I noticed a slight squeal from the front brakes (DS) when driving the wife's 100 the other day, so I figured the pads might be starting to get low. Picked up pads and prepared to work on these today. Pulled the front wheel, and saw this clip that obviously wasn't right. It was the clip that runs from pad to pad. It had obviously not been re-attached properly by the PO's mechanic and over time had been ground down and explains the squeal as the worn end had been getting ground down on the outer edge of the rotor (not on the surface, thankfully).
So, my questions are: what functionality does the clip serve, how important is it to run this clip (obviously Mr. Toyota put it here for a reason), and is this a dealer only part?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Pics:
1 - Pic of the PS brake, with the clip properly installed.
2 - Pic of the clip from the DS that was worn down
3 - Another pic of the worn clip
So, my questions are: what functionality does the clip serve, how important is it to run this clip (obviously Mr. Toyota put it here for a reason), and is this a dealer only part?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Pics:
1 - Pic of the PS brake, with the clip properly installed.
2 - Pic of the clip from the DS that was worn down
3 - Another pic of the worn clip