Bending the wear indicators is a waste of time. The squeal isn't that loud and the time to remove the wheels and possibly remove the calipers means you're half done with the brake job. Why do the work twice? Also, while this is rare, consider the potential for a lawsuit if the other guy runs a red light and causes a crash. A good lawyer or insurance investigator will find this "modification" and convince a jury you were partly at fault for the crash because you were less able to avoid it. This is a really big deal when an owner raises their truck or lowers their car. Incorrect ride height affects braking, handling, comfort, and steering response, all negatively. While bending wear indicators isn't nearly as serious, it does show that you knew your brake pads were worn and reaching the end of their life. You and I both know that is not likely to be a contributing factor in a crash when there's still some lining left, but mechanics and shop owners know that lawyers don't use common sense. We have to be on the defensive all the time. It's what directs a lot of the decisions we make when we write up an estimate for repairs and determine what to try to sell you.
If you are experienced enough to go in there and try to bend the war indicators, you're most likely qualified to replace the pads yourself, but before you do that, I'll share a number of tricks mechanics use to avoid causing other noises and pedal pulsations. Some are things we do to prevent problems, and some are things we have to avoid to prevent causing problems.
I'm racing a dying laptop battery, but I'll be back within the next two days to see if you need more of my wondrous advice!
Friday, December 26th, 2014 AT 3:20 PM
