The 2012 civic on my lift changed how I fix brakes now

Last Tuesday a customer brought in this beat up 2012 Civic with a grinding noise. I pulled the drum and found the shoes were completely gone, metal on metal, and the drum had this deep groove that should have been trash. But the guy said he couldn't afford a new drum, so I spent 45 minutes with a brake hone trying to smooth it out. It worked way better than I thought, and I realized I've been too quick to swap parts instead of trying to save them. Anyone else have a moment where a cheap fix made you question your whole shop process?

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milam485d ago

$85 for the drum and 45 minutes of your time on a car worth maybe $3k. I get that you saved the customer money today but you also ate that labor cost on a part that has a service life. Next time that drum comes in, it's going to be wore past spec and you'll have to replace it anyway, so you just added a second visit for that customer. I've been doing this 14 years and I learned the hard way that hones on drums are for light scoring, not deep grooves. You measure the drum thickness after you hone it and if it's under minimum, the thing is a hazard no matter how smooth it feels. The customer might be back in 2 months with the same noise and then you're the guy who "fixed" it with a cheap band-aid. I'd rather lose a customer on price than lose my reputation when that brake fails on a hill.