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armourall on old brake pads?

Old 02-14-10, 09:47 PM
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armourall on old brake pads?

...so, a customer recommended using armourall on old hard brake pads to get them soft and supple again. Has anyone done this? I'm really curious as that would be a whole new solution to an age old problem. Let me know? -FTU
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Old 02-14-10, 10:02 PM
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Somebody try it and report back.
Sounds unlikely.
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Old 02-14-10, 10:07 PM
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Sounds like the perfect way to make old, hardened pads have a shiny, contaminated surface, soon to be spread to your rims' braking surface. Guaranteed to squeal, bark, and not help a bit.
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Old 02-14-10, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by FasterthanU
...so, a customer recommended using armourall on old hard brake pads to get them soft and supple again. Has anyone done this? I'm really curious as that would be a whole new solution to an age old problem. Let me know? -FTU
New brake pads: $2.50 (see https://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikeparts/item/01-88954 )
Visit to emergency room: $2000 on up
Life itself: priceless
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Old 02-15-10, 02:05 AM
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what's wrong with just rubbing them against the pavement to get rid of the crusty layer.

Or even better, buy new ones. Brake pads are definitely on my list of things that are always ok to buy new.
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Old 02-15-10, 02:07 AM
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Rub then against the pavement or some sandpaper to remove the crusty skin. Or if that treatment is too late to save them then invest in a new set.

Armorall does not penetrate to any significant degree into old plastics or rubber. All it'll do is make your pads shiney and slippery. And then the Armorall will transfer to the rims and complicate your life even further.

The person that said that doesn't know which side their bread is buttered on. There's accounts of folks making their tire sidewalls shiney using ArmorAll that decided not to stop at the sidewalls and did the faces of the tread. Life got VERY exciting for them during the next drive out into the public roads. One time only when I didn't know any better I did the saddle on my motorcycle of that moment with ArmorAll. It was like trying to sit on a freshly Zambonie'd ice sheet for days following that tragic mistake.

Last edited by BCRider; 02-15-10 at 02:11 AM.
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Old 02-15-10, 02:11 AM
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Originally Posted by FasterthanU
...so, a customer recommended using armourall on old hard brake pads to get them soft and supple again.
For a cosmetic darker sheen on the outside surfaces I might just consider doing that, in some set of extraordinary circumstances, but I'd be real careful about not getting any on the rim side.

Originally Posted by FasterthanU
...Has anyone done this?
Not me. For the price of new pads and the minor cosmetics gain I wouldn't be bothered. A trim of the contact surface witha file/sandpaper is about the only effort apart from alignment that I'm willing to spend on a pad.

Originally Posted by FasterthanU
...I'm really curious as that would be a whole new solution to an age old problem.
The solution to dried-up pads are to buy new ones. For the cost and availability normally associated with this I don't see much need of another solution, with unknown consequences WRT performance.

If one really wanted to go that way I suspect there is "better" stuff available than Armorall, which is only a surface treatment. You can buy additives for that are supposed to fix leaky hydraulic systems by getting in there and soften up seals and o-rings. Letting a pad sit in that overnight might render it useful again. Or it might turn it into a smeary mess.
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Old 02-15-10, 02:15 AM
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By the way. After finding out that applying ArmorAll to most plastics and synthetic rubber actually accelerates their aging and embrittlement I tossed out my one and only ever bottle of ArmorAll. It may make the outer surface look nice and shiney but it does so at the cost of introducing a cancer to the material's inner makeup
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Old 02-17-10, 03:02 AM
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Adding things that might still be useful to our nations garbage pile-- problem.
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Old 02-17-10, 03:12 AM
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Originally Posted by FasterthanU
Adding things that might still be useful to our nations garbage pile-- problem.
Slamming into that car cause your brake pads are slippery from armourall-- problem.
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Old 02-17-10, 03:17 AM
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Danger, danger!

Click here for further info.
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Old 02-17-10, 04:35 AM
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I seem to recall hearing somewhere from someone who had actually done this. They mentioned that when they squeezed their brakes, the bike actually accelerated and went faster !!!
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Old 02-17-10, 04:41 AM
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There's always that one voice of dissent and I guess this time it's mine.

I've been using Armor All for more than twenty years on my motorcycles and cars. From the sidewalls on both the car, and bike rubber and vinyl while they sit over winter. I have an '87 Yamaha which I bought new that's been recieving the aforementioned treatment since day one.

