Bendix Brakes... My continuing bad experience

[NizZ8]

Hey guys! I have a few concerns and questions with a recent series of front brake jobs i've been dealing with my 97 LT Blazer.

Front brakes needed some attention, so i went to the local Big Wheel that i have done business with reguarly for years. They had recently changed their suppliers of loaded calipers to Bendix. So w/o any hesitation i got a new set of calipers and rotors to install on my truck.

Got everything together w/o any problems. Did a short drive, everything seemed to check out. so far so good..

Fast Forward to the monday commute (about 25 miles). I start off the drive heading down a steep hill, and when i get to the bottom i notice my brakes are smelling to all high heck and the stopping power is almost NILL once i got to the bottom of the hill. I was a bit thrown off since i haven't had any problem like this before so i figure that it's the brak pads just breaking in--so i continue. By the time i get to work the brakes are still stinking, and they are now squealing like pigs during light braking periods.

So i took the calipers and rotors back in stating the above was happening and they gave me a new set of calipers (of the same type) and i installed them.. Same results.. (not that i was really expecting different results).

So I'm going to be able to get a full refund on these apparent POS brakes, but I STILL NEED TO GET BRAKES!.. so my question to you guys is, what are the best fuss free calipers/rotors i can put on my 97 Blazer that have worked for you so far?

[Fireplug]

Sounds to me like you did not do a correct break in of the brakes. Just slaping them on and going for a ride is not the correct break in for the brakes.
With all the new parts you MUST start out going only 10 to 20 mph and do about 10 full stops . Then take her out and do a few 30 mph stops and then let them cool down.
The reason you had problems was that there was no break in peroid where they can heat up and cool down. You over heated the pads and most likley burnt the brake fluid and blued the rotors. The squeal is from glazed pads and rotors from the extrem heat.
Bendix is the best out there by the way they make OEM on GM cars and trucks.
The only reason you where able to stop at all was because of the good quality of Bendix brakes
also how are the rear brakes doing??

[NizZ8]

Rear brakes are doing OK at around 50%.

The last brake job i did turned out fine, and i took about the same steps as i did this time--I don't say EXACT same steps, because that's a bit of time gap to remember everythign perfectly

My break in period wasn't exactly as you had stated above, but i considered my 'break-in" period to be returning the orig calipers/rotors to the parts shop, which is about a 15 minute drive each way mostly flat with speed ranging from 25-35mph the whole way there w/ several stopping points along the way as well.

I agree with you! I thought that bendix brakes were the cream of the crop, but these ones have thorougly sucked for me so far. Maybe it's just this batch, or they are some kind of knockoffs! I'll have to check the boxes and part #'s again to be sure.

[Fireplug]

It could be . That would not be the first time we would get 1 bad part and by the time it was over we had to replace lots of parts