if you replace the rotors, pads, calipers and fluid every time you do a brake service, you avoid this and get original factory durability and performance out of each service.

 

The point I was making was that if you are doing a proper brake job on the front disc brakes, it is no faster than than replacing the rear drum brakes as some folk have earlier mentioned.

 

Noted! but the "silver" stuff works great for me as it is still doing its job at brake service time. If I had to replace anything corroded related to brakes it would mean calipers, caliper holders, backing plates, disc guards, etc. along with rotors. Have no issue with replacing anything if necessary. Lived for many years in an area with six months of winter followed by six months of bad skiing.

 

Dad. What would you use?

 

I use only genuine Toyota parts. Lol Smartass!

 

I work at a Toyota dealership and my son is a Toyota / Lexus Certified Tech. OEM is all we use!

 

I should have clarified. Any moving parts. For instance, the pins that locate the pads are cheap and easy to replace.