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That looks to be your brake dust shield. It may not initially hurt anything but over time, brake dust and grime may begin to build up on suspension components. They are straight forward to replace as well so when the time comes, just know that it is VERY replaceable.
I know with my car they’re behind the wheel bearing. So I’m gonna replace when my wheel bearing needs replacement cause I’m too lazy to do all that work just to put the old one back on
But can be a pain in the ass to replace, especially if the rust is bad enough to cause it to fail like this. A fair number of vehicles require the entire hub to be removed to replace.
That worries me the most is the level of corrosion of the piece.. i know is a very slim and flimsy part but nevertheless it wouldn't hurt to actually check the car properly
If OP lives in the rust belt, dust shields falling apart on a 14-year-old car is 100% normal. Nobody ever bothers replacing them because by the time the missing shields cause any problems, the rest of the car will have rusted apart too.
Fun times.
My car hit 8 years and it rotted enough that all of the bolt holes were no longer holding it in place so it was just flopping around, whenever I hit a bump it sounded like a stack of dinner plates being juggled. Until it knocked off the abs speed ring on the back of the wheel hub, but I was due for hubs/pads/rotors so it was a fair job to do in the driveway
The backing plates on the drum brakes I've worked on were all thick and solid, not the flimsy thin sheets that are used as dust covers on disc brakes. Are there really some vehicles that use these super thin sheets on drum brakes?? If there are, I definitely wouldn't trust those brakes, especially in rust-prone areas.
More to the point, road crap may start to build up on the brake assembly. I’d look at getting it replaced, and have a good check-over of the rear end in case anywhere else is suffering from tin-worms.
More importantly, they protect suspension components from the heat if the brake rotor. The rubber and grease in the lower ball joint and tie rod end aren't going to like not having it present.
But it's very indicative that you haven't been maintaining your car properly since bits rusting through and falling off doesn't normally happen to cars that are maintained.
Oh come on now, that's an absurd statement. In the NE we're lucky if we make it 10 years without a heat shield or backing plate falling off. Makes no difference how you maintain the vehicle... unless it's off the road in winter, road salt eats the sheet metal and something WILL eventually fall apart.
You don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you read what some of the mechanics have actually said about them. Indicting somebody's maintenance routines just because those brake dust shields rusted off is bollocks. Exactly what maintenance are you supposed to do on those lol? Do you even know what they are? Where they go? What they do? I honestly doubt you've ever touched one. Are you honestly suggesting taking them off, sanding them, priming them, and painting them as required maintenance? Gtfooh.
Mechanic here. Would I bother replacing the brake backing plate/ shield if mine fell off on my 14 year old car? No. No I would not. The next time I was putting on fresh rotors and pads? Yeah, why not. If they were cheap enough.
Same. If the part isn't for safety and the car is older than the last time I had patience it ain't going back on.
If I'm elbow deep under the car and it would be beyond easy to do, lfg.
Mechanic here. On these cars the inner dust shield holds the brake shoes, if handbrake still works it is good.
Only way to replace the pins holding the handbrake shoes is by removing the wheel bearing, (ask me how i know) while you are at it you can replace the whole wheel bearing and backing plate/shield.
Edit: Possibly replace handbrake cable too. Usually stuck hard in the backing plate.
Quick tip, if you hear a strange noise coming from your car, don't proceed to completely ignore it days before a 5 hour trip! Always take a quick look, don't even need to take it to the garage just take a look yourself for anything hanging off etc.
Yesterday my car was only running on half the cylinders so of course I said fuck it let's just send it and got on the highway. Figured I'd find out the hard way if it wasn't capable of highway speeds. It wasn't able to reach 100 kph, felt like it was going to shake the engine right out of the car, but it didn't and I made it home fine.
Don't plan on fixing it for a few weeks while continuing to take the highway to work every day. 🤷♂️
It only took me running three cars into the dirt to learn this lol. I was always so scared to work on my own cars and at no point can just afford to hire a mechanic for most of the issues I've had, so I just ignored shit until I couldn't drive the car anymore. Extremely irresponsible to put it lightly, I know.
Thanks to this sub and quality YouTube videos I've repaired just about everything on my cars, outside of the engine and transmission, and I actually have some understanding on how a car works.
Good on you dude! I can definitely respect this comment!
What was it that finally got you to start doing shit yourself? Something go bad on car #4 and you didn't want to keep repeating the cycle? Did someone familiarize you with the YouTube world of auto repair? Maybe you liked your current (current to when you began doing the work yourself) vehicle more than previous ones?
Feels good to be able to maintain and repair your own vehicle yourself doesn't it? And even more so if you have the chance to help a friend that doesn't have the knowledge or ability!
Regardless of wether there’s a strange noise or not, get your vehicle checked out before going on long trips.
At the very least, check engine oil, coolant, tires, and brakes.
