Fancy Calipers

We see some really unusual and cool things here on a pretty regular basis, but this one really stands out. We just rebuilt a set of these calipers for a customer and it's pretty obvious that somebody spent an incredible amount of time and $$$ to get this looking just right.

As we understand, it’s a type of photo-etching process that involves a wax film with the design on it, laid over the polished chrome body and then an acid solution etches out the various design elements, giving it a 3-dimensional texture.

Apparently, they’re going on some kind of Cadillac show car, according to Senior Technical Specialist, Will Pringle. "I can only imagine what the rest of the car looks like: Texas Longhorn steer antlers out on the hood, cowhide seats and a matching pair of chromed Colt 45s on the console, maybe?"

Whatever show vehicle it ends up going on, we couldn't resist showing off this craftsmanship.

Centric Named Vendor of the Year by NPW

Centric Parts sales rep, Joe Evora, and Centric VP of Sales Mike Musso (below right), were recently in Florida, where they attended the National Performance Warehouse (NPW) Million Dollar Dinner, the black tie awards banquet that coincided with the fourth annual FAST Expo.

All involved praised the event, held at the Tower Club on Friday evening.  John Washbish (President of The Alliance Buying Group) helped hand out the awards with Larry Pacey (President and CEO of NPW) and also spoke about Alliance and the great addition of NPW to the Alliance family.  Both John and Larry thanked all the recipients, which included Centric Parts for being a million dollar vendor.

As if that wasn’t enough, on Saturday evening, roughly 200 guests attended the "Vendor Appreciation Dinner" at the Broward County Convention Center, where Centric received the "VENDOR OF THE YEAR AWARD." It was an unexpected honor that Centric is truly grateful for.

In accepting the award, Musso said, "On behalf of Centric Parts, Dino Crescentini, Dan Lelchuk and myself I want to thank you for this award.  It is an honor to be recognized through this award.  If not for the efforts of NPW and their customers this would not be possible.  All I can say now is look out 2013.”

The Expo itself was well attended by both NPW Jobbers and installers (over 3,000 people), and we heard a lot of praise for Centric products.  Many installers told us that Centric is all they use. That’s always nice to hear and we are truly grateful for all of the kind words we heard regarding our products and our company, as well as the honor of being named Vendor of the Year.

The next CARS Expo will be held on April 14, in San Jose, Calif.

What do all those brake terms mean?

Centric Parts just updated our glossary of braking terms, which defines dozens of terms that you may encounter when talking about brake components, systems, operation, installation, upgrades and more. The newest version of the glossary is available today on our website, under the tech support tab at the top. The glossary is posted online and also available for download as a pdf, in English or Spanish.

"The Glossary is the most complete documentation of its kind available anywhere and features detailed explanations of braking systems, components, processes, testing protocols and more," according to Centric President Dan Lelchuk. "The Glossary is a great educational tool and should be on the required reading list for counter people, sales people and technicians."

At Centric, we pride ourselves on being not only a great brake supplier and manufacturer, but also one of the best educators about brakes, providing our customers with not only the glossary, but also an extensive list of technical white papers, technical guides, wheel fitment charts and more on our CentricParts.com website. In addition, we have a tech support line that has handled tens of thousands of calls in the past several years - most about our products, but many about competitors' products as well.

Not only that, but Centric also contributes our expertise for magazine articles, web posts, TV shows, radio programs and more on a regular basis, to teach the public about proper brake operation and safety. This all works to help us achieve our goal of helping people better understand their brakes so they can make better, more informed decisions about one of the most important systems on their cars.

Now That's Dedication

Here's a great illustration of true dedication from a member of the extended Centric Parts family. Robert Geist, a member of the sales force at Parts Authority in Phoenix just got in touch to share the news that he had recently received his new personalized license plates. The new Arizona plate proudly reads, "Centric."

How cool is it to work for a company that makes distributors want to advertise your name on their personalized license plate? We see this kind of dedication from our employees and sales force in many different ways, but this being a distributor, we were truly humbled and we had to share.

Apparently Robert has been a longtime believer in Centric and its products, being known to wear a Centric cap wherever he goes. The new license plate really shows how deep-seated his dedication is. It's flattering, but not really surprising, to see this level of enthusiasm for Centric Parts products. Once they've tried Centric, it's hard to get people to switch to anything else!

Centric Helps San Jose Fire Department Find Better Solutions

Recently, we participated in a Public Fleet Supervisors (PFSA) meeting in Northern California.  We met City of San Jose, CA Fleet Manager Dan Sunseri. The very next day, Dan reached out to us and our distributor, asking if we would visit the shop to help locate front brakes for a “brush truck.”

Dan’s fleet had six 1988 F150 2wd pickups that were having some braking issues. Closer inspection of the vehicles revealed that the trucks had been fitted with Marmon Harrington front axles. Prior repairs had never been an issue for Dan because Marmon had plenty of spares, but now they could no longer get replacement brake parts for this obsolete front axle. It looked like the only solution was to change the entire axle on each vehicle at a cost of about $6,000 apiece!

Photos were provided to Centric’s Tech Line to see if there was possibly a better solution. The rotors and calipers were then shipped down to Centric for a closer look. Rotors were quickly located so the only issue was going to be the calipers. After a lot of research it was determined that these units could not be rebuilt as they were a non North American application. That’s when Tech got to work finding a suitable alternative.

