contaminated brake pads...

[Leodis]

School boy error yesterday whilst cleaning the bike, got a wee bit carried away with the water displacer and caught my front and rear brake discs and pads. The first I hear of the problem was a screech like a squirrel giving birth...

My questions are...

Is it easy to replace shimano disc pads?
Which pads would I need for Shimano M445?
Would a service + parts cover this?

Thanks

 

[sabian92]

You'd be cheaper buying them and fitting them yourself.

They're pretty easy to replace although you do need to make sure you do it properly.

 

[Pauluk]

Have you lost braking power or are they just noisy?
I would try cleaning my discs first. If that doesn't fully cure the problem you can always try rubbing the pads with a bit of sand paper. I've done a similar thing in the past, but not that bad and the brakes recovered quite quickly just by cleaning the discs and using the brakes.

 

[Leodis]

I had lost quite a bit of stopping power this morning, but tonight wasnt too bad about 80%

 

[Peteaud]

ive done the same thing in the not too distant past.

Get them nice and hot on a long hill and most will burn off.

They are easy to change but i got away with it and after a few miloes they are back to norm.

 

[Pauluk]

I had lost quite a bit of stopping power this morning, but tonight wasnt too bad about 80%

As long as you can stop your bike safely I would suggest you use them and see if they improve and as Peteaud said try and 'burn' them in a little.

A disc cleaner is worth getting too as it sometimes cuts down on the squealing. I think a lot of riders with discs go through this sort of thing to begin with. I hated my disc brakes when they were new because they squealed so much but now they are pretty much silent.

 

[Blurb]

Had the same squealing on my Avids after getting some lubricant on them and sorted it by wiping down the discs with 99.9% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). A popular auction site can supply or a friendly pharmacy.

 

[Pauluk]

A popular auction site can supply or a friendly pharmacy.

I'd be careful buying Isopropyl Alcohol from the chemist. They sometimes try to sell you surgical spirit (I don't think they are legally allowed to sell pure Isopropyl Alcohol but I'm not sure as you can buy it over the net) and this may have additives like caster oil that I wouldn't trust on my discs. So buy online. I got a big bottle from a supplier on the net for about £4.

Having said that Halfords disc cleaner seems ok and I must admit I don't have to use it very often.