What I've always done: Clean the surfaces well before applying. Spray the surface lightly and wipe ALL excess off and let it soak in for a couple hours. Then wipe vigorously until you get the the slickness off the surface. You'll know the Armor All is working because the rubber or vinyl surface will have a darker, wet look to it. But to the touch, if you've done it correctly, it won't be slick. The thing is, armor all will work if you know how to apply iot properly. There's a correct procedure and all the other attempts.

Every single rubber or vinyl on that bike, for example, looks as good as it always has. There is not a tear a crack or damage to be found on that bike or the others.

Armor All isn't going to make cracks disappear. It isn't a cleaner. Its supposed to be applied after the surface is cleaned and completely dried. And then its supposed to be wiped away until the surface is no longer slick to the touch. You'll see that it works because the materials will look wet even after wiping ALL the excess away.

So how do you know you applied it correctly? If the excess has been wiped away properly you should be able to drag a finger across what looks like a wet surface and have more friction resistance than when it was dry and clean and just before you applied the Armor All. You shouldn't have a residue from the surface you apllied and removed the excess off of, after you're done.

I know this runs contrary to all the wonderful internet knowlege but this is my personal experience with the stuff. I think some people either don't apply it by the directions, applied it too late and blame it for their poor care of the surfaces beforehand, or simply, almost NObody wipes the surfaces down after application enough to where the surfaces feel almost a little sticky like they should after proper application of this or a similar product.

I've never slid off the seat of armor all'ed motorcycles, lost my hold on the handlebars or had my feet slide off my pegs.

I'm not saying anyone here has to agree with me or even believe me. This is the internet after all HA. I'm just giving my personal experience. Armor All will work as advertised. And it's supposed to be wiped down until all the residue is gone. It'll look wet but if done right, should not be slick, period.

ps. I'm not going to argue with anyone who disagrees with me. I can accept Everyone disagreeing with me, but I'm going on over twenty years personal experience with the product. But I follow directions and I'm a bit of a stickler for details.

<EDIT>
Jeez I got a little caught up on the whole AA thing I forgot to write that I DON'T think its a necessary or useful idea to use Armor All on the bike's brake pads. I do think its a better idea to scuff the pads somehow, instead. Or jsut get new/better ones. While yes, I think if done right it would be okay, those things are so small that it isn't worth it. Pads aren't expensive and scuffing them would be the right thing to do in this case imo.

Harv

Last edited by Harvey2; 02-17-10 at 09:37 AM.
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Old 02-17-10, 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Jeff Wills
New brake pads: $2.50 (see https://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikeparts/item/01-88954 )
Visit to emergency room: $2000 on up
Life itself: priceless
Definitive answer in very few words...priceless
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Old 02-17-10, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Harvey2
Armor All isn't going to make cracks disappear. It isn't a cleaner. Its supposed to be applied after the surface is cleaned and completely dried. And then its supposed to be wiped away until the surface is no longer slick to the touch. You'll see that it works because the materials will look wet even after wiping ALL the excess away.

I know this runs contrary to all the wonderful internet knowlege but this is my personal experience with the stuff.
I've never slid off the seat of armor all'ed motorcycles, lost my hold on the handlebars or had my feet slide off my pegs.

I'm not going to argue with anyone who disagrees with me. I can accept Everyone disagreeing with me, but I'm going on over twenty years personal experience with the product. But I follow directions and I'm a bit of a stickler for details.
I'm not going to disagree with what you said, just that it applies here. One thing AA does is leave a protective coating to seal the material against UV and airborne ozone damage. That it why it prevents cracks from forming. It is not going to penetrate deeply into rubber and seal cracks or soften up rubber that is degraded. The rubber on a brake pad is intended to constantly be wearing away. A super thin applicaiton to the outer surface isn't going to help any. And even if it is applied according to the directions, it is still introducing materials onto the braking surface that are not supposed to be there.

Sand the surface of brake pads when needed to remove glazing. But if the rubber is hard or cracked, replace. Use products like AA to protect rubber and vinyl that is exposed to the sun. Or try the stuff made by a company called "303 Products" which is supposed to work better. (Though I can't verify that claim).
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Old 02-17-10, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Harvey2
There's always that one voice of dissent and I guess this time it's mine.

