Issues after getting front brake service done

Back in mid April I took my Taco 2009 to the dealer for inspection and service. They recommended, among other items to have the front brakes serviced.

Paid (quoting from invoice):
1) labor - $134.99
a) replaced front brake pads with new front rotors
b) lubricated. caliper slide pins
2) parts - $322.84
a) brake clean
b) rotor, brake fr
c) fr brake pad
d) shim kit, anti sq
Total: $457.83 + tax

While they were at it, they also recommended to replace the break fluid.
Paid
1) labor - $90.00
a) completed brake fluid flush, including bleeding system
2) parts - $45.27
a) brake fluid flush
Total: $135.27 + tax

Grand Total: $593.10 + tax

So about 6 Benjamins for having these folks work on my brakes.

A month later, the front brakes started screeching, really bad (loud). Two weeks of enduring that screeching noise, I decided to schedule another appointment, but first, I found this forum and viewed some YouTube videos and gathered enough courage to jack up my Taco, remove the front driver wheel and take a look for myself. This is what I found:



Those pad pins don't look lubricated to me (above), like some videos on YouTube that I've watched (the contact points where the parts meet/move). The upper pin is secured by a safety clip (below). The pin moves freely from side to side, but I don't see any evidence of lubrication anywhere. Rust is everywhere however.



Finally, the lower pin has no safety clip, and the only thing holding it in place is the rust.



Is this normal? Is this safe?

I mounted the wheel back and re-torqued the lug nuts, but didn't dare look at the passenger side brakes... not yet anyway. Thank you for your comments.

 

The brakes look fine to me. Meaning the pads and rotors.

yes, when I change the brake pads, I sand the pin and then apply grease on it, so it can move freely. And there absolutely should be a safety clip in both of the pins.

can’t tell from the picture, but maybe that “spring” that pushes the pads apart….on the lower pin……is it rubbing against the rotor?

 

You don’t really have to lube the whole pin.
The pads won’t slide in towards the middle any further than then rotor.
I lube the whole pin, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s “easier”.
You think the dealer would have used new hardware. Yours looks old?

 

I suspected as much (not having to lube the whole pin), but the contact area where the pin meets the caliper and perhaps the pad holder should be? Another concern of mine is that should the pin fall off or travel enough to cause play in the lower pad area, wouldn't that compromise the whole breaking mechanism? And yes, the pins don't cost that much... why wouldn't the dealer put new hardware in there while they were at it? I mean, I gave the the green light to do a complete front brake service.

 

I'll buy a hardware kit tomorrow at my local AutoZone and check both sides (driver and passenger). They're only like $5 per kit. I have lost confidence taking my truck back to that shop. May as well learn to do it myself.

 

Make sure the wishbone shaped spring isn't rubbing on the rotors, that could make a squeal. Just buy a hardware kit to get that clip for the pad retainer.

You shouldn't grease those retainers pins. They don't do it at the factory and it just attracts dirt. They just need to be clean and rust free.

 

brake job done improperly

safety pin assorted kit at harbor freight

slide pins are to be cleaned and lubricated

also, regarding noise
you're supposed to do a bed in procedure. This cannot be done by the technician. New brakes must have at least 200 miles of regular driving put on them first, before doing a bed in.
Which, is after they have been properly installed (yours are not)

normally, the mechanic takes the pins out
walks over with them to a bench grinder with a spinning wire wheel on it
wearing safety glasses to protect from loose wire flying out
and quickly cleans them to a shiny like-new condition
before putting specific grease to aid in sliding, and corrosion protection

is it safe? I've driven with a caliper falling off. Then fixed it. Yours is not that extreme but, it's not proper either.

not high end brand
not high end mechanics

 

Not sure how many miles on your 09 but mine also required a caliper rebuild (or replace as dealer does) by 180k as sticking/hanging up.
So I do not use OEM pads but looks like 2 shims or some kind of noise reducing plates on each pad side so is that normal?
One of the OEM use guys should know the answer as I use Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors and Z36 pads and they have a burn in procedure takes 10 minutes of driving and multiple stops/cool downs etc.
Noise could also be bent backing place so look at that contacting the caliper or disc/pad but doubt that after 2 months.
Is it brakes - have your front wheel bearings/hubs ever been replaced (see posts on how to check them)?

 

Most vehicles with disk brakes use what's called a "floating caliper" design where the caliper floats on a set of "sliders." These sliders allow the caliper to "float" laterally and they must be properly lubricated. If not - or if they freeze up - the pads will wear unevenly.

Tacomas (and 4Runners) use what's called a "fixed caliper" design. This means the caliper does not move, but since something has to move, the pads float on the pins in the OP's pictures. Is one design better than the other? They both have advantages and disadvantages.

