squealy brake shoes

I re did the brakes on the beetle right at Chrismas. they now are getting very noisey. The car stops fine But this aftermarket stuff is crap.

I have a bad case of the multi tone squealing whishles
I have heard ceramic brake pads are great But the beetle has shoes all around,.. Someone please advise as to what is good and what is junk .
I want new high quality shoes.. HELP!

The newer shoes (1980-on) are 'Harder' and if you don't put your foot into them fairly regularly, they glaze over and start to squeal.......First thing I would do is find a place to run up to about 30mph, then jump on the brakes HARD.....Do this two, three, four times......It works on Toyotas and Nissans too.....Good luck.....

By the way, I usually get 60-80,000 mi. before having to change shoes/pads.....

Leon . That might be ok on factory parts But I don't think a aftermarket master cylinder can take that kind of punishment. This is the 3rd one in 5 years and I don't want to replace that again

We went through 4 of them in one evening the last time . Each a different brand and supplier. On Number 4 it lived

If I have to do that again I will ship a used one up to Whitepost Restro. for a stainless bore and their best master kit. and it will not be Cheap..

Again that is not the answer I wanted I refuse to beleive that someone HERE IN THE USA Does not offer a good high quality replacements. I drive about 10,000 a year Its only been 7 months sence the install

Yes this bug Wasconverted into a fully automatic And I know that affects the wear ,I drive the bug daily and I do brake firmly. But only as required to do the job. I don't ride brakes or slam them..

SO ???? Who makes the BEST????

German only for a master cylinder, Varga and the rest are just plain junk ~

Go to your local auto parts store and buy a 3M disk brake rotor scuff kit. If you have an air die grinder that works best but if you don't have one then use a drill. Use the brown 3M pad and scuff up the shoes until all the glaze is gone then scuff up the drum where the shoes push to create friction.

Next, get a small packet of that blue goo that you use on brake pads to keep them from squeeling. Put a few drops on any metal to metal surface. This includes the backing plate if any part of the metal on the shoes rubs against it.

This has been very successfull in removing drum squeal many, many, many times for me

Yelp And thanks Larry I had concidered that. I already have the tools and scuffer wheels needed. You Know when you do that your taking away material...

I was just hoping you guys knew of a (Ceramic Brakeshoe) supplier that would have them NEW!

Bare in mind it's heresay ,, BUT From what I have been told they are the best out there. I was told Very Long Lasting and Quiet..

trust me, the amount of material you're removing won't be noticed

I have always put a tiny bit of never-seize on the backplates, adjusters, and even inside of the cup on the wheel cylinder. No squeaks or squeals. And use new hardware, springs and shoes retainers. On discs I always put some of that disc brake goo on the back of the pads, but hi-temp rtv can be used in a pinch.

Leon is correct, unfortunately. Any/all of the brake shoes out there, good and bad, all need to be "bedded" in order to work properly. It's a little more popular with pads and discs but it still needs to be done with shoes as well.

This is a very specific procedure and sets up the shoes for a long life of good service. Do it wrong or eliminate it and the shoes will always glaze over and squeal forever.

I TOTALLY know what you mean with the quality (lack of) found in the master cylinders being offered these days. I picked up a couple of VARGA units from Carey, haven't used them yet, but I've got a shovel full of $HIT just waiting for him in expectation of failure of both cylinders.

It's just SO disappointing to get everything all hooked up, those pain in the neck bolt spacer/tubes set in place inside the front "hat" and have the damned thing do nothing.

But you have to mash the pedal to bed the brakes correctly, think of it as good insurance against that inevitable panic stop later on. Better to have it go while bedding the brakes, than in an avoidance maneuver for real.


LUCK ! ! !

T

I just did a few searches to see what I could see..

BAD NEWS all road lead to China awh =(#@!~?*&^+%$&???)is this? Ya know what I mean??

I think we are doomed.. The seal kits in the master's Is what we need to focus on. I'm not above useing leather seals. As I recall they were tough in their day and with the addition of a silicon fluid instead of the harsher brake fluid . They should live wel.

Tell me what ya Think about that. I also have heard that BFY has gone out of business. So it is gonna get worse now guys .

I love my VWs and I want to keep um safe and useful.

Barry,

Don't dismay, these guys are terrific ! ! !

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

http://www.rockauto.com/

Look in the on-line catalog listing under Volkswagen, then 1971/74, then Beetle, then 1.6 liter, then go down to brakes, and scroll down to master cylinder repair kit. They carry Raybestos, Beck/Arnley and Bendix repair kits and master cylinders.

I've bought from them on a number of occasions and found the sales follow-up to be exceptional. They email and ask about their product, how it fit and what problems if any were encountered. Like a real local parts store that takes pride in their product and themselves. Plus they carry loads of small stuff that you'll need eventually.

Rare and wonderful and worth supporting.

Luck,

T

Last year, and a whole bunch of times previously, I posted the correct way to burnish your disc pads and brake shoes. (the same method applies to both)

It's the second post here: https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=17493

Thanks Mike. I will call them

As some of you know I aways try to have a back up Plain.

If things will allow next weekend I try and get the bug on my friends lift in his shop . We will start by trying Larry's suggestions . If it solves the squeal problem were done.

I have just ordered a set of Wagner Thermal quiet shoes they are their top of the line parts and a spare new BECK/ARNLEY master cylinder Spare parts to stock up. just in case If we run into trouble.

Ya never know , (((Thanks)))! To all of you! It is apreciated!