After further exhaustive research, it was determined that the calipers in question were identical to ones being used on a German SUV.  Replacements were shipped back up and installed on one of the trucks for testing. Rocco Capossele (San Jose Equipment Maintenance Supervisor) says they are very happy with the solution.

Now the remaining fire trucks will be able to be kept in service, saving the city thousands of dollars.

Look For Centric Parts at the end of YOUR Rainbow

Arriving at work on a gloomy Wednesday morning, our employees were greeted by the above sight. Struck by the image, Danee Han of sales snapped a quick pic and sent it out to the team. While your first reaction to the image might be, "What a beautiful rainbow!" our first response was, "Even Mother Nature appreciates Centric Parts." To most of our customers, Centric is the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow - offering products and services that far outreach expectations.

Having to replace brake pads, rotors, hoses, lines, hydraulics or any other brake or clutch component is never a fun experience for the consumer. The gloom of having to deal with an unexpected problem - or finally dealing with something they've tried to put off as long as possible - can be an unpleasant experience...unless they choose Centric Parts.

When choosing Centric Parts, consumers quickly discover what technicians have known for a long time - Using Centric Parts products will result in the most trouble-free repair or upgrade around. From our PosiQuiet Pads that include a full application-specific hardware kit in every box, to advanced metallurgy High Carbon Rotors that greatly reduce the possibility of pad squeal - especially with higher friction, European style brake pad compounds - Centric Parts products deliver the most trouble-free and cost-effective braking in the marketplace.

With Centric's exhaustive coverage of tens of thousands of applications for1937-2013 model year vehicles and better than 90% fill rate, Centric has the part you need when you need it - and customers will have the best quality brake components in the world to keep them safe and in control in any braking conditions. It's a nice surprise waiting at the end of the gloom.

Centric Parts Securing the Safety of Those Who Keep Us Safe and Secure

Centric Parts reps recently attended the Rocky Mountain Fleet Management Association Conference in Arizona, where they met with Larry LaBarbera, Resource Management/Fire Maintenance Superintendent for the Mesa (AZ) Fire Department. Mr. LaBarbera oversees a fleet of 163 vehicles, that includes administrative use sedans as well as a wide variety of light and medium duty vehicles (1/2, 3/4, 1, 1-1/2 and 2 ton).

Up until 2005, Mr. LaBarbera had been using a combination of OEM and premium aftermarket brake pads for his fleet. In 2005, however, he switched the whole department over to Centric Parts brake friction...and he hasn't looked back.

Mr. LaBarbera reports that, "We’ve had great results with all of the Centric Premium and PosiQuiet products we’ve used over the past six years." In fact, Mr. LaBarbera says that he has been "extremely pleased with the results." He noted that, "Because of Centric's application coverage, noise and dust issues have been virtually eliminated," and that they've seen a dramatic increase in longevity over previous friction.


Mr. LaBarbera adds that he plans to continue using Centric Parts products on all of the light and medium duty code 3 vehicles in the fleet...as well as on his personal vehicles too!

Centric Premium and PosiQuiet friction is known for being some of the best friction on the market, but hearing such positive real world feedback - from someone who has so much riding on it - really proves that Centric is succeeding at its mission to be the best brake company in the world.

Centric Parts Releases First Catalog Developed Exclusively For Mexico

Centric Parts, a leading manufacturer and supplier of aftermarket brake components and systems for import and domestic cars as well as light and medium duty trucks, has just released its first catalog - Sistemas de Frenos Mexico  (Brake Systems Mexico) - developed exclusively for Mexico, an increasingly important automotive market.

“As an industry leader in cataloging, Centric prides itself on having the most up-to-date information available for customers in any market,” explained Centric Parts President, Dan Lelchuk. “The 2011 Brake Systems Mexico catalog builds on that reputation, while recognizing the importance of continually incorporating growing automotive markets.”

The award-winning catalog department has worked with Mexican customers and manufacturers to develop a Spanish-language catalog that covers makes and models exclusive to the Mexican market. This catalog serves as a supplement to Centric’s existing 2011 parts catalog, adding additional “National Model” vehicles to the application range. Makes and models not currently sold in the United States are included in the catalog, which covers models from Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, FAW, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Pontiac, Renault, Rover, Seat, Smart, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Approximately 90 percent of the national models available in Mexico are covered in the 2011 Sistemas de Frenos Mexico catalog, with more being added as additional data becomes available. Gaining access to the national models can present unique challenges for Centric engineers who insist on meticulous measuring and analysis of every OEM part before a replacement can be developed. While many of the national models use existing part numbers from the immense Centric Parts catalog, nearly 100 new parts were added to the FMSI index as a result of this new project.

The market-leading 2011 Centric Parts Mexico catalog includes pads, shoes, discs, drums and hydraulic components for approximately 180 new applications. The catalog not only lists all part numbers, but also includes handy illustrations of nearly every part. Those familiar with the Centric Parts catalog will note that a “99” prefix identifies these new offerings in the catalog.

All of the parts offered in the 2011 Centric Parts Sistemas de Frenos Mexico catalog are available to order today.

For more information on the whole family of Centric Parts brake and clutch components, visit www.centricparts.com.