Biggest Bonehead Mistake

First let me say, it was the first time I ever worked on a car. Besides checking my oil and adding a quart once...back in the day when dipsticks existed. Speaking of dipsticks... I know I'm going to catch grief about this but if it helps some other poor soul, then I'll take the heat. Remember my thread "1st Brake Pad Replacement"... yeah, this is related to that big adventure. I used K-Man S' expert instructions and everything. Ken, I'd like to change my rating of that article from 10 to 9.5. You need to add the following sentence to the instructions: "THE BIG ONES GO IN THE FRONT" Go ahead and capitalize & bold it while you're at it. Yes, race fans, I put the rear pads in front. It was beautifully done, but wrong nonetheless. The bag thing was, I felt like something wasn't quite right. Remember how rusty my rotors were? Those rear pad didn't knock all the rust off. When I saw that, I thought, hmmm, that's odd. Pagids were replacing street pads so I thought it was maybe due to that. So, there you have it. My BBM (Biggest Bonehead Mistake). Now that I've confessed, let's hear yours! I know there are some good stories out there, so fess up.

I hope you don't get grief here. You made a mistake for goodness sake. It happens. That's how we learn. Good on you for making the attempt! Anyway, I will confess to putting scratches in a car while washing it. I had on a particular belt and the buckle did a number whenever I leaned onto the car. Didn't happen to the CS. This was a long time ago, and yes I learned to take off all metal stuff before washing the car, etc. So, what do you think of the Pagid pads?

Let me start by saying it is commendable you are doing some of the minor maintenance on your car. Go Caygirl! We all have done plenty of silly mistakes we do not remember, or do not want to remember. If anydoby is exempt, it is because they had a more experienced person holding their hands in the process. I am a mechanical engineer by training. That does not make me a mechanic, I should know. I can do some basic stuff in the car, and I am a little more daring than most. I have been willing to do a lot of things, because I have the articles here to help me. Doing some of the basic stuff has given me a better appreciation of the car, it saves some money and time too. It is easier to change your pads than to take them to a mechanic, after you have done it once. Bleeding your brakes after track days, etc will make you a safer driver. When was the last time someone told you to flush your brake fluid once every two years for normal use, or once a year minimum if you track your car. I learned the hard way I lost my brakes comming down a long & steep decline in a 10 year old car. Thanks God nothing happened.

That's funny. I wish you had a camera to see what it looked liked and also to take a picture of your face when you realized you switched them up. Kudos on taking on that task yourself!

Oh, bummer - something I couldn't pick up from looking at the pictures you posted... it's OK a - beginner's mistake - a lot of people unpack their pads and because they don't lay them out, think they're the same size front-to-back. I hope you're back on track now. brad

My First Brake Job Story You know this is a very hard question/ thread for me. I have made SO MANY mistakes , but I've got a little story this reminds me of: With five formal degrees and loads of non-formal education behind me, my hero is a fellow who works fairly menial jobs in northern Mississippi. He's got so much skill, wit and wisdom that I feel like a dolt. He's able and capable and can turn situations around in a way that I feel impaired in comparison. Richard tells me I can do my own brakes. I drew the line when he claimed I could take off an alternator, compressor and all kinds of stuff to do a timing belt! I couldn't afford to lose a motor!!! Moreover, Richard offers to help me over the phone with my brakes. I'm in Arizona. He's in Mississippi. I get the best pads I can and the cleaning stuff Richard recommends AND have my cell phone handy. This turns out to become the most expensive front brake job in my life as I get stuck and Richard is kind enough to coach me over the phone for more than TWO AND A HALF HOURS while I try to figure this out. I mean, my car is jacked up and I'm not going anywhere until I get it put back together. I tried to use the thin metal shims that came in my Raybestos pad kit (for a Toyota Avalon) but as I am assembling parts, I can't figure out how these tabs that will stick out will work. That is, stick into the rotor side because they won't fit. They are not going to ride flush but stick out and into the rotors. That ain't going to work. So, Richard tells me to use the old metal shims that I took off the pads that were on the car. Fine. But, then I went to do the other side, and my OLD shims wouldn't work! I looked at it and looked and finally decided I must've put the wrong parts on the side I had just completed. Sure 'nough. I had to unjack & rejack and unjack & rejack after putting the wheels back on again! I had indeed put the metal shim parts on wrong. So, I get it right. This is a long learning lessons. It just proves how truly retarded I am! But, that's not the strangest part! Before I could get the calipers off, Richard kept telling me to remove the "plastic" part. Now, I know Richard knows how to do this and a lot more on an automobile. He rebuilds engines and works on all his and his friends' cars. He doesn't let anything stop him--except one thing. It finally dawns on me what Richard is describing. He is describing the feel, the texture of the cast metal housing. You see, or don't see Richard is blind. And it dawns on me that the cast housings feels like plastic. Once I get that, then I know what he is talking about! Put the 5" vice clamp on that! Unfortunately, it is a holiday, not a weekend, and my cell minutes had already been used up. When I get cellphone bill, it cost me more than $100 above the norm! :crazy: Yesterday, I just paid to have my brakes done. I really couldn't afford it but the rotors needed turning and I wanted the brake fluid flushed and replaced. And I was tired of shuddering to stops. Conservatively figuring after the costs more than $100 for parts and $50 for labor for just turning the front rotors, it was worth $291 to have all 4 rotors turned and to get it done before I caused an accident. I can only hope that Richard will forgive me when I finally 'fess up and tell him what I have done and how I gave up my practically non-existent cash. Heck, I used plastic. But then, I know what Richard's response is going to be--he's going to laugh at me. The one thing Richard won't do is drive a car by himself! If some one is willing to ride with him and tell him what they see, he'll drive. Mostly, he limits himself to his rebuilt & souped up riding lawn mower. He likes to ride full bore towards the ditch and give his neighbors a little thrill. He knows his property and boundaries well. Really, I applaud any man who does his own brakes, but when a woman does it, especially a pretty one, it astounds me and I hold her in very high regard. Will you do mine? :kiss: {Let him get jealous; it'd take him 2 days to get here.} :naughty: {He's a lucky fellow.} And I can't imagine how much more trouble I'd a been in had I tackled front & rears like you did, Caygirl! Gee, I was just looking at my little leftover brake pads from a while back and wondering where they went! Thanks for the reminder!!! When I was young I hated working on cars. I tended to scrape myself trying to budge rusty bolts that wouldn't and burn myself on exhausts and manifolds. Bedsides, I confess I hate getting my hands dirty and getting grease off 'em seems to take more than merely washing but wearing off for days. Must be my Mother's fault for making me wash my hands so dang much! PS I love my Mother and my Father So, don't try to read too much into this! :cheers:

Joe - I like your story - the human side of it was good. It is nice to have someone like your buddy in Mississippi. My dumb thing was rebuilding a motor in a Mazda 626 because it was burning oil. So, with my father in laws help, we go to rebuild this thing. I'm a mechanical engineer and about the only thing that helps me with is solving some problems and taking things apart - too bad they usually have to go together too! Anyway, we rebuild the motor, stick it back in the car and lo and behold it burns just as much oil as before. A root cause analysis over a beer surfaces the fact that we were too cheap to rebuild the head and yep, that was probably the biggest culprit we talked about in the first place before we rebuilt it. I was so disappointed that I just went ahead and sold the car rather than pull the head.

I drilled a hole in the fuel tank of my CaymanS and I was a certified mechanic. That should make you feel better

Thanks for the kind posts! I was afraid of an onslaught of blonde jokes. Looks like I'm in good company. Just human error - we're not perfect no matter how hard we try to be. Joe T - he doesn't get jealous, he knows he has me wrapped.

I don't think I would have the b.. err, I mean guts to do what you did. I commend you 100%. Simple mistake, it happens. Since you're in Dallas and I'm there quite a bit, maybe I can get you to help me change my break pads in the near future. I'll be sure to mark which ones go in front Again, don't sweat it, it happens.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Nice...

After that, take a break , and have her help you with your brake pads... gotta know what they are before you can worry about changing 'em... (li'l smiley guy goes here...) brad

I must admit. I chuckled and thought "How could you not know to place the big ones in front??" But to be fair, here's my own boneheadedness. My car was in pieces, and I was in a huge rush to make a track day. I had to get the headlights together from doing a HID retrofit, the old suspension off the new suspension in with a new strut bar. After that I had to get new brakes (rotos & pads) in while bleeding the system then taking the car in for an alignment. I started on a Sunday, the track day was the next Saturday. My first mistake was rushing it all to get done. I got the headlights in ok, I even got the suspension off and on ok. I bled the system and got the brakes in. I got the car aligned and balanced and off to the track I went! Awesome..who woulda thought. About the 6th lap in..something was wrong. Going down the front straight, I had no brakes at 130mph...luckily I made it to the pits and had a chance to check it out. Turns out I boiled the brake fluid - hows that possible? I wasn't on the brakes that hard. I'm using atf super blue. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Wait a second....why are the rotors white? Yes..white. They look....burnt. As a couple more drivers came over to give me a hand, as we all were trying to figure out why rotors would turn white, one guy says. "Hey..aren't the slots facing the wrong way?" Who cares? I immediately thought. Then I realized it. The rotors I put on were slotted. And being the genious I was, I put the slotted rotors on the wrong sides. Meaning the brake dust, gas, heat was not venting out properly. Oops. Of course the minor mistake cost me some money in new rotors, pads, calipers and brake fluid.

LOVE the pads - they're awesome. You can get through our site sponsor - rennstore.com.

Wow - I'm so glad you were able to pit. Thanks for sharing your experience. The one huge thing I've learned from this is... replace the part your taking off with the same size part your putting on (and in the same direction-thanks to your story!). On my screw-up, I must have been thinking, the rear wheels are bigger, therefore they need the bigger pads. Was thinking logic instead of physics.

Hey...the BIG WHEELS are in the back. I can see the logic. My continuing bonehead mistake...forgetting to: A) make sure the part is EXACTLY THE RIGHT PART before I take apart my car B) make sure that part is actually IN THE BOX before I drive the box home I just opened a box from the Porsche dealership to find the wrong part in the box...after I got home.