LUMAG, the leading specialist braking supplier behind the pioneering BRECK brand, offers mechanics and technicians a quick, simple guide to the most common brake pad issues and how they can occur.
Issue: Separation of the friction material
Cause: Using pads without an underlayer or with low mechanical strength.
Issue: Damaged (bent) back plate
Cause: Faulty pad installation; uneven wear of pads in a single caliper or the seizure of a pad in the caliper yoke/plate resulting from corrosion, for example.
Issue: Dirty pad, soaked with oil, grease or brake fluid
Cause: May occur if a service technician doesn’t handle the part with sufficient caution during installation. The pad can also get dirty after a leak of braking fluid or grease from a bearing.
Issue: ‘Vitrification’ of the friction material
Cause: Continuous braking with very hot brakes or pads are made of an improper friction material.
Issue: Excessive pad wear
Cause: The lack of proper inspection of a vehicle’s braking system during routine maintenance checks or low quality of the friction material.
Issue: Cracked friction material
Cause: Bending of the brake pad caused by seizure in the caliper yoke, for instance; or possibly low mechanical strength in high temperatures.
Issue: Charring of the friction material caused by extreme heat (pad ‘burning’)
Cause: Excessive braking, overheating the pads and racing at unusually high speed.
Issue: Uneven pad wear caused by its improper interaction with the disc
Cause: Excessive brake disc wear.
Issue: Irregular wear (diagonal wearing out of the material)
Cause: Cuts on the caliper’s sliding surfaces and excessive caliper play.
Issue: Excessive corrosion
Cause: Pads made of low quality materials. Corrosion may also damage pads in cars stored in a corrosive environment after a long period of disuse.
Find out more
For further details on LUMAG’s ranges available to the aftermarket, including its own BRECK brand, please call 0121 520 1160 or email office@lumagltd.co.uk. Alternatively, visit www.lumagltd.co.uk to find the latest products.
For more information, interviews or images please contact:
Claire Brown or Kimberley Hornby, Hornby Whitefoot PR
Tel: 07787 505963 E-mail:claire@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk
Tel: 01858 681122 E-mail: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk
About LUMAG
With a history spanning almost 30 years, LUMAG was founded in Poland in 1988 by CEO Marek Żak, initially focusing on the production of brake linings before later implementing its own brake pad manufacturing technology. Over the years the company has achieved enormous technological progress, through applied engineering solutions as well as the continuous rise of quality and safety standards.
Since September 2013 it has been operating out of a purpose built new production facility located 60km from Poznań in the town of Budzyń, covering an area of approx. 19,000 square metres, allowing the company to satisfy ever-growing customer needs and to meet strict demands of the OEM market.
The factory features an automated mixing facility, designed and custom-built for the manufacture of friction materials, coupled with high-capacity processing lines. The investment has multiplied its previous production capacity and allowed it to increase its headcount by around 10%.
The company’s mission is to supply car and commercial vehicle users with high-quality products ensuring safe braking, and in doing so, improving the safety of all road users.
LUMAG’s UK operations are based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Further information can be found at www.lumagltd.co.uk.