11-09-12, 10:23 PM
My brake pads are the original 12 yr old item and they are NOT pish! 
Brake pads seem to not like being kept damp.
How they work is a 'dark art' : It seems that they contain some soft brass or copper that smears against the Iron of the disc and creates friction when it drags against the 'filler' (which used to be asbestos but is now something that is less likely to kill you 40 years down the line).
The result is a black powder that contains Iron and copper: The black stuff that you keep having to clean off the front wheels on your car.
If they're kept wet, the surface tends to 'grow' (ie the pad gets thicker) and they turn green (if you look at them with a magnifying glass)
and your job is to wear it down below the "reacted layer".
A few 'hard stops' might well solve your problem.
Brake pads seem to not like being kept damp.
How they work is a 'dark art' : It seems that they contain some soft brass or copper that smears against the Iron of the disc and creates friction when it drags against the 'filler' (which used to be asbestos but is now something that is less likely to kill you 40 years down the line).
The result is a black powder that contains Iron and copper: The black stuff that you keep having to clean off the front wheels on your car.
If they're kept wet, the surface tends to 'grow' (ie the pad gets thicker) and they turn green (if you look at them with a magnifying glass)
and your job is to wear it down below the "reacted layer".
A few 'hard stops' might well solve your problem.