I changed the hardware on my right front caliper because a mech told me the old set was worn and causing the caliper to bang around a bit - just noisy.

The rubber booties were junk. I put in the new sleeves and bolts but without the rubber booties, the caliper is still loose.

I mic'ed the bolts - new ones are 15 thousanths larger or so and the new ones are a bit tighter - but my question is why aren't the calipers mounted TIGHT? What's up with the little rubber booties?

I figure they take up the extra space in the hole through the caliper but I'm wondering why they are designed like this.

 

The calibers slide on the bolts, the booties keep dirt out, so that the calipers dont bind on dirty bolts. If the calipers are still loose, the calipers themselves are bad.

 

Why do people rebuild calipers anymore? They are so cheap now, it is more cost effective just to replace them.

 

I'd do the same...but there is nothing wrong with the calipers...just the attachment bolts and the sleeves were worn.

 

What did you pay for the parts?

 

$16

 

About half the cost of a pair of calipers. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

 

Calipers are $40 each. No point in doing them unless you do pads. Good pads are $30-40. Pretty soon you're bleeding brakes and money. You could drop $150 before you know it and an entire afternoon.

My calipers are fine, pads are near new. Four bolts, four sleeves, four booties. Done in twenty minutes.