Are new brake pads with a chipped corner safe to use?
A small chip on a newly delivered brake pad often causes uncertainty about whether it is safe to install or needs to be returned. Deciding whether minor damage compromises performance prevents unnecessary installation risks while avoiding the hassle of a return if the part is still usable.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1installing them anyway and letting them wear down normally
- 2brushing off loose material and using them
- 3contacting the manufacturer or seller for a discount or replacement
- 4Replacing rotors and pads at the same time
- 5Just slapping new pads on without changing the rotors
- 6Getting rotors resurfaced at a shop
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Newbie to brake jobs here. I got these brake pads delivered from rock auto and found this chip in the bottom corner. Is this gonna be alright to use? Or should I return them?”source ↗
“Yeah if yall said it was bad I’d just replace em”source ↗
“It feels about the same height as the rusty part . I don’t feel much of a difference”source ↗
“Do you think I need to resurface or get new rotors or are they just rusty asf lol.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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