Where can I buy cheap spring clips for brake pads

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:53 pm

I had fun changing my rear brake pads when one of the wire clips that connects to two pads and keeps them sprung slightly apart, fell onto the drive and was hard to spot due to colour similarity and failing eyesight. I wouldn't mind getting a couple of spares in case I'm not so lucky next time. Does anyone know if you can get ones that would fit and are standard items for brake pads, rather than get involved with Bongo prices (e.g. Bongobits only sell sets of clips @ £15 + postage or so - daft when the only bit you need is just a piece of bent piano wire!).

If anyone can advise, I'd be grateful though my situation is not life threatening (well at least not in that respect!)

Veg_Ian · Post by **Veg_Ian** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:19 pm

I wouldn't mind getting a couple of spares in case I'm not so lucky next time.

Shouldn't be a next time for a very long time to come. Rear pads don't tend to wear down as quickly as fronts. You might be on your second Bongo by then

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:27 pm

Music to my ears Veg_Ian. But I still have to do the front ones. To be honest I think I could bend a replacement up from my model aircraft supply of piano wire if need be. Its only a light wire 'spreader' spring when all is said and done - cant see it is critical to brake safety.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:35 pm

I've never seen anything like that Mike. If it's only a light spring it surely can't be to push the pads apart - it would have to push the piston back into the caliper, which would not be a good thing at all - imagine the pedal travel you'd get when the pads wear

Veg_Ian · Post by **Veg_Ian** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:18 pm

I think the springs are another variation on anti-rattle springs. I've also seen them on a number of Toyotas so I daresay they can be procured from a Motor factors. However, if you were to stock up on spares for every conceivable repair task your garage would soon be overflowing. Live dangerously and leave it until you need a replacement

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:02 pm

Agree Veg. Amazingly franco, I think they are enough to gently encourage the trailing edge of the pads to not 'bite it' if the disc was running backwards. But I cant really see what their purpose is and I doubt there would be any danger (though possibly a risk of noise) if they were left out. What got me going though was that looking for the clip took longer than the rest of the job, which otherwise went swimmingly

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:52 am

Like the time i spent 45 minutes searching for my pliers,only to discover i was holding them. . .

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:55 am

Don't that just piss you off???? I suspect we've all done something like that at sometime.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:31 pm

franco wrote

I suspect we've all done something like that at sometime

...or all the time in my case, and its getting worse. But seriously, I find the problem is far less if you dont have distractions that cause you to lose your thread (taxying children about, going to Tescos, lack of garage workshop requiring hasty rerrangement of work when wind and rain strike). I need to work on all these things

ChrisEm · Post by **ChrisEm** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:57 pm

Halfrauds do an assortment of brake springs, clips,pins etc off the shelf around the brake pad section.

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:00 am

mikeonb4c wrote:franco wrote

I suspect we've all done something like that at sometime
...or all the time in my case, and its getting worse. But seriously, I find the problem is far less if you dont have distractions that cause you to lose your thread (taxying children about, going to Tescos, lack of garage workshop requiring hasty rerrangement of work when wind and rain strike). I need to work on all these things

Just you that drives in your family too then mike? Same here mate

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:18 am

Oh my wife drives - but not in the evening cos she's watching Desperate Housewives after her long day. Now I've got the Bongo (which she doesnt look likely to drive), I'm up for taxi driving the kids

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:19 am

Oh and ChrisEm, thanks for that. I'll check out Halfords

Lewy · Post by **Lewy** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:19 pm

mikeonb4c - I've done my front pads but haven't done the rears - they looked a bit more involved? I got my pads from motor factors in Hale - BAth street? They might be able to help with the clips. I would be interested if you had any probs with the rears - what about I'll show you mine if you show me yours???

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:09 pm

No probs Lewy. the rears were pretty simple apart from the mystery of sorting out why the replacements appeared to have shims riveted to them and the old ones had locating lugs for the shims, which were separate. I had the workshop manual, which clearly showed shims. I wondered whether anything was missing on the Bongo as things didnt quite add up. But I got advice from members, weighed it all up and replaced as much as I could reasonably put back shim-wise. I reasoned that as long as they located properly on the shoes and would fit twixt the calipers, the odd superfluous shim wouldnt matter.

I quickly cleaned up and lightly copper greased the brake bad sliders, backs where piston works on them, and the bolts that allow the calipers to move.

The only other thing that caused me concern was that I could get a v good purchase on one of the caliper retaining bolts ans it looked a bit rounded already. Started using a 12-point ring spanner and didnt like what was happening so got my straight hex socket on it and managed it in the end (by straight hex sockets are a bit deep for working in confined spaces).

Oh and I dropped a spring and couldnt b****y find it - but you know that.

Glad to hear the front brakes arent hard. I need to do those at some point. Right now though, I'm bracing myself for..........THE COOLANT SYSTEM