Preventative Maintenance is always more cost effective in the long term as it prevents smaller issues from becoming more major problems. Take for example ‘Big Brake Kits’ which are now more commonly fitted on road cars and feature 4 pot, 6 pot and 8 pot calipers.

These calipers are aluminium for lightness and strength. Usually they are fitted to race cars which never see any road use and are therefore not subjected to the same harsh environment as cars that are used on the road. Salt and aluminium do not mix well, and will over time cause corrosion. Race cars never experience this phenomena.

Regular checking and maintenance of this type of brake caliper is essential. Race cars frequently have pads removed, inspected, replaced and calipers are cleaned regularly, but road cars do not have quite the same ‘affection’ lavished upon them.

Take for example the K Sport 8 pot calipers. We have seen a few instances with some of these calipers where salt from over-winter use has penetrated under the pad sliders causing them to lift and so in turn if left the pad can seize in the caliper – even calipers that are painted or anodised can suffer. With this in mind it is always a sensible precaution to inspect these brakes after winter to clear away traces of salt and corrosion, and also a pre-winter check will pay dividends too.

Remove the pads to check they are not seizing into the calipers. If there is corrosion evident then the upper and lower sliders will need to be removed. This is easier to do with the caliper on a workbench, so remove the brake hose from the caliper (take care with brake fluid leaking) and the caliper from the car. Remove the upper and lower sliders, clean around and underneath them to remove traces of any dirt and/or corrosion, clean the sliders using a wire wheel, coat both the sliders and their seats with some high temperature anti-seize aluminium spray, such as Wurth AL1100, as this will help to prevent further salt ingress and over winter corrosion. It will also help keep the pads moving freely in the calipers. Refit the calipers, brake lines and reassemble with the pads, assuming they are serviceable. Replace the pads if required, then bleed thoroughly.

When carrying out this work you will also need to have 8 x M6 x 1.0 x 12mm A2 button head stainless steel screws available, which retain the sliders. The ones fitted in the KS calipers from factory are prone to corroding and the heads rust. This can make them difficult to remove if the heads round off, meaning additional labour time, effort and frustration to get them out!!

Whilst this will take a few hours to do properly, it is more than worth it – leaving it until the pads seize will only mean a nightmare of a job later on down the line.