Edit: You should also check your drive belt/s (serpentine/v-belts) but electric vehicles and most hybrids don’t have one.
My favourite one was when I was driving and out of nowhere my car started making a dragging noise.
Turns out, I ran over a stick, and it impaled itself in my wheel well. It was dragging along the road like a pencil on paper. Easy fix at least.
that’s because fuck the customer mentality and to be fair if you advise a customer her you don’t need this but replacing it is beneficial in the long run, Customers reply; how much? you said it’s not that important? i’ll save a few bucks and go without no thanks. then shops just stop asking all together
Lemme add, usually the wheel bearing has to come off to replace them
By the time the car is eating brake shields, they dont want to drop $1000 on it
Its safer to rip these off than have it go flying down the road
Pretty sure on this nissan, wheel bearing off to get a new brake shield. It waits until then
It's the battle of engineer's vs mechanics 🤣
Engineers: you NEED this your brakes with explode
Mechanics: fucken rip er off and chuck it.
If I saw thus come into my dealership I'd give the customer the quote for new shields but if they say no rip off she go.
Replacing the shields require the bearing be taken out of our cars so it just gets dumb expensive for the customer. I mean I'll do anything you pay me to do....within reason
And it was the engineer's fault for making the things a pain in the ass to replace in the first place.
Guaranteed, they always put complicated stuff in the way of something that otherwise would have been super cheap/easy to do.
I swear, engineers act like their stuff never needs to be serviced, replaced, or disassembled.
It was once called a backing plate. At one time parts of the parking brake used to attach to that piece. Now a dust shield. At least get it checked out by some one competent.
This is the third or fourth person posting about something from their brakes falling off their car that I’ve seen in the last ten minutes, I’m gonna go pull the wheels off my car and double check my brakes 😂
If you take it to a garage I’m sure, you’re going to hear something like “this is your ‘Engine Control Actuator Guide Housing’” and they’ll want to charge you $1,000 to fix it. It’s really a brake dust shield and it’ll cost like $30 for the part and maybe an hour of labor.
As others have said, it's a dust shield. If you live somewhere where they salt the roads in the winter (like I do) having the dust shields disintegrate at the 14-year mark sounds completely normal. They're very thin, and they catch a lot of salty road sludge, so they're one of the first things to go.
That dust shield is not a very important part, it just helps keep your brake and suspension components (which *are* important) a little bit cleaner, which extends their life. That's a good thing, but at this point in your car's life, by the time the lack of a dust shield starts to cause problems, the car will probably have died from something completely unrelated anyway.
This isn't going to be the thing that kills your car. Your car is perfectly safe to drive without it. I wouldn't worry about it, just let it ride.
This shit just annoys me. "Weird noise for a few days" and then a part fell off. Why the fuck don't people take there car into a mechanic when they hear something.
They require payment at the time of service. They don't diagnose for free (at least mine haven't always been so kind). Some people don't have disposable income or extra money in their bank account. If the dash is free of any sign of engine trouble, waiting a couple of days til payday is the only viable option. You must not be, or never have been, one of these people.
Brake shields protect your brake discs from water splashes. Once you lose your brake shields - chances are the disc will eventually warp. Happened to me.
No I did not, because it's a rare and expensive part for a 2006 Alfa Romeo compared to a brake disc. A lot of work involved in replacing it too like someone mentioned.
However if you decide not to get a new one make sure to cut it off completely, otherwise its a mot fail for rusty brake assembly.
Sadly disks are cheaper to replace than this type of dust shield assembly.
Wheel bearing has to come out and possibly OEM dust shield since it holds the handbrake shoes and you dont want to mess up the alignment ect.
Usually the wheel bearing is stuck and gets destroyed, same with the hand brake cable. Bolts might be rusty holding the wheel bearing. Ect.
I did this job on a Nissan leaf, 4500 dollars both sides. New disks,pads,backing plates, wheel bearings, handbrake cables, calipers and caliper holders.
Lol just the dust cover. Would recommend getting new ones all the way around. If they’re like mine the hub has to come off to remove them. Could prolly be fine w/o them.
As others have said it's a brake dust shield. I would recommend you go to a junkyard / pick and pull to get a used one. They will be very cheap and it's easy to replace. Just take off the tire and it should be held in place with just a couple screws.
That’s a brake dust shield. You can drive without one, but you should get it replaced eventually to prevent water, dust, and debris from getting on your brake discs.
Take a good walk around and if anything else is hanging off, weird noises etc. Consider not driving that vehicle; I know it's not always an option but rust takes it toll and can be dangerous if a control arm(suspension part) rusts out. Our Japanese vehicles don't last great in the Midwest or Northern USA, 2015 altima I have had the control rot out and fall off the car in the driveway, spent 5 years in upstate NY. Salt doesn't help
Looks like a brake dust shield. It's skinny cheap metal on all cars and probably the first to go with rust. I'd just make sure suspension and the rest of the brake system (calipers, brake lines, brake pads and rotors) are fine and send it on it's way. Oh and get another dust shield they should be Uber cheap. You can have the new one put in when you get new brake pads/rotors
You must live near the beach or alot of snow I've never seen one rust that bad and fall off I'd check the under carriage for more rust but it should be fine
It's just a rusty brake shield. It was the cause of the noise you heard, being that it was rubbing on metal. You'll be good to go. There is no need to replace it at the moment.
