Hey everyone. So I have purchased new OEM front and rear rotors and pads for my 2001 LS430. When I got the pads they did not come with shims.
Now, I called the Lexus dealership and they want $75 CAD for the front shims and $45 CAD for the rear (actually not bad considering Lexus of Seattle wanted $112 USD for the front!!!

So from what I see online it seems that you can clean up and reuse the shims....

1. How much time/effort does it cost to clean up the shims?

2. Are the shim's simply clipped on or are they also glued with adhesive...if so how do you get the adhesive off?

3. I have a feeling that the previous owner installed aftermarket rotors and/or pads....if this is the case would the shims be different from OEM?

 

You can reuse shims. Clean them with a little brake cleaner and paper towels. They are usually installed on the pads dry.

 

Yes, and the easiest brake pads in the world to replace to. Never seen anything like it. Its AWESOME.

 

Shims often get overlooked because of the price so if the previous owner chose to save a few dollars you may not have any shims to re use.

 

Thanks for the replies, at this point I am going to order the shims and return them if I can end up reusing the old ones. I noticed that there are actually two different shim kits available OEM for the LS430..... perhaps the pre-04 facelift models had different shims?

What I see here is

04945-50030Replaced by: 04945-50060......so are these shims not interchangeable????
When I type in LS430 shim kits on google it just says 01-06???

 

They are the same for all years of the 430. The 50030 is just a part number that has been superseded...

https://www.lexussouthatlantaparts.c...494550060.html

 

Right on thank you for the reply. Figured that's what it was...Hey also was wondering, what other parts should I replace while i'm at it? From what I understand the dealer will replace all 8 caliper bolts....and they must be torqued to 81 front and 58 rear from bottom to top in sequence?

Also....do you recommend putting on the OEM front and rear fitting kits? 04947-50090 / 04948-50050

Also I have read that the wear sensor clip is a one-time use thing so will I just have to be extra careful when removing it?

 

Caliper bolts are Torque To Yield so they should NOT be re used. You shouldn't need the fitting kits unless for some reason your brakes have been severely neglected or damaged. Pads, shims, and caliper bolts should be all you need. The wear sensors are easily removed but if the pads have worn too thin the sensor is destroyed. If this has happened your dashboard would have told you...

 

They might be torque to yield bolts, but I reused mine anyway, and I honestly doubt they've been replaced since it left the Thames Toyota factory a decade ago

 

Absolutely!! Please do not throw them out. I bought new OE front and rear shims, and they weren't exactly inexpensive (maybe $40 each axle?). I am without and didn't seem to have any issues, but the indie said to try putting them in the fronts as a noise I asked him to check, he thinks they are the pads shifting, and he duplicated the sound by tapping on the pad area where the pins slide through the tops. The shims should dampen any movement/sound. For some reason I think over the years of a car, someone like a muffler shop just throws these out when doing the brakes....

PS when your rotors are about a month old, can you please see if you get this strip along the inside edge near the hat? These are Centrics. I have a feeling you will not have that rust strip, that there is a coating, but not positive. I will likely do OE rotors next time (have them in front, but Centric in rear)

 

No the brakes are not damaged or neglected so i'm sure I could reuse the shims, but the question is are the OEM shims different from aftermarket shim kits? I don't think the previous owner put aftermarket pads on so if they are like Raysbestos or something then those shims wouldn't be reusable with OEM pads right?

But anyhow thank you for clarifying, I will no longer bother with the fit kit then...all i'll order is the bolts and shim kits (the mechanic I have helping me claims you can't reu-use the shim kit, but it seems like everyone says you can...oh well maybe he is right if the current brakes are not OEM)

 

Yikes, yeah this is why I went with OEM rotors...because I had been reading that the non-OEM stuff tends to rust, while OEM does not. I will keep tabs on them for sure, so i'll let you know if I find rust or anything after a few months.

 

Yes, OE shims are much different, there are 2 per side of caliper, or 8 per axle, or 16 for the vehicle.

Front shims

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-LEXUS-LS430-FRONT-BRAKE-PAD-SHIMS-04945-50060/322291755300?epid=1430915336&hash=item4b0a15e924:g:rlMAAOSwquBaj0ba:rk:3f:0

Rear shims

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-LS430...-/390286167154

 

I used the Powerstop kit from Rockauto on my '05 front and rear. Came with rotors, pads, shims, and grease. Everything that was needed. And they work great with no noise.

 

I broke the rule and reused bolts and sensor (rear). The reason was my rear left parking brake flew apart, springs and all. So, when I reassembled, I wanted to make sure the parking brake worked. And I didn't want to find out they didn't, and have to take the caliper and rotor off again and waste the new bolts which exceed $5 ea. So, that's what I did, and it's been months...not sure what the consequences are, if any. And pretty sure a muffler shop with a $139 or $99 per axle job doesn't bother with sensor nor bolts nor shims....they'll just install cheap pads and call it a day...