[V8] $30 for THIS?! - Friction Pads Worth More by Weight than Gold

[daves745t at optonline.net]

So I had to special order a friction pad and picked it up at a local dealership. When the guy came out with it my immediate reaction was, "Hang on a sec', I think you ordered the wrong part."  He was holding a ziplock bag with a black, round piece of plastic literally smaller than a dime that was a little over a quarter of an inch long with a hole in the middle and two sides squared off.  The bag was marked with the part number but I still wasn't convinced. So I had him look it up again and show me the part on the ETK before I agreed that it was in fact a friction pad and forked over my money.  If I had a scale that could weigh it, I guarantee by weight it would be one of the most valuable objects on earth. 

I walked back to my car and just stared at it, then I went home and actually took a pic or two of it, saying to myself that this could not cost more than a nickel to make.  If you've never seen one, I don't know whether you should - it is better to think that it is some sizable, substantial piece of super-material built to withstand the hellish environment of an engine. Unbelievable - I just had to vent and this seemed like the best place.

DaveM