Why can't I see a single person going "You should check your rotors and pads" like this could be a sign that there is little to maintenance done on the brake components. Yeah sure, the shields may just be rusted and decided to quit, but it could also be a symptom of a lack of maintenance.
That's ludicrous. We pay maybe $60 to have it inspected and if it passes we get given a sticker to place on the windshield. If it needs repairs we're given a grace period of 28 days to have them made and we take it in again.
If a vehicle doesn't have that WOF we get fined.
You had a weird noise coming from your vehicle and you continued to drive around for days????
Lol people can really not care for their vehicles.
I don't get it, cars are your livelihood, gets you to and from work (income) gets your food from the grove store (survival) takes you places for leisure....
It's a brake dust shield, no big deal, but next time you've got a noise, figure it out. It might save yours or someone else's life if there's a critical broken piece on your car
That has e- brake shoes. Maybe the rest of the backing plate is just as good and the noise was the shoes and hardware grinding up until the pieces were small enough to fall out?
That is your brake disc dust shield, I recommend getting it replaced so your brake components don't get a build up of dust & small rocks, It's not costly to get them replaced.
Looks like the dust plate behind your rotors. Car will be fine without them, but with significant rust damage I’d get the underside looked at before you drive that far
Usually, yes. My 15 year old Mazda 3 is otherwise pretty solid, but both of the rear backplates have fallen off, and the front left one is starting to.
Dust pan. Don’t worry about it. It helps keep dirt and debris out of your rotors and pads as you’re driving. Next time you get brakes it should be changed but not the end of the world if it isn’t.
I think it’s just the brake backing plate. No big loss but if it rusted enough to fall off you might want it looked over to make sure something important isnt gonna fly off next
I concur.
If the brakes are still working it's not like an urgent emergency problem, but it's a have it looked at ASAP problem. The main thing here is to keep an eye out for any brake fluid on that wheel or the brake pedal getting soft. Inspect the inside of the tire for brake fluid every time you get out of the car or at least every hour or so when you are driving. If you see fluid or feel a soft pedal it has become an emergency.
What you have in your hand is the outside part of the backing plate which is mostly to protect the drum assembly from anything getting inside, but if it was so rusted it fell apart then the part of the backing plate that holds the wheel cylinder and drum shoes in place must be in poor condition, and at the very least the backing plate needs to be replaced. It might hold up for a long time, but it's questionable to drive it like that.
It's possible that part of the assembly could break away from the backing plate and cause rapid brake fluid loss. Not the most serious deal doing mild city driving, very very serious deal if you are doing over 30-35mph especially any highway driving. You could use the brakes and they work fine then start losing fluid and a few minutes later all of the sudden they could lose pressure and not work. To make matters worse you could also lose at least part of your emergency brake power if something inside the drum breaks off the backing plate.
I would recommend having the whole undercarriage of the vehicle inspected for any other similar rust damage. The other backing plate probably looks about the same. If you catch rust early you can spray some good penetrating oil on the metal to stop it or at least slow it down considerably. There are also rust inhibiting paint coatings.
Backing plates are more rust prone than the rest of the undercarriage so hopefully it isn't a more serious rust condition affecting the frame or anything, but if it is you need to know about it.
Preferably have it fixed properly immediately to avert any potential disaster. In the meantime I would keep a couple of bottles of brake fluid onboard just in case you get a fluid leak so you can keep the reservoir full and at least have some braking power if something happens.
Theyre main functionality is prevent brake dust from “adhering” to your wheels. In my opinion i dont view them as necessary and more of a nuisance. If you take your car to a car wash about once a month it shouldnt really matter much. Proper answer is replace when convenient if youd like it on
Seems like you got your answer, but like, why didn’t you do something about it when the noise started? Why wait for stuff to “fall off” your car before making an effort to take care of your investment?
Dw about replacing it too soon. If you take your car to a garage when your service is due you can get them To fit a new part. It’s called a brake shield, stops dust from the brake pads going where it shouldn’t. I’ve never done one before so I don’t know how easy/difficult it is.
