Is there a distinct look for contaminated disc brake pads?
I had the same problem with my Magura MT5 4-piston brakes. Since I am using sintered brake pads, I literally &quot;torched the hell out of 'em&quot;.
I first soaked them in IPA (Rubbing alcohol &gt;70% ABV). After placing them on a surface that won't be damaged by direct contact with fire, like a steel tray or even a brick, I lit the alcohol-soaked brake pads and watched as they burnt until the alcohol was totally burnt away.
Then using a medium-fine sandpaper (in this instance 240-grit) I sanded off the superficial layer of material leaving a lighter colored layer of braking surface. The oil has been totally burnt off. This will not work for organic/resin or semi-metallic brake pads. These variants do not deal with such extreme heat as well as sintered pads. It will ruin them.
I then cleaned the caliper with a pressure washer from a distance of about a foot-and-a-half, occasionally dousing with a highly concentrated Dawn solution like 50:50 water and soap. Only a small amount is needed (an ounce [30ml] or so). Using a fine pipe cleaner will help get any contaminants out of the caliper too. This prevents any contamination in the near future.
I then pressure washed my rotors too. After doing this, I soaked a coarse cotton cloth, like an old towel, in the alcohol solution and scrubbed my rotors free of any contaminants. It's amazing how much gunk is hiding invisibly on your rotors.
I then reassembled everything and bedded in my pads and discs. This is very important as you've removed all of the bedding from the pads and discs during the cleaning process. This is what I did to salvage my brakes from an, otherwise, dangerous contamination of my brakes. Hope it helps you.