Prius Hardware for brakes

brake shims.

Sorry I have a 2010 so not sure what's the deal with the 2nd gen. When I replaced mine this year, 2 of my shims were missing (one on each side) but it wasn't making any noise before that.

Are you using original brake parts (pads, shims, rotors)? In my previous cars (non hybrid), I usually went cheap and bought aftermarkets. This is the 1st time I bought OEM and the fit is beautiful compared to the aftermarkets.

Here's a pic I found on the internet for 2nd Gen. They look very similar to mine when I replaced them.

First Brake Job at 86K Miles - 2004 Toyota Prius Long-Term Road Test

I usually put some sticky gooey stuff (forgot the name) between the shims and the pads and the calipers to keep them quiet and also help hold them in place. Ask your mechanic to add them next time, it might help keep things quiet and in place.

 

how many miles on her? my '08 brakes with 100k are like brand new.

 

some dealers only charge an hour's labor for inspection, shop around. i know it's expensive, but it sounds like your mechanic is doing something wrong.

 

For comparison, these are the OEM shims:

 

These are just the shims that brake pads slide on as the pads get squeezed and unsqueezed when you step on and release the brakes. The shims form fits on the bracket perfectly and the depressed channel is where the brake pad ears go into and slide in. Assuming the shims are installed correctly, maybe the pads are getting cockeyed at an angle and jammed somehow bending/breaking the shims.

A common problem on Toyota brake caliper designs is frozen caliper slide pins. If yours haven't been lubricated recently, you might check that. I did a whole writeup on why these caliper slide pins tend to freeze compared to other designs. If the pins are frozen, I can imagine uneven forces on the pads and causing all kinds of problems.

Brake Caliper Slide Pin Cleaning and Lubrication | Page 5 | PriusChat

 

+1

There's nothing out of the ordinary about the brake pads & calipers on this car -- any mechanic should be able to service them like they would any other car.

Did your mechanic indicate which parts in the hardware package are breaking? The 4 "bracket" pieces on the left, or the 4 "wire spring" pieces on the right?

 

Well I am confused reading this thread.
OP posted a full brake part picture.

What part is breaking?
The silver metal springs?
The copper metal retainers?

I can't see the retainers breaking? If this... something is very wrong.
The springs, I could see breaking if the parts were reused or somehow bent (even stepped on) during installation.

Anyway, an inspection is needed...plus I don't think these parts are sold separately so you'll have to buy a set of pads.
From the OP writing (breaking 3x) ...I'd guess there is an installation error or cheap metal/ non OEM parts used.

Well, good luck.

 

There are enough strange things about this thread that it is hard to be sure what to say next.

The original poster's profile says a 2008 Prius (Gen 2) in USA, which ought to be the model with rear drums, and disc brakes on the front only.

At the same time, the photo link the original poster supplied looks like the fitting kit (not the shim kit) for the rear disc brakes (as one would expect to see on Gen 3, or maybe some non-USA Gen 2s).

Maybe that's just a mixup in posting, or maybe some mechanic has been trying to use Gen 3 rear fitting kits on the front calipers of a Gen 2. I could imagine that causing some issues.

The shims are the flat metal pieces that are stacked alongside the pads (between one pad and the piston, between the other pad and the mounting), coated with shim grease. 2008 front disc brake shim kit

The fitting kits are the sproingy metal pieces that fit into the notches in the mounting above and below, that the ears of the pads slide in. 2008 front disc brake fitting kit

If the problems have been occurring while using parts that are not those specific, Toyota parts, I would go ahead and try those specific parts and see what happens.

Or ... does the OP have a newer Prius and an outdated profile?

-Chap