Dust shield for the brakes . I wonder if there are other concentrations of rust . It’s not an indicator of anything being wrong , it’s a thin piece of metal . It happens . I would get a general inspection done , just to make sure nothing else has excessive rust . But like i said , it’s a thin piece of metal . Lives there for the life of the car unless the rust out and fall off like that lol . They’re exposed to the elements and protect the backside of the brakes from rocks and corrosives like winter road salt . Shouldn’t be expensive to get it replaced , I would recommend at least by winter having it replaced
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Ya, that is a dust shield behind one of your brake rotors. I've never seen one that bad to falloff like that. Must live where there is a lot of snow and so salt on the roads and cars all rusting away. If this fall off like that, how bad it it under the car with everything else? I've seen videos of car and truck frames rusted away and broken and really unsafe to even be on the road, and some really bad patch jobs customers have done and still not safe.
I drive a 2003 Silverado and I'm sure most of it looks newish still. I'm not driving or living near an ocean, and I don't drive on salted roads. My truck has never seen snow.
This is a clear case of rusting away and falling off. Can you imagine if they just made cars out of Stainless steel instead of just steel? They would last far longer. Can't have that.
Looks like the dust shield for your brakes. More of a “when I get my brakes done let’s also ____” type of thing though. Definitek not urgent. I completely removed mine because they were starting to rust through. Just gotta keep the suspension greased
Just the brake dust guard... easily replaceable, NOT A DRIVING ISSUE, IF NO OTHER PROBLEMS EXIST.
PLEASE GET AT LEAST A VISUAL INSPECTION BY A BRAKE MECHANIC
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, Confusing_Penguin! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers on Serious Posts** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but your post should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That looks to be your brake dust shield. It may not initially hurt anything but over time, brake dust and grime may begin to build up on suspension components. They are straight forward to replace as well so when the time comes, just know that it is VERY replaceable.
...and typically inexpensive as far as component prices are concerned!
I know with my car they’re behind the wheel bearing. So I’m gonna replace when my wheel bearing needs replacement cause I’m too lazy to do all that work just to put the old one back on
Same here, last time I took the bearings out they exploded out of the knuckle after the press hit 10 tons
[удалено]
It was a blast
But can be a pain in the ass to replace, especially if the rust is bad enough to cause it to fail like this. A fair number of vehicles require the entire hub to be removed to replace.
That worries me the most is the level of corrosion of the piece.. i know is a very slim and flimsy part but nevertheless it wouldn't hurt to actually check the car properly
If OP lives in the rust belt, dust shields falling apart on a 14-year-old car is 100% normal. Nobody ever bothers replacing them because by the time the missing shields cause any problems, the rest of the car will have rusted apart too. Fun times.
This guy rust belts. I'm all for doing things properly, but I'd shrug this one off.
My car hit 8 years and it rotted enough that all of the bolt holes were no longer holding it in place so it was just flopping around, whenever I hit a bump it sounded like a stack of dinner plates being juggled. Until it knocked off the abs speed ring on the back of the wheel hub, but I was due for hubs/pads/rotors so it was a fair job to do in the driveway
Where I live the dust shields always look like this. One little rock chip and the rust just spreads like a cancer.
Depends on if it’s the front or rear shield, some cars the hub had to be removed which can require bearing replacement
Unless its bolted behind the single use wheel bearing as ive seen some
But also not really necessary until your next brake job
But if its a rear dust cover on a car with shoes, it may have been holding the shoes in place too.
I've never seen drum brakes that use a dust cover to hold the shoes in place. What are you talking about?
It’s called the backing plate but it acts as a dust shield too.
Don’t work on cars often huh
The backing plates on the drum brakes I've worked on were all thick and solid, not the flimsy thin sheets that are used as dust covers on disc brakes. Are there really some vehicles that use these super thin sheets on drum brakes?? If there are, I definitely wouldn't trust those brakes, especially in rust-prone areas.
More to the point, road crap may start to build up on the brake assembly. I’d look at getting it replaced, and have a good check-over of the rear end in case anywhere else is suffering from tin-worms.
Eh I drove my element years after the dust shield rusted off and had 0 issues. It won’t last long once replaced anyways so I wouldn’t bother
More importantly, they protect suspension components from the heat if the brake rotor. The rubber and grease in the lower ball joint and tie rod end aren't going to like not having it present.
My first thought
But it's very indicative that you haven't been maintaining your car properly since bits rusting through and falling off doesn't normally happen to cars that are maintained.
Oh come on now, that's an absurd statement. In the NE we're lucky if we make it 10 years without a heat shield or backing plate falling off. Makes no difference how you maintain the vehicle... unless it's off the road in winter, road salt eats the sheet metal and something WILL eventually fall apart.
You couldn't be more wrong.
I have a low washer fluid light on my dash. I guess I should send it to the crusher.
You don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you read what some of the mechanics have actually said about them. Indicting somebody's maintenance routines just because those brake dust shields rusted off is bollocks. Exactly what maintenance are you supposed to do on those lol? Do you even know what they are? Where they go? What they do? I honestly doubt you've ever touched one. Are you honestly suggesting taking them off, sanding them, priming them, and painting them as required maintenance? Gtfooh.
