There’s an old joke that goes something like this: The
beautiful young girl asks the daring race car driver, “Isn’t it terribly
dangerous racing around the track at such high speeds?” The race car driver
doesn’t hesitate when he responds: “It’s not going fast that you have to worry
about; it’s the sudden stop that will kill you!”
While the above may have a little bit of truth in it, the
reality is for most drivers, it’s not being able to stop that might kill you
(or your customer). That’s the reality and seriousness of your job when working
on a customer’s brake system. There are maybe only one or two other systems on
a vehicle that are as critical to safety as the brake system. The job of
repairing vehicle brakes is getting harder every day. Due to all kinds of
reasons, good and bad, the systems continue to get more complicated almost on a
daily basis. Once upon a time, brakes were a relatively simple system. The
brake system had two main functions: the hydraulics to create force, and the
brake pads and shoes to create the friction to stop.
Today, brake systems are comprised of many sections
including such things as anti-lock braking systems (ABS), active traction or
skid controls, computer-controlled braking, vacuum assist, electro-servos for
various jobs, electric parking brake circuitry and several other new additions.
Oh, and let’s not forget, vehicles still have hydraulics, friction materials,
hardware, springs and the myriad of other small bits and doo-dads to hold
everything in place while Mr. or Mrs. Customer does a panic stop at 80 miles an
hour in the pouring down rain at rush hour on the 405 expressway!
Following is a look at some of the types of tools and
equipment you should consider adding to your tool box to make sure you’re
staying ahead of the curve when it comes to servicing today’s modern brake
systems. I have attempted to cover the major types of repairs that you might
see come into your shop. The list is broken down into groups based on these
repairs.
Electronic/Scan Tools
While there are many times where you will be able to repair
a vehicle’s brakes without a scan tool, you only have to run into one car that
needs this to make it worth having. The reality is that if your customer’s
vehicle is 10 years old or newer, there’s nearly a 100% chance that you could
need a scan tool to perform some sort of test/repair on the brake system.
There are two main options when making a buying decision
about scan tools. You can purchase a stand-alone ABS scan tool/tester, or you
can choose to purchase a scan tool system that has ABS available standard or as
an add-on piece of software. Almost as important as the software itself are OEM
vehicle-specific ABS connectors/cables, which allow you to access brake systems
via connections other than the standard OBD II connector. This is a must for
certain vehicles and systems.
The scan tool will allow you to do many services, such as
diagnosing and repairing an ABS failure, clear brake-related codes and, in some
cases, reset service lights after a standard brake service, such as brake pads.
A new and growing system on vehicles has created the need
for a specific piece of electronic equipment. A few years ago, a couple
European car manufacturers made electronic parking brakes standard equipment on
their vehicles. Since that time, many other manufacturers have followed suit.
This has made the Electronic Parking Brake Tool a necessity for working on many
European and domestic late-model systems. This tool is even needed for the
simple job of replacing brake pads.
The parking brake system uses computer-controlled electronic
servo motors to activate the parking brakes. In order to replace the pads on
these vehicles, you’ll need this tool. The tool does several things including
retracting the pistons, as well as “teaching” the on-board controller that the
car has gotten a new set of pads. In addition to facilitating the repair, this
tool will also help reduce or eliminate the chance of you doing hundreds or
even thousands of dollars of damage to a set of electronic calipers.
Resurface or Replace
This continues to be an often discussed (argued about)
subject. According to many OEMs, brake rotors and drums should be replaced, not
resurfaced. Some (including this writer) wonder how much of this is based on
safety as opposed to economic reasons. In any event, there are still several
tools and types of equipment to consider that are either directly or indirectly
used for resurfacing brake drums and rotors. The most expensive and complicated
piece of equipment is the actual lathe used to resurface drums and rotors.
There are two main types that you should consider when making this capital
expenditure for your shop — the on-car lathe and the traditional bench-style
lathe.
On-Car Lathes — The on-car lathe is used and was created to
service brake rotors while they are still installed on the vehicle. There are
two reasons why this might be done. The first is vehicles that have trapped
rotors. This simply means that the rotors cannot be quickly or easily removed.
