Yesterday I replaced my brake pads, but when I was finishing the last wheel(front right) I forgot to put the little metal clip back on the brake pad! Right after finishing I left for college. I'm about 2 hours away from home. I do not drive much here but my question is: is it safe/ok to drive without the clip until the next time I go home? I feel dumb about forgetting this but I was in a hurry and mistake happen. Any advice?

 

It is safe to drive with the retention clip not in place. The caliper guide pins are going to do most of the work with keeping the caliper attached to the carrier. The spring clips just keep pressure on the opposing side and ensure that the pads and rotors were evenly. Get them back on as soon as you are able to make sure you don't trash your nice new Hawk pads.

 

Alright sounds good, thanks. I posted this in another forum section and they said: "Over in VW/Audi circles we call that the "Jesus clip"... because if you leave it off, you will be meeting Jesus in a big hurry." billzcat1

 

LOL, I've never heard that. I drive a bunch of VWs, and although I've never intentionally left it off having worked on brakes for a long time I can't see it alone leading to any catastrophic brake failure.