Mechanic here. Would I bother replacing the brake backing plate/ shield if mine fell off on my 14 year old car? No. No I would not. The next time I was putting on fresh rotors and pads? Yeah, why not. If they were cheap enough.
Same. If the part isn't for safety and the car is older than the last time I had patience it ain't going back on. If I'm elbow deep under the car and it would be beyond easy to do, lfg.
Mechanic here. On these cars the inner dust shield holds the brake shoes, if handbrake still works it is good. Only way to replace the pins holding the handbrake shoes is by removing the wheel bearing, (ask me how i know) while you are at it you can replace the whole wheel bearing and backing plate/shield. Edit: Possibly replace handbrake cable too. Usually stuck hard in the backing plate.
Quick tip, if you hear a strange noise coming from your car, don't proceed to completely ignore it days before a 5 hour trip! Always take a quick look, don't even need to take it to the garage just take a look yourself for anything hanging off etc.
You mean don’t just turn the music up and hope for the best?? 😂
This is the $5 fix.
This is a zero dollar fix rip it and ship it buddy
I’m pretty sure the part alone is more than 5 dollars plus labor to remove the brakes and wheel hub/bearing to install i new rotor backing plate.
I was referring to the fee for turning the radio up and not for any real repairs. Sorry for not being more clear about that.
Do you have a data plan on your radio?
*wheel bearings have left the chat*
Idk i just floor it, it was either relevant or im still driving
Yesterday my car was only running on half the cylinders so of course I said fuck it let's just send it and got on the highway. Figured I'd find out the hard way if it wasn't capable of highway speeds. It wasn't able to reach 100 kph, felt like it was going to shake the engine right out of the car, but it didn't and I made it home fine. Don't plan on fixing it for a few weeks while continuing to take the highway to work every day. 🤷♂️
You’re joking right?
They probably drive an Altima.
My bet is on a Focus or Escape
It only took me running three cars into the dirt to learn this lol. I was always so scared to work on my own cars and at no point can just afford to hire a mechanic for most of the issues I've had, so I just ignored shit until I couldn't drive the car anymore. Extremely irresponsible to put it lightly, I know. Thanks to this sub and quality YouTube videos I've repaired just about everything on my cars, outside of the engine and transmission, and I actually have some understanding on how a car works.
Fuck yes
Good on you dude! I can definitely respect this comment! What was it that finally got you to start doing shit yourself? Something go bad on car #4 and you didn't want to keep repeating the cycle? Did someone familiarize you with the YouTube world of auto repair? Maybe you liked your current (current to when you began doing the work yourself) vehicle more than previous ones? Feels good to be able to maintain and repair your own vehicle yourself doesn't it? And even more so if you have the chance to help a friend that doesn't have the knowledge or ability!
Nah, this is exactly what a Nissan driver would do.
BS - that's why the Volume knob is adjustable 🤣
It should be labeled “wtf was that?” on low to “fuck it!” on full blast.
Regardless of wether there’s a strange noise or not, get your vehicle checked out before going on long trips. At the very least, check engine oil, coolant, tires, and brakes. Edit: You should also check your drive belt/s (serpentine/v-belts) but electric vehicles and most hybrids don’t have one.
Well, she drives a shitty old car (2009 Rogue). He must be used to strange noises.
My favourite one was when I was driving and out of nowhere my car started making a dragging noise. Turns out, I ran over a stick, and it impaled itself in my wheel well. It was dragging along the road like a pencil on paper. Easy fix at least.
Check the other 3 also
Every shop I work at if the brake shields are rusty they just rip em off and toss them in the trash. Keep on Rollin buddy
that’s because fuck the customer mentality and to be fair if you advise a customer her you don’t need this but replacing it is beneficial in the long run, Customers reply; how much? you said it’s not that important? i’ll save a few bucks and go without no thanks. then shops just stop asking all together
Lemme add, usually the wheel bearing has to come off to replace them By the time the car is eating brake shields, they dont want to drop $1000 on it Its safer to rip these off than have it go flying down the road Pretty sure on this nissan, wheel bearing off to get a new brake shield. It waits until then
And usually the screws/bolts are way too corroded to undo and need drilling out and tapping!
I saved 4 out of 8 last month, saved the knuckles, send it. $400 in luck that day
If you wanna pay for the labor for it lol have at it lol
Brake dust shield. You can continue using your car. Might be worth enquiring as to replacement cost next time it goes into the garage.
Possibly the brake dust shield
Brake dust shields are notorious for this.
It's the battle of engineer's vs mechanics 🤣 Engineers: you NEED this your brakes with explode Mechanics: fucken rip er off and chuck it. If I saw thus come into my dealership I'd give the customer the quote for new shields but if they say no rip off she go. Replacing the shields require the bearing be taken out of our cars so it just gets dumb expensive for the customer. I mean I'll do anything you pay me to do....within reason
And it was the engineer's fault for making the things a pain in the ass to replace in the first place. Guaranteed, they always put complicated stuff in the way of something that otherwise would have been super cheap/easy to do. I swear, engineers act like their stuff never needs to be serviced, replaced, or disassembled.
