At 10:15 AM 10/16/99 -0700, you wrote:
>This is a series of submittals addressing basic Maintenance Repair
>and Restoration of European Vehicles, all of which owe homage to the
>German Engineering Philosophy, hereinafter refered to as the
>Deutsches Methode (DM).
>
>All Porsche air cooled designs, including of course VW, can be provided
>the best long term economy by understanding the mind of the good
>Doktor Porsche and others of the German technical schools who practice
>the DM. Vanagons have brakes, too, and are designed under the same
>school of practice.

>Today we give you some brake inspection and service ideas and procedures.
>
>German disc brake rotors, calipers and pads and wheels, tires and
>suspensions are designed as a harmonious unit with regard to materials.
>If you use the soft black pads the vehicle originally came with,
>the original rotors will last through some 5 to 7 sets of pads
>before reaching the minimum specified thickness. Your brakes will
>never overheat or glaze or wear unevenly or score the rotors.
>That assumes you are renewing ALL the brake fluid yearly to prevent
>varnish, crud and coorosion from jaming the calipers which is the DM.
>It also assumes that you are not having the rotors turned every time
>you replace the pads, which is not the DM.
>
>In fact, in most of the German factory manuals it will say that if the
>rotors show glazing or cracking or scoring, replace them. Uneven
>but rounded wear patterns are not a problem when the proper pads are
>used, but put in a set of those wizbang metalics and not only do you
>eat up your rotors if you can stand the noise, they will never mate
>during the break-in process. There is no rotor turning procedure
>advised or given. You guys and gals check your Bently Official VW
>manuals and find the pages that describe the procedure for the
>tuning of rotors. Take all day if you like.
>
>The brake specialty shops either have never read the factory procedures
>or choose to ignore them. Every rotor gets turned every time. This
>gaurantees you will never get more than three sets of pads per rotor
>replacement because most of the rotor width is taken off with the
>lathe. Of course, if you are interested is selling rotors, that's the
>way to do it. If you appreciate the economy of the DM, it's wrong.
>
>You say you don't like that black dust on your wheels all the time.
>DM says if your wheels are dirty, wash them. Rarely if ever will
>you find these German pads or rotors at the FLAPS. There you will
>get parts designed to be cheap cause that's what sells best in
>America. Why do you suppose there are no NAPA stores in Germany???
>Cause the German on the street will not buy Pakistani iron for
>his properly engineered vehicle. German materials engineering is
>not a triffling activity. If he wants an improvement in braking
>he goes for the even more expensive factory update set of calipers
>rotors, pads, wheels, tires and suspension as a harmoniously
>designed package. They don't just stick in a wizbang set of pads
>to "see what happens" or cause they're cheaper, which is not the DM.
>
>My 78 Mercedes 280CE now has 60,000 original miles. I put in the
>third set of pads last year. The rotors are original and show 0.5mm
>wear. They have another mm or more to go before they will need
>replacing. They never have nor will they ever be turned on a lathe
>to help shorten their life. I flush the brake fluid before it turns
>brown. They never make noise. They never pull unevenly. This is the
>result of the DM.
>
>A large percentage of the brake work I do every year is associated
>with a recent trip to the Midas shop or fluid as black as carbon.
>If one caliper or cylinder is leaking due to contaminated fluid
>the WHOLE SYSTEM is contaminated. If you fix the one leak you have
>a repeat customer for the other cylinders/calipers as they begin
>to leak in the months ahead. How economical is that????
>
>I've only had one comeback in the last ten years on a brake job.
>The rear pads on this Mercedes sedan were at the 2mm wear limit.
>The rotors were just thick enough that they could be expected to
>last one more set of pads before reaching the minimum specified
>thickness. I put in a new set of factory pads. Client complained
>a few weeks later of squeeking. This was an occasional little
>itsy bitsy squeek just as the vehicle came to a stop.
>
>I replaced the rotors and conditioned the pads with abrasive.
>Problem solved. Let's see, that's one problem in perhaps a
>coupla hundred brake jobs. This is the kind of efficasy provided
>by the DM.
>
>Stubborn rigorous adherence to specifications and procedures established
>by the team of German engineers who designed the vehicle is not
>an option if the DM is to be honored. The problems come with
>compromise.
>
>Questions, anyone??????
>Doktor Tim
>Maintenance Repair and Restoration of European Vehicles
>San Juan Island, WA
>
>
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Doktor Tim
Maintenance Repair and Restoration of European Vehicles
San Juan Island, WA