2011 Ford Flex Ecoboost, 25K miles, driven by wife, 20/80 city/hwy driving profile in North Central Ohio for just shy of 2 years since bought new. Mostly she stays out of the boost and treats the brake pedal normally; if anything she doesn't anticipate stops as I do and tends to be on the gas longer and brake later than I would, but she is not at all a bad driver.
Still on the original brakes.
So, left rear brake seems to be sticking. Symptoms are: LR rotor much, much hotter than right, noisy, smell of brake pad material.
2 weeks ago had the wife take it to the dealership, who claimed brake dust contamination in the pads and slides were likely at fault. Dealer cleaned the slides and recommended brake service soon due to 4mm of brake pad remaining.
Today I heard the brake making a loud noise as she came to a stop in the driveway. After a few minutes of unloading children I checked rotor temps: RR was in the 90F range, LR was off the scale (I think the scale tops out at 350 on my B&D IR thermometer). I had her slowly roll the wagon a bit and it seems that the noise is intermittent with wheel position, e.g. possible lightly warped rotor.
I plan on replacing the rotors, pads, and fluid in a few weeks on one of the days that the temperature reaches in the 50s, but I read something which seems to me a bit odd, and maybe I misunderstand, so this is where I'd like some insight: Ford directs that mechanics do not use caliper grease on the caliper slides.
Is this common? Will my family DIAcarF if I use the grease? Rolling on OEM 20" wheels and don't plan on upgrading to a big brake kit. It seems to me that using some grease might help prevent the caliper from hanging up.
TL;DR: Ford says don't use caliper grease on caliper slide pins; me: why not?
Still on the original brakes.
So, left rear brake seems to be sticking. Symptoms are: LR rotor much, much hotter than right, noisy, smell of brake pad material.
2 weeks ago had the wife take it to the dealership, who claimed brake dust contamination in the pads and slides were likely at fault. Dealer cleaned the slides and recommended brake service soon due to 4mm of brake pad remaining.
Today I heard the brake making a loud noise as she came to a stop in the driveway. After a few minutes of unloading children I checked rotor temps: RR was in the 90F range, LR was off the scale (I think the scale tops out at 350 on my B&D IR thermometer). I had her slowly roll the wagon a bit and it seems that the noise is intermittent with wheel position, e.g. possible lightly warped rotor.
I plan on replacing the rotors, pads, and fluid in a few weeks on one of the days that the temperature reaches in the 50s, but I read something which seems to me a bit odd, and maybe I misunderstand, so this is where I'd like some insight: Ford directs that mechanics do not use caliper grease on the caliper slides.
Is this common? Will my family DIAcarF if I use the grease? Rolling on OEM 20" wheels and don't plan on upgrading to a big brake kit. It seems to me that using some grease might help prevent the caliper from hanging up.
TL;DR: Ford says don't use caliper grease on caliper slide pins; me: why not?