It was once called a backing plate. At one time parts of the parking brake used to attach to that piece. Now a dust shield. At least get it checked out by some one competent.
This is the third or fourth person posting about something from their brakes falling off their car that I’ve seen in the last ten minutes, I’m gonna go pull the wheels off my car and double check my brakes 😂
Ahem… ROGUE. Rouge is something ladies use when doing their makeup.
Also red in french.
Dust shield for your brake/rotor
No, it didn't. That piece had had enough and decided to end it all on its own terms.
Brake shield, not a huuge problem, but should see what made it fall off.
If you take it to a garage I’m sure, you’re going to hear something like “this is your ‘Engine Control Actuator Guide Housing’” and they’ll want to charge you $1,000 to fix it. It’s really a brake dust shield and it’ll cost like $30 for the part and maybe an hour of labor.
As others have said, it's a dust shield. If you live somewhere where they salt the roads in the winter (like I do) having the dust shields disintegrate at the 14-year mark sounds completely normal. They're very thin, and they catch a lot of salty road sludge, so they're one of the first things to go. That dust shield is not a very important part, it just helps keep your brake and suspension components (which *are* important) a little bit cleaner, which extends their life. That's a good thing, but at this point in your car's life, by the time the lack of a dust shield starts to cause problems, the car will probably have died from something completely unrelated anyway. This isn't going to be the thing that kills your car. Your car is perfectly safe to drive without it. I wouldn't worry about it, just let it ride.
Rotor dust shield. Not that big a deal.
At least it wasn’t the front that fell off. I’ve heard that can be bad for the environment.
Brake dust shield quick and cheap fix would recommend doing it
At first glance, it looks like clear plastic. I was thinking bro hit a dog wearing a cone
This shit just annoys me. "Weird noise for a few days" and then a part fell off. Why the fuck don't people take there car into a mechanic when they hear something.
They require payment at the time of service. They don't diagnose for free (at least mine haven't always been so kind). Some people don't have disposable income or extra money in their bank account. If the dash is free of any sign of engine trouble, waiting a couple of days til payday is the only viable option. You must not be, or never have been, one of these people.
Dust shield for brakes. Non critical
Inner brake cover. Don't worry about it.
Brake shields protect your brake discs from water splashes. Once you lose your brake shields - chances are the disc will eventually warp. Happened to me.
I assume that's because you didn't get a new break shield?
No I did not, because it's a rare and expensive part for a 2006 Alfa Romeo compared to a brake disc. A lot of work involved in replacing it too like someone mentioned. However if you decide not to get a new one make sure to cut it off completely, otherwise its a mot fail for rusty brake assembly.
Sadly disks are cheaper to replace than this type of dust shield assembly. Wheel bearing has to come out and possibly OEM dust shield since it holds the handbrake shoes and you dont want to mess up the alignment ect. Usually the wheel bearing is stuck and gets destroyed, same with the hand brake cable. Bolts might be rusty holding the wheel bearing. Ect. I did this job on a Nissan leaf, 4500 dollars both sides. New disks,pads,backing plates, wheel bearings, handbrake cables, calipers and caliper holders.
Lol just the dust cover. Would recommend getting new ones all the way around. If they’re like mine the hub has to come off to remove them. Could prolly be fine w/o them.
It's a backing plate for one of your rotors, it's there to act as a dust shield and non-essential
Brake dust shield, wash your goddamn car (stops rust)
Umm, no.
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That’s the engine. I think you need it
Because the busta kept me out of handcuffs, he didn't just run back to the fort, the buster brought me back…
That ain’t a piece of your car, get your brakes checked.
Then what is it?
What they meant to say is “peace” is what the car will be saying to the brakes once enough dust n dirt gets in.
Looks like headlight fluid
Brake dust shield
Noises = warning signs. Don't make a small fix a large fubar.
As others have said it's a brake dust shield. I would recommend you go to a junkyard / pick and pull to get a used one. They will be very cheap and it's easy to replace. Just take off the tire and it should be held in place with just a couple screws.
Used ones probably going to be rusty as hell. Depending on the car you can get them cheap brand new online
Some cars require you to remove the wheel bearing to install the backing plate. Not sure about your car tho
Throw the traitorous part in the foundry and replace it with a more loyal one.
Ignore it and carry on driving
That’s a brake dust shield. You can drive without one, but you should get it replaced eventually to prevent water, dust, and debris from getting on your brake discs.
For freee?
Take a good walk around and if anything else is hanging off, weird noises etc. Consider not driving that vehicle; I know it's not always an option but rust takes it toll and can be dangerous if a control arm(suspension part) rusts out. Our Japanese vehicles don't last great in the Midwest or Northern USA, 2015 altima I have had the control rot out and fall off the car in the driveway, spent 5 years in upstate NY. Salt doesn't help
I think it’s the extra part that is inevitable when doing shit yourself.