They might be pressed on the vehicle or be installed in a manner that requires
a large amount of labor to remove other components in order to remove the
rotors. In these situations, it’s beneficial to be able to turn the rotors in
place for time and labor savings. This also reduces the chance of damage and
injury to the technician.
The second reason you might choose an on-car lathe is
because in some instances the results obtained with this type of machining are
superior to the results of machining rotors on a bench-mounted lathe. The
reasons for this can be several, but the main one is that the rotor is being
turned while it is mounted and in a real-world situation. By machining on the
car, you can eliminate the possibility for mistakes or differences that can
occur during mounting and set-up on a bench lathe. This can give the customer a
better result including less noise, chatter, vibrations, etc. When purchasing
an on-car lathe, it’s important to find out if the unit you’re looking at comes
with or has as an accessory a drive unit. This is an electric motor that will
rotate the vehicle’s wheel assembly during the machining process. This
eliminates the need to operate the vehicle’s motor while it’s on the lift. The
drive unit will add cost to the total purchase price, but in many instances
this is a safer way to do the process.
Bench Lathes — The standard bench lathe still has a place in
automotive repair as it has for the last 80+ years. While most new passenger
vehicles have disc brakes standard on all four wheels, many light- and
medium-duty pickup trucks still use drum brakes on the rear wheels. If your
shop services light- or medium-duty trucks, it may make sense to purchase a
bench lathe. The bench lathe can service both brake drums and rotors. Bench
lathes, in many cases, are less expensive to purchase initially and are
incredibly dependable with a relative low cost of operation. The basic design
of the tool hasn’t changed in more than 50 years, and it’s not uncommon to find
these old beasts still just plugging along after all that time.
Measurement Tools
Measurements of brake drums and rotors and the friction
material are performed regularly as part of brake service. Below are some
things to consider when purchasing measuring tools.
Drum/Rotor Measurement Tools — During any standard brake
service, you need to verify that the rotor is still thick enough to be used or
resurfaced. The minimum thickness is stamped on 99.9% of rotors. This is the
discard point for the rotor. Some rotors also have machine-to specs, which is
the thinnest that you can safely machine the rotor to. In many instances, brake
drums also have the maximum diameter that is safe to use stamped on them.
Rotor Measurement — Brake rotors have to be measured with a
caliper due to their design. Calipers are available in either digital or analog
formats. Both offer accurate readings, you’ll have to decide which one you’re
more comfortable with. Good analog calipers are accurate to 0.001” or 0.01 mm.
One reason to choose analog over digital is there’s no battery or electronics
to replace/repair. In any event, make sure that you choose a tool that can read
both in inches and millimeters, as many vehicles are marked in millimeters. On
digital calipers, be sure to check on features such as data hold, auto shut-off
and back lighting. These will all make using the tool easier and faster.
Drum Measurement — Many of the topics listed above are
exactly the same for brake drum measurement. The tools are available in both
analog and digital styles. One thing to think about on a drum micrometer is
maximum and minimum capability. Some mid-size trucks can have big brake drums! Also
import and compact cars can have very small rear drums and some have a drum for
the parking brake inside of the rear rotor, which can be very small. So be sure
to ask your dealer for the min/max on the tool.
Combo Tools — Some of the digital tools are combination
rotor/drum micrometers. This allows you to use one tool for both jobs. While
the cost is higher than a single micrometer, in most cases, it’s less expensive
than two single-function tools.
Fluid Testing
Some may argue that these aren’t really tools. I would
disagree and here are a couple of reasons why. Many manufacturers require fluid
change and/or testing on a regular maintenance schedule. This can be based on
mileage or time in service. Brake fluid quality is becoming more and more
important as the systems become more complicated. Brake calipers, once
relatively inexpensive replacement parts, can now run into the hundreds of
dollars. One cause of component failure is corroded internal brake parts.
Corrosion is a by-product of moisture and acid formation in the brake system,
and the OEMs are becoming more and more critical about brake fluid quality.
