Brand is the name of the game in brake friction. Technicians, sensitive to brake comebacks, tend to stick with brands they know. With 99 percent of shops doing friction installation, it’s imperative that the right friction is available when needed.
 
Nearly 50 percent of shops that responded to the Counterman Professional Automotive Repair Technician Survey (P.A.R.T.S.) reported that they rely on jobbers as their primary source for friction. On average, shops report performing about 18 brake jobs a month, and about 41 percent of shops keep the necessary parts in stock. When it comes time to restock, they report to rely on an average of 3.3 sources.