I've been using Armor All for more than twenty years on my motorcycles and cars. From the sidewalls on both the car, and bike rubber and vinyl while they sit over winter. I have an '87 Yamaha which I bought new that's been recieving the aforementioned treatment since day one.

What I've always done: Clean the surfaces well before applying. Spray the surface lightly and wipe ALL excess off and let it soak in for a couple hours. Then wipe vigorously until you get the the slickness off the surface. You'll know the Armor All is working because the rubber or vinyl surface will have a darker, wet look to it. But to the touch, if you've done it correctly, it won't be slick. The thing is, armor all will work if you know how to apply iot properly. There's a correct procedure and all the other attempts.

Every single rubber or vinyl on that bike, for example, looks as good as it always has. There is not a tear a crack or damage to be found on that bike or the others.

Armor All isn't going to make cracks disappear. It isn't a cleaner. Its supposed to be applied after the surface is cleaned and completely dried. And then its supposed to be wiped away until the surface is no longer slick to the touch. You'll see that it works because the materials will look wet even after wiping ALL the excess away.

So how do you know you applied it correctly? If the excess has been wiped away properly you should be able to drag a finger across what looks like a wet surface and have more friction resistance than when it was dry and clean and just before you applied the Armor All. You shouldn't have a residue from the surface you apllied and removed the excess off of, after you're done.

I know this runs contrary to all the wonderful internet knowlege but this is my personal experience with the stuff. I think some people either don't apply it by the directions, applied it too late and blame it for their poor care of the surfaces beforehand, or simply, almost NObody wipes the surfaces down after application enough to where the surfaces feel almost a little sticky like they should after proper application of this or a similar product.

I've never slid off the seat of armor all'ed motorcycles, lost my hold on the handlebars or had my feet slide off my pegs.

I'm not saying anyone here has to agree with me or even believe me. This is the internet after all HA. I'm just giving my personal experience. Armor All will work as advertised. And it's supposed to be wiped down until all the residue is gone. It'll look wet but if done right, should not be slick, period.

ps. I'm not going to argue with anyone who disagrees with me. I can accept Everyone disagreeing with me, but I'm going on over twenty years personal experience with the product. But I follow directions and I'm a bit of a stickler for details.

<EDIT>
Jeez I got a little caught up on the whole AA thing I forgot to write that I DON'T think its a necessary or useful idea to use Armor All on the bike's brake pads. I do think its a better idea to scuff the pads somehow, instead. Or jsut get new/better ones. While yes, I think if done right it would be okay, those things are so small that it isn't worth it. Pads aren't expensive and scuffing them would be the right thing to do in this case imo.

Harv
I've been applying it to the sidewalls of my tires in an effort to protect them from the AZ sun. It's then a simply matter of wiping down the rim walls with Isopropyl alcohol to remove any overspray.
Applying it to restore brake pads makes no sense when you can spend $8 on a pair of Kool Stop pads that will perform better than the original pads.
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Old 02-17-10, 03:47 PM
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As another (former) user of Armor All, I have to share my negative experience with the product.
Yes, the product does make rubber and plastic parts look nice,clean and shiney, but be aware that once you start using Armor All, you cannot stop doing so as the materials (mostly the rubber based ones) you are using it on will actually deteriorate faster than normal for some reason, if you do not keep up the regular dosage of Armor all on it. It happened on a couple of cars I owned in the 80's when I was using it. I noticed that the rubber trim around my car's glazed areas suddenly started cracking and drying out real fast (car was only about 7 years old) after I held off using the product for short time. This exact thing happened too on the next car I owned. After the seond time, I looked into this and found out that many other people had experienced the same problem. I just decided not to use it again on my next cars....so on my next Honda Accord, I did not use it at all. The trim on that car lasted it's whole life with me without deteriorating and cracking at all even after well over 10 years under the hot California sun! I recently checked in the internet what the blurb is with using Armor All and many still believe that there is a problem if you do not apply it regularly because materials can deteriorate faster after that.

I suspect that there could be someting in the rubber or vinyl based materials that Armor All tends to displace, and when the (mostly water based, I suspect) Armor All evaporates from the material from heat, there is nothing really protecting it from things like UV damage or just plain drying out.

Haven't used Armor All on anything in my house or car since, and I never experienced the same problems again.

Sooo, from my personal experience with the product, my advice is to stay away from Armor All....Period!
JMO

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