I think what happened is the Service Writer used a generic write up that referred to a floating caliper design. Is the statement wrong? Yes, for a fixed caliper. No for a floating caliper. Should the pins be lubricated? The factory does not lubricate them. I just replace them every time I do the brakes.

 

Today I went to my local AutoZone and picked up two front disc brake hardware kits and two sets of guide pins, came back home and got to work. This is how things look like now:



I lubricated the pins' contact points with this:



This pic shows the (now) clearance between the anti-rattle spring and the pads:



This is the front passenger side brake:



Another view:



And this is how it looks like now:



The following pic shows the anti-rattle spring clearance:



TacoTuesday mentioned that the pads need to be bedded in after a certain number of miles; I'll read up on the procedure and proceed to perform that when the target mileage is reached.

I'll take a longish drive later this afternoon to see how things go.

 

Job well done.

 

Technically they're not slide pins, they're pad retainers. All they do is hold the pads in place. Slider pins are on floating calipers where one half of the caliper slides inward and squeezes down on the pads. They will have a rubber boot to keep the dirt out and the grease in.

 

Yeah, slide pins are the ones that are often over looked by a lot of DIYers.
The worst one I seen was in a Ford Mustang. By the time I got it out, it would have been easier to buy a caliper. What a pain in the ass it was to get it out.

 

What is your method of the bed in procedure?
I know what it entails, just curious as to what you do/prefer?

 

Yep, when I'm quoting a brake job, I go straight to those caliper slides and see if they're seized. The sooner I know the condition of the calipers, the sooner I can quote a good estimate.

 

the pads slide on them

there’s instructions out there. After seeing enough of them I usually do an average of it. Which is up to 10 hard repeated stops. It’s supposed to bed the pad to the rotor, lay down some transfer material so your braking is pad friction material squeezing more friction material deposited onto the rotor for better performance. They probably say it can be done more than once for that reason over a long period of time when the deposited friction material wears off the rotor. But so far I’ve never done it more than once in the life of my rotors.

doesn’t have to be 10. Could be 5 or 7. Better than nothing. As long as it’s over 2-3.
Key is cooling afterward.
Last time I did it, truck was empty so things didn’t go flying.
Open empty highway middle of the day. Normal speed. Hazards on maybe. Check nobody’s behind.
Brake hard down to like 10mph. Never a full stop that would cook an imprint causing vibration.
You're looking to go pretty much to the limit of ABS kicking in and will feel yourself going forward in the seatbelt.

back up to speed. Repeat. When done, drive at least a mile at speed so there’s enough airflow cooling the brakes back down after all the heat generated from that.
Hopefully no little rocks from off-roading or anything at the time pinched in the brakes.

I've done it on customer cars. Why? Their brakes have been done. They complain of squealing. Especially on a cold morning after some moisture has caused a temporary removable layer of surface rust. And their brakes look fine not in need of replacement. Hopefully the car is in for something else like an oil change. Where that road test bed in also functions to warm the oil, quality check the car, whatever.
Which, of course, the advisor doesn't tell them about a bed in even though it's their job. So they've dropped it off with loose items in the car. Probably no diag on it, just an inspect. Can't justify paying an hour for a guy to slam on your brakes. Really they should do it themselves but are probably scared to.
Couple slams on the brakes takes care of it. Random cars looking at you like "what is going on" doing something that they should know about.
Customer doesn't drive their car like it's supposed to be driven. Happens pretty often; performance cars without performance driving.
In their case, squeak doesn't always mean fork over $1k for a brake job. Just hit the brakes.

I would tend to go by any more reputable brand instructions if you can find them. (StopTech, Akebono, maybe Pagid, Ate, and Textar, etc.) Here is some less reputable brands that come up quick on Google

https://brakeperformance.com/bedding-in-rotors.php

https://www.powerstop.com/resources/brake-pad-break-in-procedure/

 

I get onto the highway when it’s clear of cars, get going fast and do a sharp, hard brake application and slow right down. Do that twice and they will be bedded. (Warning, first hard stop brake application can cause some wiggles)

 

It's definitely different on a Tacoma, high up with travel and soft suspension, etc.
vs street cars (some even have their bias designed to lean back during braking rather than forward) that tend to brake fast and flat without a fuss and quickly power back up to speed

 

We all have our own way of bedding.
However, Advics was the OEM supplier for the 2nd Gen trucks. I’d say it is safe to say, their process would work.

https://www.advicsaftermarket.com/t...cs-how-to-bedding-in-brake-rotors-brake-pads/


FWIW, I don’t do it their way. But I do it similar to their way. But not 30 stops.

 

I appreciate the insights, thank you!