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Good tips here so far. However I didnt see anyone mention to make sure to use jack stands. I could have missed it, but either way use jack stands, in addition to the jack holding up the car.
Brakes are one the the easiest jobs on a car. If you have any mechanical aptitude, you'll be fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JONOV
My fiance's 2013 Civic needs new brake pads, they're down to about 1MM. With quotes at $170/axle, I'm looking really hard at doing it myself. Having youtubed and googled it a fair bit, I think I am comfortable with it, especially since the rotors are good. I do have two questions.
Some of the kits look like they come with the retaining pins and brackets as well as the pads. Are these needed? Or can I reuse the pins that are on there? Or do they get brittle? Yes, always replace the hardware that comes with the new pads.
Do I need a shim or something to put on the face of the C Clamp when I compress the piston? I just use an old pad. Place it between the piston and clamp and let that take the abuse. Also, it can help to open the bleed screw before compressing the piston. Put a small piece of tubing over the bleed screw and run it into a container. Brake fliud is very nasty to paint.
Ceramic vs. Semi-Metallic vs. Organic...Ceramic is the OEM part I believe, and isn't cheap. Semi-metallic is cheaper. Organic is the cheapest yet, but I'm told that shoots off a lot of dust and doesn't last. I like semi metallic for my truck. They have good power and don't fade as much. That's important when getting to that hidden fishing hole in the hills, .
Any pearls of wisdom you can provide I do appreciate.
I clean the rotors with brake cleaner and follow up by rubbing steel wool all over them in a circular pattern.
Did it earlier this evening. About as easy as changing oil and filter. I did go with ceramic pads, no squeaking as of yet. It was one of those where the first wheel took about 20 minutes and the rest took about 5. I did run into a delay trying to figure out why the rear brake piston wouldn't compress. Turns out you need to screw it in. Aside from that it was pretty easy.
Its funny because I won't hassle changing my own oil anymore. Its inexpensive enough to have it done and I'm not left trying to decide what to do with the old oil. This was one of those things where I wasn't willing to pay for the labor rate on it. Not saying it isn't worth what the shops charge, just that Its worth it to me to do it myself.
My fiance's 2013 Civic needs new brake pads, they're down to about 1MM. With quotes at $170/axle, I'm looking really hard at doing it myself. Having youtubed and googled it a fair bit, I think I am comfortable with it, especially since the rotors are good. I do have two questions.
Some of the kits look like they come with the retaining pins and brackets as well as the pads. Are these needed? Or can I reuse the pins that are on there? Or do they get brittle?
Do I need a shim or something to put on the face of the C Clamp when I compress the piston?
Ceramic vs. Semi-Metallic vs. Organic...Ceramic is the OEM part I believe, and isn't cheap. Semi-metallic is cheaper. Organic is the cheapest yet, but I'm told that shoots off a lot of dust and doesn't last.
Any pearls of wisdom you can provide I do appreciate.
Use all new hardware, old retaining pins are stressed and will fall out, I know that cos' ...ouch.
Any brake pad is better than no brake pad. I buy middle price pads.
Don't bother resurfacing rotors, no-one does that any more, craigslist is full of used brake lathes because the mechanics know its a waste of time. If they sell their tool, what does that tell you?
I would buy the Haynes service manual for that particular car.
Get all the exact tools lined up and see if you can find someone experienced to guide you the first time.
Use jackstands, never rely on just the car jack, my friend died when a car fell off the jack, they look stable until you start wrenching on stubborn bolts.
I'm going to go on the other side of the discussion for a minute. NOT EVERYONE should be doing work on their cars, especially things like brakes. Cars are my hobby, and I build cars from the ground up, but there are certain things I even will not do because I know my limitations.
Admittedly, Hondas are very easy to work on, even the brakes, but brakes are something you do not take lightly. This is your fiances' life we are talking about here, and maybe $170 is cheap, when you consider the risks. Some people are very comfortable working on their own cars, and others should not own a screwdriver.
If someone has to ask how to do a brake pad replacement, that generally means they should not be doing the job themselves. Just sayin'.
"Don't bother resurfacing rotors, no-one does that any more, craigslist is full of used brake lathes because the mechanics know its a waste of time. If they sell their tool, what does that tell you? "
Not true at all...not sure where you got that info. We turn rotors on every brake job we do, unless they are under specs, then we replace them. If you do not refinish them, the new pads will not break in properly and will cause brake squeel. If you're going to do it, do it right. Especially with brakes!
"Don't bother resurfacing rotors, no-one does that any more, craigslist is full of used brake lathes because the mechanics know its a waste of time. If they sell their tool, what does that tell you? "
Not true at all...not sure where you got that info. We turn rotors on every brake job we do, unless they are under specs, then we replace them. If you do not refinish them, the new pads will not break in properly and will cause brake squeel. If you're going to do it, do it right. Especially with brakes!
I'm going to go on the other side of the discussion for a minute. NOT EVERYONE should be doing work on their cars, especially things like brakes. Cars are my hobby, and I build cars from the ground up, but there are certain things I even will not do because I know my limitations.
Admittedly, Hondas are very easy to work on, even the brakes, but brakes are something you do not take lightly. This is your fiances' life we are talking about here, and maybe $170 is cheap, when you consider the risks. Some people are very comfortable working on their own cars, and others should not own a screwdriver.
If someone has to ask how to do a brake pad replacement, that generally means they should not be doing the job themselves. Just sayin'.
True that, get an experienced helper to guide the way through, its simple but just as easy to make a simple mistake. We take a lot for granted but there are lots of skills just getting the difficult bolts loose.
I had a freind who put his truck on 4 jackstands and started wrenching under it.
Thats the last thing he did in his life. Classic deadly mistake that many are not even aware of.
I'm going to go on the other side of the discussion for a minute. NOT EVERYONE should be doing work on their cars, especially things like brakes. Cars are my hobby, and I build cars from the ground up, but there are certain things I even will not do because I know my limitations.
Admittedly, Hondas are very easy to work on, even the brakes, but brakes are something you do not take lightly. This is your fiances' life we are talking about here, and maybe $170 is cheap, when you consider the risks. Some people are very comfortable working on their own cars, and others should not own a screwdriver.
If someone has to ask how to do a brake pad replacement, that generally means they should not be doing the job themselves. Just sayin'.
I did it without much trouble. I'm not the most mechanically inclined but I'm not all thumbs either. I did a fair amount of research on it but some things you don't learn till you get out there and do it. A few pearls of wisdom are always helpful. I used to do more maintenance on my own, but have been in a company car for a number of years.
I agree with knowing your limitations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonesg
True that, get an experienced helper to guide the way through, its simple but just as easy to make a simple mistake. We take a lot for granted but there are lots of skills just getting the difficult bolts loose.
I had a freind who put his truck on 4 jackstands and started wrenching under it.
Thats the last thing he did in his life. Classic deadly mistake that many are not even aware of.
Is that ill advised (4 Jack stands?) I've seen a lot of guys that are more mechanically competent than I that do that. I understand that there are always risks but I've seen service bay lifts that have failed, nothing in life is 100%.
I was working with an in-law that let me use his garage. He has a couple of classic cars that he works on and stores there, so he was there to help me, but honestly it wasn't that difficult. I mostly appreciated his help getting the car on the jackstands and the use of his floor jack.
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