l know this may not be the place but feel I have to say a few words about Robert McNamara passing away. He was the point man for the Viet Nam war many of his ideas were not implemented by either the military or the government but he still stayed on point through several administrations. I was lucky enough to serve in the Air Force during these times. One little known fact about his was that he was also active in the Cuban conflict, It was him and General Curtis Lemay that hatched the famous phrase “ make the island into a self lighting parking lot” also they thought it would be a good idea to land all the aircraft in Florida and maybe the island would sink. The later was never accredited to him but his thoughts on the matter were well known. One last comment ,am I the only one that has heard enough about Michael Jackson, oh and Sarah Palin?

You are coming to a stop sign and there is a noise like a cat is caught in the fan, but as you release the pedal the noise goes away. You have the screeching brake syndrome. This is caused by a sounding board effect such as a record player. The grooves in the pad and the grooves in the rotor produce a phonographic effect. The Caliper piston is mounted in rubber so a vibration is possible and thus the noise. Several methods to cure this. The one I recommend is to replace the pads with a ceramic based pad, turn or replace the rotors, clean and lube all slide point with a high temperature brake grease, also be sure there is no binding at any points you may have to use a file to clean some of the junk off the pad base or corrosion off the caliper slide points. Use a good anaerobic adhesive to secure the pad to the piston I also use a shim if there is room use caution when applying the sealant; do not get it on any attachment or sliding points. You can also remove, clean and lube the pads and attachment and sliding point’s sand the pad smooth apply sealant and reassemble. I would use a shim here as the pads have some miles and there should be room. I don’t know if turning the rotors is necessary but it wouldn’t hurt. Many of today’s rotors are so thin that they will not turn more than once, so keep this in mind but rotors are not that expensive. If you do a lot of dusty driving it may work to take the vehicle to a car wash and pressure wash the brakes. Simply turn the wheels all the one way wash both front and rear and repeat on the other side.A quick word about ceramic pads, they are definitely worth the extra money. They will eliminate almost entirely any brake dust and noise. Everyone says it is in my head but I think they have a better feel when braking they seem to have a solid and even application. Remember the old saying “if it doesn’t start it is a problem but if you can’t stop you have big problems”.

A recent response stated that many cars had their speedometers turned back when they had high mileage. This is very true in fact one of the lot guys, years ago, had the nick name of spinner and it wasn’t because he was a good dancer. In those days you depended more on the cosmetic appearance of the vehicle rather than the mileage, and this was usually a good indication. With the reconditioning methods they have today this would no longer be the case. Turning back speedos is no longer a problem either, it is impossible to turn back cars that have a digital dash without the use of very sophisticated and expensive equipment. An analog dash is also very difficult to do; there are also many laws, some of them federal, which cover speedometer tampering. I have also bought my share of cars at auctions that I am sure the mileage was not correct but again this was years ago and this has not been a problem for many years.

It has been awhile since I sat down and complained but after reading the paper this AM I think it is about time. 1. Who hires these writers that spout advice about cars Click and Clack are not always on the money but at least they do no harm. This one advises to plug your tire, no one plugs a tire anymore it is just not a safe way to repair a tire, definitely not a speed rated one. Sure it is cheap but it will usually void any warranty or road hazard and with the price of tires(thanks to increase in petroleum) it is worth spending the extra bucks to get it done right. Use the plug and patch in one piece method everything I have read says this is the only way to repair a tire.2. Advice on buying the biggest highest rated battery you can afford. NO no the alternator in today’s vehicles is designed to keep a certain size battery charged anything thing higher and it will ,in time, damage the alternator. The electrical system in the modern car is borderline at best we expect a lot from it in a very hostile enviorment, heat is the killer and they make the alternator small to save space so add more strain and a failure is imminent I have seen the addition of a amp cause problems.3. Only go to a clean shop, a good idea, unless the shop is to clean because they have no business clean and neat but have a used look is the best approach also check there equipment if they have the newest they have to know what they are doing to afford it. Also never go to one with an empty lot look for cars similar to your own and there should always be a number of vehicles around waiting for parts or what ever. 4. Why must the engine noise be so loud on the TV it is almost impossible to hear the announcer. So turn it down a little the strange thing all the networks are doing it. I liked it when DW cranked it up but not all the time.5. If whoever writes Millard Filmore the comic runs for President I am voting for him. I am surprised it has not moved to the editorial page.6. If the modern auto has a thousand times more lines of computer code that the Appollo then lets start paying the techs that can repair these the money they deserve. Crew Chief