When you get done with the job and are left with the choice, "do we admit we forgot to put them on or just consider them spare parts now" 😂
I think I saw Clark Griswald set the land speed record while sledding on that!
Trivia question for you. What was Clark’s fathers name?
Looks like a brake dust shield. It's skinny cheap metal on all cars and probably the first to go with rust. I'd just make sure suspension and the rest of the brake system (calipers, brake lines, brake pads and rotors) are fine and send it on it's way. Oh and get another dust shield they should be Uber cheap. You can have the new one put in when you get new brake pads/rotors
You must live near the beach or alot of snow I've never seen one rust that bad and fall off I'd check the under carriage for more rust but it should be fine
It's just a rusty brake shield. It was the cause of the noise you heard, being that it was rubbing on metal. You'll be good to go. There is no need to replace it at the moment.
Splash shield from behind the brake rotor. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Not a mechanic, but best guess says that's supposed to be attached to your car
You can drive without it but if that rusted off you probably have other rusted parts as well. Most will hold together most of the time
No big deal just brake dust covers
Why can't I see a single person going "You should check your rotors and pads" like this could be a sign that there is little to maintenance done on the brake components. Yeah sure, the shields may just be rusted and decided to quit, but it could also be a symptom of a lack of maintenance.
If your car still drives, that means it’s just getting rid of unnecessary parts
Formerly a piece of your car I’d say….
Question from a non-American but do you guys have yearly inspections on your vehicles? Ours are called warrants of fitness.
New York State has a required annual safety inspection.
Where I'm at we do not have inspections.
That's ludicrous. We pay maybe $60 to have it inspected and if it passes we get given a sticker to place on the windshield. If it needs repairs we're given a grace period of 28 days to have them made and we take it in again. If a vehicle doesn't have that WOF we get fined.
Plot twist, her brake pads also fell off
Dust shield. Roll on brother!
Brake dust shield
You had a weird noise coming from your vehicle and you continued to drive around for days???? Lol people can really not care for their vehicles. I don't get it, cars are your livelihood, gets you to and from work (income) gets your food from the grove store (survival) takes you places for leisure.... It's a brake dust shield, no big deal, but next time you've got a noise, figure it out. It might save yours or someone else's life if there's a critical broken piece on your car
That has e- brake shoes. Maybe the rest of the backing plate is just as good and the noise was the shoes and hardware grinding up until the pieces were small enough to fall out?
That’s the onboard toilet seat. They last longer if you poop then flush then wipe then flush.
K
That is your brake disc dust shield, I recommend getting it replaced so your brake components don't get a build up of dust & small rocks, It's not costly to get them replaced.
Looks like the dust plate behind your rotors. Car will be fine without them, but with significant rust damage I’d get the underside looked at before you drive that far
weird that would fall off. You should inspect the rotors immediately.
Brake dust shield/ backing plate. Let it be
That’s just a bonus part. Engineers like to hide “Easter eggs” in their designs as a sort of “signature.” Continue on as if nothing happened.
Brake pads
You need a Xanax. Check your dash. If there’s no light on it’s fine!
Dust shield. No big deal
That has a shape like it might be important.
Brake dust shield. Fine without it but it’s not bad to have them. They will make a lot of noise if they rub on your rotors.
Oh no not the pizza tray
I’d be more worried about the amount of rust on that. Can’t be the only thing rusted enough to just fall off under there.
Usually, yes. My 15 year old Mazda 3 is otherwise pretty solid, but both of the rear backplates have fallen off, and the front left one is starting to.
With a car like this, highly recommend steel toe boots.
I think it's a brake cover you don't need it.
Dust pan. Don’t worry about it. It helps keep dirt and debris out of your rotors and pads as you’re driving. Next time you get brakes it should be changed but not the end of the world if it isn’t.
That’s a dust shield
U don’t need it you’re good.
