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Brake Cleaner Hazards

Joe Marconi

By Joe Marconi
in Automotive Parts & Suppliers

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autoguy Rising Star

autoguy

Posted
Posted
We use brake clean as well. You can use the non-chlorinated version. However, we have found a cleaner called Drive-up that is made to clean oil from concrete but a solution of it works great as a degreaser on engines. It is not a petroluem based product but must be some type of akaline. It does not have any obnoxius odor or fumes. Driveup is a good product.

 

http://www.driveupusa.com/store/dynamicIndex.asp

 

Cool thanks. I will ask around for this.

  • 2 months later...
CARMandP Proficient

CARMandP

Posted
Posted

I use a crap load of brake cleaner because I am very particular about my stuff being clean when I am done with the repair. I know is probably not good for me and I know first hand that it burns like crap when you get it in the eyes :) I will have to see if I can get this stuff at my Oreillys which it shows sell it.

  • 1 month later...
partsman Apprentice

partsman

Posted
Posted

 

Not to scare you, but a good friend of mine is a machinist and used brake cleaner to clean parts for more than 20 years. He recently had a kidney transplant for a failed kidney.

 

The doctors attributed to brake cleaner!

 

 

 

That's still scary Joe....

 

If we could look through the microscope at almost anything these days, we would probably all be running for the wide open country. I used to spray a lot of Dupont Imron paint years ago and today I feel I'm suffering from the affects it had on my central nervous system. (It had Cyanide in the formula)

 

I just wanted to mention the we manufacturer a very special soap for cleaning brake parts, we needed something to go along with our OE Approved "5 Step" Brake Procedure ( www.StopBrakeNoise.com ).

 

You simply mix a couple of tablespoons of the powder in a gallon of water and your have a solution that is perfectly matched to the surface of a rotor or drum. By that I mean, the surfactants, anti corrosives and lack of oil, make it perfect for demagnetizing and cleaning of the pores. This is a critical if you want to eliminate potential problems when the rotor or drum heats up on the vehicle. When that happens, any remaining metal particles from the cut works their way out and into the pad surface and cause excessive noise. ( www.BrakeSoap.com )

 

Best part is the GWR Brake Soap is biodegradable and costs less than .05 cents to properly clean a vehicle's brake system. Be careful comparing this to a couple of cans of brake clean per vehicle, times the number of jobs per year, you'll have a heart attack. Even if you don't use our soap for other services, doing brakes is a large consumer of brake cleaner in today's shop. If you figure only a case or two a week of sprays, using Brake Soap can save you $500 to well over a $1,000 per year.

 

Hope this is of value...

 

Gary

1(800) 266-4497

www.GWRauto.com

Curt Hogan Apprentice

Curt Hogan

Posted
Posted

 

Not to scare you, but a good friend of mine is a machinist and used brake cleaner to clean parts for more than 20 years. He recently had a kidney transplant for a failed kidney.

 

The doctors attributed to brake cleaner!

 

 

 

That's still scary Joe....

 

If we could look through the microscope at almost anything these days, we would probably all be running for the wide open country. I used to spray a lot of Dupont Imron paint years ago and today I feel I'm suffering from the affects it had on my central nervous system. (It had Cyanide in the formula)

 

I just wanted to mention the we manufacturer a very special soap for cleaning brake parts, we needed something to go along with our OE Approved "5 Step" Brake Procedure ( www.StopBrakeNoise.com ).

 

You simply mix a couple of tablespoons of the powder in a gallon of water and your have a solution that is perfectly matched to the surface of a rotor or drum. By that I mean, the surfactants, anti corrosives and lack of oil, make it perfect for demagnetizing and cleaning of the pores. This is a critical if you want to eliminate potential problems when the rotor or drum heats up on the vehicle. When that happens, any remaining metal particles from the cut works their way out and into the pad surface and cause excessive noise. ( www.BrakeSoap.com )

 

Best part is the GWR Brake Soap is biodegradable and costs less than .05 cents to properly clean a vehicle's brake system. Be careful comparing this to a couple of cans of brake clean per vehicle, times the number of jobs per year, you'll have a heart attack. Even if you don't use our soap for other services, doing brakes is a large consumer of brake cleaner in today's shop. If you figure only a case or two a week of sprays, using Brake Soap can save you $500 to well over a $1,000 per year.

 

Hope this is of value...

 

Gary

1(800) 266-4497

www.GWRauto.com

Curt Hogan Apprentice

Curt Hogan

Posted
Posted

I must chime in here. I have been using Garys soap along with his other products for about 5 years now. The brake rotor hone and rotor conditioning spray are two products my brake techs will not be without. I must admit that we use the soap to wash each newly machined rotor but have not tried it as a way to clean prior to starting service. Is that what you suggest Gary?

partsman Apprentice

partsman

Posted
Posted

Hi Curt,

 

Thanks so much for posting your experience with our brake products, I really appreciate you taking the time to let the members of the group know we have viable solutions to service problems.

 

As to your question on using the Brake Soap during disassembly, I have used it for that work with good results. I would base the decision on whether or not the parts are caked with heavy, greasy contaminants. Our specially formulated soap is not intended to cut heavy grease but rather to go deep in to the pours of the cast iron rotors and drums, to demagnetize and pull out the loose metal parts. If the parts are really dirty (greasy) us a serious degrease type product before the cutting and honing process. As a note, if the rotor or drum is rusted and dry, I highly recommend using a simple sand blaster (table top or cabinet style, etc) to remove rust and clean surface to a shine. From there you can rinse in our brake soap liquid before going to the lathe. It is imperative you have a shiny surface in the hat areas (adapter mating surfaces), before setting up on the lathe, otherwise you will induce run-out and create an out of spec part.

 

If a shop is still using brake clean to prepare a rotor for assembly, they are behind the curve nearly 10 years. In tests done over 7 years ago at Aimco (largest mfg of brake rotors), it was determined a soap and water cleaning of rotors or drums removed 40% to 60% more of the loose metal introduced during the cutting process. The properly washed rotors, the ones cleaned with soap and water, retained less than 3% metal while the brake cleaned rotor retained 25% to 35%.

 

If metal particles are left in the rotor or drum surface, when they are heated during the braking cycle, the metal will work it way out and impregnate the pad surface. This will case excess heat to build during the stop but of more concern is the chance for noise.

 

Please call me and get some Brake Soap, you will never go back to expensive brake clean. Better, you will be providing your customer with the best brake job possible.

 

Gary

1(800) 266-4497

  • 6 months later...

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      The Toolbox is Last to Leave, First is the Heart
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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
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