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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Replace your own brake pads and rotors using a four-step process: lift the car and remove the wheel, remove the pads, caliper, and rotor, install the new rotor, caliper, and pads, then reinstall the wheel, lower the car, and test the brakes. The presenter prefers ceramic brake pads and blank (non-drilled, non-slotted) rotors for street use, and says the job is simpler and harder to mess up than most people fear.
Key Points
- Ceramic pads cost more but produce less dust and last longer than semi-metallic pads; drilled or slotted rotors wear pads faster, so plain blank rotors suit street driving.
- Buy pads that include the brake hardware, which the presenter says is needed for a complete brake job.
- Pads and rotors are replaced in pairs, so both front sides are done together, with the car raised from the front crossmember.
- Caliper bolts, caliper bracket bolts, and lug nuts each have specific torque values; the presenter calls out 25 lb-ft for the caliper bolt, 90 lb-ft for the caliper bracket bolts (on his Mustang), and 100 lb-ft for lug nuts.
- Lubrication matters: copper anti-seize goes on contact points and hardware, while silicone paste goes on the guide pins; petroleum-based lubricants should be avoided because they degrade caliper rubber.
- Spray brake cleaner onto a towel rather than directly onto the piston, since spraying directly near the rubber seal would dry it out.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Tools: socket set, breaker bar, torque wrench, metal wire brush, brake piston compressor, large hammer (to knock stuck rotors loose), pry bar or flathead screwdriver (to pry open the caliper), jack, and jack stands.
- Consumables: copper anti-seize, silicone paste, brake cleaner, and thread locker (he specifies medium-strength thread locker only for the caliper bracket bolts).
- Before lifting, chock the rear wheels and crack the lug nuts loose while the tire is still on the ground.
- Check the owner's manual for jacking points. Lift from the front crossmember, a thick metal piece supporting the front suspension, not the floorboard.
- Place jack stands under thick frame metal, lower the car onto them, add light jack pressure as backup, shake the car to confirm stability, and slide the removed wheel under the frame as an extra safeguard.
- Turn the steering wheel to expose the caliper bolts. Remove the caliper's lower bolt (a T50 Torx on this car), pivot the caliper up, and pull the pads out. Hang the caliper on a bungee or rope instead of letting it dangle by the brake line.
- Remove the two caliper bracket bolts (15 mm on this car) by first breaking them loose with a breaker bar, then finishing with a ratchet.
- If the rotor is rusted to the hub, strike its outer edge with a large hammer while rotating it until it breaks loose.
- Wire-brush or sand the hub face until smooth and flat, then clean with brake cleaner.
- Before installing a new rotor, spray and wipe both faces with brake cleaner to remove the factory anti-rust oil film.
- Hold the rotor in place by threading a lug nut on fully. Thread locker goes on the caliper bracket bolts, which are hand-tightened and then torqued.
- Clean the caliper piston dust with brake cleaner on a towel, then compress the piston with a brake piston compressor using an old pad as a backing plate. Stop when the tool stops turning smoothly.
- Lubricate the caliper bracket contact points, pad mounting spots, hardware top, and the back of the pads with copper anti-seize, avoiding the pad friction surface and rotor.
- Clean the caliper guide pins, then apply silicone paste (not anti-seize or petroleum lubricant). Ensure they move freely.
- Add thread locker to the caliper bolt, tighten to 25 lb-ft, and turn the steering wheel straight.
- Hand-tighten the lug nuts, lower the car until tires just touch the ground, torque in a star pattern (80 to 100 lb-ft typical; 100 lb-ft on this car), then lower fully and remove the jack.
- Start the car and pump the brake pedal several times until it feels firm before driving.
- Burnishing compound stripes on new pads are there to help bed them in.
- Pads only fit correctly in one orientation; installing them backwards is hard to do by accident.
- Some pistons have a cross-shaped slot and need a special tool to turn-compress; this is more common on rear brakes.
- The presenter notes that on some cars, like the Honda shown, guide pins are built into the caliper and slide out for cleaning.
Bottom Line
Brake replacement is a manageable DIY job if you follow the proper lifting, lubrication, and torque steps, and the key risks are contaminated seals, wrong lubricants, and unverified torque, not complicated mechanics.