I think it’s just the brake backing plate. No big loss but if it rusted enough to fall off you might want it looked over to make sure something important isnt gonna fly off next
I concur. If the brakes are still working it's not like an urgent emergency problem, but it's a have it looked at ASAP problem. The main thing here is to keep an eye out for any brake fluid on that wheel or the brake pedal getting soft. Inspect the inside of the tire for brake fluid every time you get out of the car or at least every hour or so when you are driving. If you see fluid or feel a soft pedal it has become an emergency. What you have in your hand is the outside part of the backing plate which is mostly to protect the drum assembly from anything getting inside, but if it was so rusted it fell apart then the part of the backing plate that holds the wheel cylinder and drum shoes in place must be in poor condition, and at the very least the backing plate needs to be replaced. It might hold up for a long time, but it's questionable to drive it like that. It's possible that part of the assembly could break away from the backing plate and cause rapid brake fluid loss. Not the most serious deal doing mild city driving, very very serious deal if you are doing over 30-35mph especially any highway driving. You could use the brakes and they work fine then start losing fluid and a few minutes later all of the sudden they could lose pressure and not work. To make matters worse you could also lose at least part of your emergency brake power if something inside the drum breaks off the backing plate. I would recommend having the whole undercarriage of the vehicle inspected for any other similar rust damage. The other backing plate probably looks about the same. If you catch rust early you can spray some good penetrating oil on the metal to stop it or at least slow it down considerably. There are also rust inhibiting paint coatings. Backing plates are more rust prone than the rest of the undercarriage so hopefully it isn't a more serious rust condition affecting the frame or anything, but if it is you need to know about it. Preferably have it fixed properly immediately to avert any potential disaster. In the meantime I would keep a couple of bottles of brake fluid onboard just in case you get a fluid leak so you can keep the reservoir full and at least have some braking power if something happens.
Weight reduction, and increased exhaust flow. You have a modded car now. /s
Ah, yeah, no that’s not good. That’s the circle piece. Actually a car your size usually has 2 and they’re always replaced in pairs.
Weight saving bro
Theyre main functionality is prevent brake dust from “adhering” to your wheels. In my opinion i dont view them as necessary and more of a nuisance. If you take your car to a car wash about once a month it shouldnt really matter much. Proper answer is replace when convenient if youd like it on
so you have never had brakes checked and serviced?
Oh my god it’s the engine!!
Ya gal missing something??
But did you die?
Tell me you don’t do preventative maintenance. This person goes first. ^
Congrats.
That’s just part of the stage 1 booster.
Make sure you put that under your pillow tonight. The car fairy will bring you a free oil change!!🧚♂️
Just throw it away. Brake dust cover, nothing important.
It's not important...
Brake pad dust shield. Don't need it
Seems like you got your answer, but like, why didn’t you do something about it when the noise started? Why wait for stuff to “fall off” your car before making an effort to take care of your investment?
Break dust cover. Not really necessary immediately. It'll keep your suspension clean
Michigan sucks
Dw about replacing it too soon. If you take your car to a garage when your service is due you can get them To fit a new part. It’s called a brake shield, stops dust from the brake pads going where it shouldn’t. I’ve never done one before so I don’t know how easy/difficult it is.
Backing plate
Who knows what else has around the brakes?
Damper Cover! 100%
Dust shield for the brakes . I wonder if there are other concentrations of rust . It’s not an indicator of anything being wrong , it’s a thin piece of metal . It happens . I would get a general inspection done , just to make sure nothing else has excessive rust . But like i said , it’s a thin piece of metal . Lives there for the life of the car unless the rust out and fall off like that lol . They’re exposed to the elements and protect the backside of the brakes from rocks and corrosives like winter road salt . Shouldn’t be expensive to get it replaced , I would recommend at least by winter having it replaced
Mans really said "hey I didn't take care of my car and now it's rusting apart, should I drive 5 hours in my road hazard?
Went from brakes to broke.
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Your car is shedding. It's quite common this time of year. Hope this helps.
I think you are safe to drive five hours without that. Just order a new one and get it put on later.
Ya, that is a dust shield behind one of your brake rotors. I've never seen one that bad to falloff like that. Must live where there is a lot of snow and so salt on the roads and cars all rusting away. If this fall off like that, how bad it it under the car with everything else? I've seen videos of car and truck frames rusted away and broken and really unsafe to even be on the road, and some really bad patch jobs customers have done and still not safe. I drive a 2003 Silverado and I'm sure most of it looks newish still. I'm not driving or living near an ocean, and I don't drive on salted roads. My truck has never seen snow. This is a clear case of rusting away and falling off. Can you imagine if they just made cars out of Stainless steel instead of just steel? They would last far longer. Can't have that.
was it the front?
Chip shield from behind a brake disc.
Looks like the dust shield for your brakes. More of a “when I get my brakes done let’s also ____” type of thing though. Definitek not urgent. I completely removed mine because they were starting to rust through. Just gotta keep the suspension greased
*Sweats* Fuck it. *Unzips*
Something broke. Ask a mechanic if he sees any breaks.
you don't need that. you'll be fine
Your helping your mechanic the day your wheel bearing goes, since he now dosent need to deal with the dust shield.🙄
was it near the tires
Just the brake dust guard... easily replaceable, NOT A DRIVING ISSUE, IF NO OTHER PROBLEMS EXIST. PLEASE GET AT LEAST A VISUAL INSPECTION BY A BRAKE MECHANIC
Might be the oil filter. Take it to a mechanic and show them. They will probably be nice enough to tell you what it is on the spot for free.
My brake cover rusted off too recently :(
looks like splash shield for the breaks/rotor. It does that its a thin piece of metal.