Brake backplate

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Sat 10 Jun 2006 07:47
Brake backplate - John24
I had new tyres fitted to my car last week and yesterday heard a scraping noise from the front end of the car. When I took the wheel off, I found that the brake backplate had corroded through and was leaning back against the strut and the driveshaft. When I touched it, it came off completely in my hand. Apart from keeping in brake dust, goes the backplate perform any other useful function? Is this a MOT failure?
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Sat 10 Jun 2006 13:08
Brake backplate - Chris M
Keeps most of the spray off in wet weather. MoT failure or not, I think it's something I'd rather have in place.

Chris M
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Sat 10 Jun 2006 13:20
Brake backplate - Number_Cruncher
Not an MOT failure for a non-load bearing disc backplate. If it were a drum backplate, with a load bearing duty for the slave cylinder and the shoe pivot then it would (should!) be an MOT fail.

The backplates on many Ford cars were deleted during the 80's and 90's at the behest of the engineer who was also our visiting lecturer for vehicle brakes. His argument was that because of the forward motion of the car, the spray from one front wheel doesn't actually impinge on the back of the opposite wheel, and that backplates were more likely to trap stones and other debris rather than to serve any useful purpose.

I tend to support this point of view, and would say that if your front discs' backplates are definitely non load bearing, then let them rot in peace!

Number_Cruncher
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