Many factors made this a good brake job. First, the old rotors came off with a light tap; the "copper" no-seize did its work well. Next, I FILED the notches in the mounting bracket for the pad clips, right down to bright metal. Then the clips seated very nicely, and I inserted the pads with light hand pressure--no hammer work! This is partly because they were premium ceramic pads, and the backing plates were either machined or so well stamped they seemed so. No filing there! Although it was as cold as -25C outside, the garage was between -6C and -8C, so that was reasonably comfortable. The result was dramatic: smooth, progressive braking, even at high speed down Graveyard Hill, and not a hint of a shudder. Oh, and I used the coated rotors. Why not, eh? The culprit appeared to be the outer pad on the driver's side: it was firmly jammed in place. I also made use of my new piston compressor--very nice.
