My front disc brake pads were wearing out - so the dashboard LED display told me. Deciding to be a smart shopper, I bought new pads from AutoZone and had a local shop put them on. Even after “turning” the rotors (fancy word for making them smooth all around) the brakes let out a very, very, loud squeal any time I was coming to a stop. Think of Freddy Krueger running his fingers on a chalk board.

The brakes worked fine aside from that ear-splitting squeal. It didn’t go away after a couple of weeks and when my two-year-old started asking about the noise I knew it was time to do something.

I sucked it up and went to the dealer. Laying down $600+ for new discs and pads, the squeal got quieter. Only quieter, not gone, but still too loud for comfort.

A phone call to the dealer revealed this incredible suggestion: cruise on the highway or a local road doing about 50 and slam on the brakes about four or five times. He went on about “pads being engineered for the autobahn” and glazing.

I didn’t believe him but it was worth a shot. Unfortunately LA isn’t the best place to find wide open road where you can engage the ABS without freaking out everyone behind you. This afternoon a nice stretch of the 110 near Long Beach served as the test track. With a few inadvertent slams (damned lane cutters) and some of my own quick braking I was hoping for a cure-all.

I slipped off the freeway and come to a slow stop at a traffic light with…no squeal. There is a bit of one but for all intents and purposes it’s gone. I’m wondering if a few more good slams on the brake pedal will render it completely silent (and warping my rotors no doubt) or if the noise will return some hot summer day.

For anyone confused, I’m not talking about “brake quiet” grease, rather the contact between pad and disc. You can read about what causes the squeal when pad meets rotor and how Georgia Tech is going to fix it someday.

EDIT: although the squeal did improve for a short time it came back. The final resolution was a new set of pads from Pagid which contain a softer material than the OEM pads. No more squealing.

A close friend has been assembling what has become, a fascinating look at the remains of New York’s Coney Island. Not growing up there I never witnessed it in the hey-day, but I do recall “Coney Island” being the trademark of a carnival. Rides, food, fun.

Time, and perhaps disinterest, has taken its toll and Coney Island has become burned out. This is just one of my favorites from Vern’s collection.

The image says it all.

Taken on December 28, 2007 from the Phoenix, AZ web site AZCentral.com.

With new things coming up in 2008 I wanted a standard, yet customized, look for the site. There’s more to do but thanks to Sadish and his SeaShore theme as a starting point.

The images in the header (photos snapped by me) change at random page loads. Thanks to Vlad Mazek for the tip.