Below is some information about fluid testing tools.
pH Fluid Testing Strips — One of the simplest and most
inexpensive methods to verify the health and remaining life of your customer’s
brake fluid is with a pH test strip. Once confined to the doctor’s office, this
strip is the fastest way to determine the need to replace or flush a customer’s
brake fluid. Simply dunk the strip in the brake fluid reservoir, wait a few
seconds, and voila! The strip will give you a clear color reaction that you can
compare to a chart on the package to determine the health of the fluid. This is
a great tool for upselling brake service. You should implement this into your service
on every car that comes in the shop. This 30-second test can create hundreds of
dollars in add-on business for your shop.
Electronic Brake Fluid Testers — These testers are
electronic tools that use probes and a low-level electric current to test the
brake fluid. You simply insert the probe into the brake fluid reservoir; the
tool will display a light for good, bad or marginal. This tool uses resistance
to measure the moisture content of the fluid. It is initially more expensive
than the test strips, but if you use the tool in a high-volume shop, you may
possibly be able to break-even on the cost. In most cases, the tool uses
replaceable batteries that will add to the cost of service. Both styles of tool
are good assets to diagnose brake fluid. Ultimately, it will come down to
personal preference as to which one is right for you.
Brake Fluid Flushing
Many late-model cars require regular fluid changes as
mentioned above. On older cars, fluid flushing and fluid bleeding was pretty
much the same thing. How many of you remember this game:
Pump!...Hold!...Pump!...Hold!? Ahh, the good old days! As you probably know, in
many cases, you can’t change or flush the fluid on late-model vehicles without
the assistance of a brake bleeder. To complicate matters a bit further, some
vehicles can only be flushed via pressure, while others use vacuum or a
combination of both! To be able to bleed or flush/exchange fluid, your shop
needs to invest in the right equipment. Below are several ideas for brake fluid
tools.
Hand Vacuum Pump — This versatile, inexpensive tool is the
absolute minimum tool, in my opinion, that is pretty much mandatory to service
late-model brake systems. These tools are available in a number of different
configurations. The basic tool has the ability to generate 29 inches of vacuum
by means of you squeezing the pistol-style grip. The higher-end tools are more
desirable and are able to create vacuum or pressure with the flip of a lever.
This pressure function is becoming more important with some vehicles as you
must force clean fluid through the system. Both style pumps come with a large
assortment of adapters for bleeder valves as well as fluid reservoirs.
Air Assist Bleeders — This intermediate-priced tool uses
shop air to assist in bleeding vehicles. This can be a big help on large
systems. While more expensive than the hand pump tools, this can be a job saver
for some cars and trucks.
Brake Fluid Service Machines — While the most expensive
option for fluid service operations, these tools should be considered for
several reasons. These multi-function tools can assist in several activities
including Flush, Fill, Exchange and Bleed. If your shop is a high-volume one
doing lots of brake work, this tool is one to consider. There are lots of
reasons why this equipment can make sense; one important benefit to this tool
is supply management. This tool can help eliminate every tech in the shop
having a half-empty bottle of brake fluid sitting on their bench. No more open
bottles of fluid getting contaminated with air. The brake fluid machines keep
fluid air-tight and spill-proof, cutting down on wasted product, messes and bad
fluid going into customers’ cars.
These machines can exchange fluid in a vehicle in a fraction
of the time it takes a technician to do it using conventional methods. They are
especially handy for filling up a system after component changes. The better
machines have a large selection of wands for sucking out fluid in various sized
fluid reservoirs. You should also inquire about fluid capacity for both dirty
and clean fluid in the machine.
A nice feature is capacity information by model. This should
provide you with capacity, as well as fluid type required. Finally, ask your
dealer if the machine can hold more than one type of fluid. This can be an
expensive purchase and if it will only service one fluid type, you’ll be faced
with deciding if you want to purchase more than one machine or go back to
bottles for the less common fluids.
While not all of the tools and equipment needed to service
today’s cars and trucks, the above are ones that can make your shop and you
more productive, safer and hopefully more successful in your career.
Here’s hoping all your customers’ stops are safe ones!