February 2021

and vans are designed to be driven - which means things can go wrong when they haven’t been used for some time. “If left for a while, a vehicle’s brake discs can begin to corrode, because there’s no motion to stop rust from building up. This can contribute to brake judder, which damages the brake pads by wearing down their surfaces, and which can eventually lead to the brakes seizing up entirely. “When a car comes into the workshop with brake judder, after checking all the relevant components and removing the brake discs, use appropriate tools to thoroughly de- rust the contact surfaces and hub edge. A purpose-made hub grinder will speed up the job and reduce the chance of hub damage, and it’s worth using a good brake cleaner to clean the bright metal contact surface. “Once the brakes are completely flat and clean, it’s important to measure brake disc thickness variation. In our experience, this is the most often overlooked part of the diagnostics and repair process. It should be carried out every time, to ensure nothing is missed, as even the tiniest spec of dirt or rust can mean that the disc wears unevenly. “Use a dial gauge to measure the lateral run-out 10-15mm below the maximum radius of the disc. We recommend that the maximum disc V ehicle under-use and skipped servicing means 2021 could be a record- breaker year for seized-up brakes, so you need to be ready. “Brake replacement presents a fantastic opportunity for revenue growth,” explained Julian Goulding, Northern Europe Marketing Manager at Delphi Technologies Aftermarket. “However, after the challenges of 2020, it’s essential that garages get off on the right foot in 2021 if they are to claw back lost income and ensure their survival.” “Delphi Technologies Aftermarket is uniquely positioned to help our customers, with years of OE experience built into our extensive product range, and being able to provide comprehensive technical support to equip garages and their personnel with the know-how to help them work faster, safer and more profitably.” Opportunity Julian continued: “We’re constantly investing in evolving our range of products and as we enter into 2021, we’re pushing on with our drive to be first-to-market with a wide range of pads. This ensures our customers can work on new generations of some of the most popular models as soon as they require a first pad change, sometimes as little as a few months after their launch. “Currently, our range covers 99% of the brake pads of all vehicle manufacturers in the EU and as an OE supplier we have advance notice of new vehicles coming to market and can prepare for their arrival.” Delphi Technologies Aftermarket is also ensuring that its braking products meet forthcoming legislation, meaning that garages enjoy seamless supply before and after the new rules are introduced. “For example,” pointed out Julian, “our brake pad technology uses low metallic friction materials, combining great performance, wear and low noise, whilst already meeting the 2025 30 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2021 BRAKES www.aftermarketonline.net BRAKE INTO 2021 Brakes are among the safety-critical systems that have suffered from under-use and under-servicing in 2020, so now is the time to get ready Right: Brake bedding-in poster from Borg & Beck California and Washington legislation of less than 0.5% copper. Most of its friction formulations are made to the most stringent and environmentally strict levels and are 100% free from Antimony, Lead (Blei), Cadmium and Copper. “We recognise that support is just as essential as having the right product though. Our technical hotline is there for garages whenever they need us and new for 2021 is that we’ve made a greater amount of e- learning available as part of our training courses, making learning new technologies a more convenient process for many customers. Of course, we look to add more courses as need arises, but in 2021 we will also continue to refine our training modules considering feedback we receive from the field, ensuring that they are always relevant.” Julian added: “With readily available OE-quality products and unrivalled technical assistance on-hand, our customers can rest assured that we are here to support them not only in 2021, but also for many years to come.” Resolution Brake judder is something garages will have been seeing a lot of post- lockdowns, according to Colin Cottrell, Marketing & Central Operations Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts: “Cars