I recently did a front brake job on a 2004 Lexus RX330.
When quoting the brake job to the owner, I advised her that spending the extra $30 for a new brake pad shim kit from the dealer would be her best defense against noise issues.
While many of you on this forum may disagree with me on this matter (even after this post), I encourage you to take a look at the pictures below. As a reference, the aftermarket shim in this picture was from the Akebono ProACT pad for this application.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
by The Critic, on Flickr
by The Critic, on Flickr
by The Critic, on Flickr
by The Critic, on Flickr
As you can see, there are some fairly significant differences in construction. The OE shim is a two-piece shim that is glued together; the outer piece is stainless steel, while the inner piece is a perforated steel/molded rubber piece. From what I can see, the aftermarket shim from the Akebono pad is also "layered," but not nearly to the same degree.
In my experience, at least on most Toyota and Nissan vehicles, using the OE shim from the dealer is crucial for eliminating noise issues during low-speed braking. If the OE shims are still in good shape and the vehicle still has low mileage (under 60k), you can often get-away with re-using the shim kit as long as you clean it up and re-lube with Molykote M77. Otherwise, I would highly recommend that you order a new shim kit from the dealer to ensure that the job gets done properly.
In conclusion, if you want the brakes to perform as quietly as they originally did, you need to use the proper hardware. Using aftermarket pads with aftermarket shims does not always deliver consistent results, but also remember that not all aftermarket shims are equal - for instance, the Raybestos EHT ones are much nicer than the above but are still nowhere near as substantial as the factory ones. But at the end of the day, you have to decide what level of brake noise you will be comfortable with -- and your experience may vary.
When quoting the brake job to the owner, I advised her that spending the extra $30 for a new brake pad shim kit from the dealer would be her best defense against noise issues.
While many of you on this forum may disagree with me on this matter (even after this post), I encourage you to take a look at the pictures below. As a reference, the aftermarket shim in this picture was from the Akebono ProACT pad for this application.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr by The Critic, on Flickr by The Critic, on Flickr by The Critic, on Flickr by The Critic, on FlickrAs you can see, there are some fairly significant differences in construction. The OE shim is a two-piece shim that is glued together; the outer piece is stainless steel, while the inner piece is a perforated steel/molded rubber piece. From what I can see, the aftermarket shim from the Akebono pad is also "layered," but not nearly to the same degree.
In my experience, at least on most Toyota and Nissan vehicles, using the OE shim from the dealer is crucial for eliminating noise issues during low-speed braking. If the OE shims are still in good shape and the vehicle still has low mileage (under 60k), you can often get-away with re-using the shim kit as long as you clean it up and re-lube with Molykote M77. Otherwise, I would highly recommend that you order a new shim kit from the dealer to ensure that the job gets done properly.
In conclusion, if you want the brakes to perform as quietly as they originally did, you need to use the proper hardware. Using aftermarket pads with aftermarket shims does not always deliver consistent results, but also remember that not all aftermarket shims are equal - for instance, the Raybestos EHT ones are much nicer than the above but are still nowhere near as substantial as the factory ones. But at the end of the day, you have to decide what level of brake noise you will be comfortable with -- and your experience may vary.
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