Front brake pad springs broken

I did a little walk around my truck this AM and saw that the little springs that clip onto the front brake pads were broken. At first I thought it was just the passenger side but later I saw that the drivers side was also broken. Very strange. This is an aftermarket set of brakes... Powerstop brand... been on only for about 40,000 miles or so. Pads and rotors still look fine. The OEM springs were fine and intact when I put this set on at about 75,000 miles.

Not a great big deal but odd and I have never seen this before. These springs don't move or bend much and don't have any large loads on them. I picked up a new pair of springs from Advance for $4.00 and popped them in. But still I wonder why they broke in the first place. Anyone here seen this before?

Disc Brake Hardware Kit 15782A: Advance Auto Parts

 

That's a new one on me. When I did my brakes I replaced them even though the old ones were in good shape. I went to the dealer and picked up 4 new springs and installed them on the top and bottom. It's been 10 or 11 months and still haven't heard any pad slap since. Hope I haven't jinxed myself...

 

The big difference on those parts between OEM and aftermarket is the finishing / plating process. Aftermarket springs get the bare minimum and thus corrode and fail significantly quicker.

 

yeah as stated above, you should get new OEM (more corrosion resistant) and get x4 for top and bottom of pad. It'll help the pads lift off the rotor when no brake applied. less rolling resistance, longer pad life... in theory at least

 

You know after this episode I am not convinced these springs do much of anything. They have been broken for awhile... months at least, maybe a year or more, and I noticed no noise, extra wear or any bad behavior. Nor do I see any changes since I replaced them. They do put a little pressure on the pads to release them from the rotor but they are really weak... and once the pins and holes in the pads where the pins ride pick up some grit and corrosion these springs aren't going to do be able to overcome that. I did put some caliper grease on the pins while I was in there. I will probably get some new ones from the dealer one of these days, maybe they are stronger?