Stay away from Duralast Brake Pads

[Matthew Currie]

I've had pretty good results with the premium house brands from Parts Master and NAPA. I don't know just who makes them, and there may well be better ones out there, but they are at least adequate.

Long ago I found that the best pads by far for my old Mercedes were Repco, which is now Axxis. I don't know whether they're still at the same level, but 20-odd years ago they were appreciably better than others.

 

[joe_peters]

Usually "Premium" pads give the best service.

Generic info from CR: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...rake-pads-what-to-look-for/overview/index.htm

Detailed info: http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/ic10422.htm

Just remember this: every brake pad choice involves some compromise--wear, noise, dust, rotor type, heat, cold, and how the vehicle is used.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

wow this is an old thread.

FWIW, I always buy el-cheapO Rotors, and Premium pads, Currently running Hawk HPS pads I also like the Hawk HP+ pads aswell.

Alot of people like the Green stuff pads, I have yet to try them out.. the HPS pads on my ZJ have 10k miles so far and besides being a "dusty" pad, I am thoroughly impressed with the improved braking distance and how long it takes to heat them up!

 

[scott00tj]

the title should just read "stay away from duralast".

 

[texasroads]

I was in a auto accident due to brake failure in Dec 2010. I suffered a broken back and will have surgery because of AutoZone Duralast Brakes.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

I've had similar results with the cheapo "tru-stop" pads from NAPA (and I work there ). they work fine but they don't take to lots of heat well at all, and they fade horribly. my wife's sister moved up to a housing tract at the top of a 1/4 mile steep hill and I won't take my DD car to her place anymore because I'm afraid one of these days the brakes are going to let go on the way back down. They start to smell so bad like a burning clutch about half way down that I have to roll the windows up till we get to the bottom, and 3/4's of the way down or so I start having to really push hard on the pedal to get it to stop at a stop sign.

I'll never go cheap again. I'd like to throw this out there though while ceramics will virtually eliminate brake fade due to heat and outgassing, I've heard from one of the friction material reps for NAPA that ceramic pads on a vehicle that was not designed to have them (more specifically a rotor that was not designed to use them) will transfer more heat to the rotor and drastically reduce the life of the rotor itself. He also mentioned that the rotors absorbing more heat than they should causes deposits that would normally be burned off in a ceramic designed setup to build up on the face of the rotor and cause heat cracks.

This is all second hand info, take it as you will. All I know is I got a bulletin in at the store from HQ telling us to not recommend an upgrade to ceramic pads on a vehicle that has organic or semi-metallic pads as OEM equipment, unless the customer was purchasing a set of performance rotors.

 

[Blaine B.]

I was in a auto accident due to brake failure in Dec 2010. I suffered a broken back and will have surgery because of AutoZone Duralast Brakes.

What happened with the brakes? Was it a caliper, pad, rotor, drum, or shoe failure? I would love to hear more.

 

[Silver60th]

Similar experience as far as crappy brakes here.

Used Duralast brand brakes on my 8.8, and they constantly squealed and whined, and the performance was mediocre at best. I took them back and replaced them with Wagner Thermoquiets...you could see a definite manufacturing difference. The Duralasts didn't have the groove cut in the center, and looked to have been spray painted by a 12 year old.

The Wagners have treated me great.

 

[montanaman]

Funny ... I was just on the phone today with a guy from Federal-Mogul (I was asking about Moog stuff, which they manufacture). He knew so much off the top of his head it was crazy.

Anyway ... he said AutoZone was like the Walmart of auto parts. They buy cheapo crap from China, put their "Duralast" name on it and sell it. They factor in the huge number of return items and figure they still make a great profit. It's all about number-crunching, not about quality.

How many posts have we seen from people who went through 2 or 3 Duralast alternators before they got one that settled in and worked for a while?

.

 

[offroadordnance]

Unfortunately, many of the big chains are following the Walmart's business model and buying safety critical parts direct from China. The justification that they are providing an economy version for poorer customers is just BS. The $10 or so saved will not offset the cost of damaged parts, replacement vehicle, freinds, or loved ones. Im not picking on any brand in particualr, most economy brake pads will function well and last all the way to the scene of the accident.

 

[montanaman]

The justification that they are providing an economy version for poorer customers is just BS.

Yeah ... not to mention the fact that they are creating a lot of poor unemployed people by marketing Chinese Crap.

At least the Japanese cared about quality.

Anyway ... we're getting off topic ...