Heads up: That cheap brake cleaner from the dollar store nearly cost me a caliper rebuild

Last weekend I grabbed a couple cans of that no-name brake cleaner from the bargain bin at my local auto parts place in Des Moines. I figured it was all the same stuff, just a can of spray. Well, I used it to clean off a set of calipers I was rebuilding on my 2002 F-150, and the residue left a weird sticky film that would not come off with just air. I had to scrub everything down with actual solvent and a wire brush, which added two hours to the job. Turns out that cheap stuff has a lower concentration of the active cleaner and more propellant that leaves a gummy mess. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has had a bad experience with off-brand chemicals, or am I just being too picky about keeping my work clean?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.drew20d ago

Maybe the propellant they use is actually just cheap wd40 in disguise.

perez.barbara20d ago

@lewis.drew is right, but is a little sticky film really worth all that drama?

valthomas12d ago

Wait, are we really acting like a little sticky film is no big deal? Because when you have to peel that stuff off your hands for the next two days, it becomes a whole thing real fast. I've had it where the residue just laughs at soap and water, like it's dared me to try harder. And on a bad day, that cheap propellant smell just hangs around in your car too. So yeah, I kind of get why people are fired up about it.