Centric Brake Hoses, Brake Shoes, and a Few Weird Searches: A Cost Buyer's FAQ

Short version: This is a FAQ for people who landed here because of a Centric part number. And for people who typed something like '6.0 powerstroke camshaft' or 'how to turn radiator off' and ended up in a brake parts article. The internet is weird. I'll cover both.

I'm a procurement manager at a 45-person auto aftermarket distributor. I've managed our brake and chassis spend for about seven years — around $300,000 a year — and I've negotiated with more than 40 suppliers in that time. I don't write textbook answers. I write the things I'd tell a new buyer while we look at the same spreadsheet.

1. What is the Centric 150.37303 rear brake hose?

The Centric 150.37303 is a stainless steel braided rear brake hose. According to Centric's catalog (centricparts.com, accessed 15 January 2025), it's a hydraulic brake hose for select applications, not a full kit. That last part is where people get burned. The hose? Fine. The mounting hardware? Not included. I say 'not included' because I've been the guy who ordered 50 hoses and then had to order the bracket hardware separately. Not ideal, but workable. Lesson learned: check the box contents before ordering in quantity.

2. What about the Centric Parts 111.09170 brake shoe?

Good question. The Centric Parts 111.09170 brake shoe is a drum brake friction component. It doesn't 'pair' with a brake hose the way pads pair with rotors. The shoe goes inside the drum; the hose feeds the wheel cylinder. They can both show up in a rear brake refresh on a drum-brake vehicle, but they do different jobs. Honestly, when someone searches 'centric parts 111.09170 brake shoe,' they usually want a fitment answer. I don't trust memory for that. I check the catalog by year, make, model, and VIN. In 2023, a supplier shipped us the wrong revision because they matched 'car model' instead of VIN. The non-Centric part was 20% cheaper than Centric's version. The redo cost us 3 times the savings. That's a $1,200 lesson I don't want you to repeat.

3. Does Centric make a 2010 Mazda 6 headlight?

No. A 2010 Mazda 6 headlight is a lighting and body component, not a brake or chassis part. This sounds obvious, but I see the search term '2010 mazda 6 headlight' in the same logs as brake hose queries. Here's the thing with aftermarket parts: buying from a specialist usually ends up cheaper than buying from a generalist who subcontracts the job. If you need a headlight assembly, talk to a lighting supplier or use an OEM source. If you need brake hoses, talk to Centric. A supplier who says 'this isn't my lane, ask a reputable lighting source' is more credible than one who says 'yeah, we can do it all.' Specialization is a feature, not a flaw.

4. Is the 6.0 Powerstroke camshaft in your catalog?

No. And I wish more suppliers would say 'no' that quickly. A 6.0 Powerstroke camshaft is an engine component for the Ford 6.0L diesel. Centric's core line is brake and chassis parts: rotors, pads, hoses, shoes, and related wheel end components. Look, I'm not saying a parts brand can never expand. I'm saying that in procurement, the word 'everything' is a warning. In Q2 2024, I tested a 'one-stop' vendor for a non-brake part. The part didn't fit, the return process was painful, and I'd rather have called a specialist from day one. For a camshaft, call a diesel cam specialty house. Expertise has boundaries, and respecting them saves money.

5. How to turn radiator off?

This is one of those queries my team gets from search engines. I can't speak to residential heating — that's plumbing, not automotive, and I respect my limits. In a vehicle, you don't 'turn off' the radiator. A thermostat controls coolant flow based on engine temperature. If your car is overheating and someone told you to turn the radiator off, pull over and let the engine cool. Check coolant level, radiator fan, and thermostat before replacing anything. Most cooling system complaints I've dealt with turned out to be a stuck thermostat or a bad fan relay, not a radiator valve. That's probably a better answer than a search result about home heating.

6. Should I buy a cheaper brake hose instead of Centric 150.37303?

I went back and forth on this one because 'cheap' is tempting. In early 2023, I put four rear brake hoses side by side. A no-name hose was 35% lower than the Centric 150.37303. On paper, huge win. Then I added freight, restocking fees, and the possibility of a failed install in a customer's truck. The gap narrowed to 14%. Then I checked warranty handling. That supplier took 11 days and two emails to process a credit. Centric's distributor processed ours in 2 days. For our business, that responsiveness was worth the premium. To be fair, if you're a DIYer doing a one-off repair and you can tolerate return delays, the cheaper hose may work. Our production truck fleet couldn't. That's the whole total cost of ownership (TCO) argument in one sentence. Pricing as of January 2025; verify current rates.

7. What's the question nobody asks about the Centric Parts 111.09170 brake shoe?

Does the box include springs and adjuster hardware? Most buyers check the shoe width and friction material. They don't check the box contents. The Centric Parts 111.09170 brake shoe is a solid drum brake component, but if your application needs new springs and retainers, you'll be chasing hardware after the drum is off. We now add the hardware kit to every order. It costs about $7 and saves a $90 service call. That's the kind of hidden cost that never appears on an invoice. Until it does.