Front disc brake pads

Assembly

1. 01

   Set the car down safely

   Park on level ground. Chock the rear wheels. Crack the front lug nuts loose about a half-turn while the car is still on the ground. Jack at the factory lift point, then set both sides on jack stands. Give the car a firm shove. If it moves, it is not supported.

   A jack is a lifting tool, not a support tool.

2. 02

   Read the rotor before you commit

   Pull the wheel. Look at the rotor face and the outer edge. A sharp lip, deep grooves, hard blue spots, or thickness below the stamp on the hat means the rotor should be replaced or machined with the pads. Measure if you have a micrometer. Do not put new pads on a rotor that will eat them in a week.

   
3. 03

   Unbolt and hang the caliper

   Remove the two guide-pin bolts (or the lower bolt and swing the caliper up, depending on design). Lift the caliper off the pads. Hang it from the strut or coil with a hook or bungee so the hose is slack. Do not twist the hose or let the caliper rest on it.

   If a guide pin will not turn, stop and soak it. Rounding it turns a pad job into a bracket job.

   
4. 04

   Pads, clips, and a clean bracket

   Slide the old pads out. Pull the abutment clips. Wire-brush the rust ledges on the bracket until the new clips sit flat. If the kit includes new clips, use them. Lightly grease only the contact points the pad manufacturer marks — never the friction material, never the piston face.

5. 05

   Compress the piston square

   Open the master-cylinder cap so fluid can return. Place an old pad over the piston and compress it slowly with a clamp until it sits flush in the bore. It must go in straight. If it cocks, back off and try again. Some rear calipers and a few fronts need a wind-back tool — if the piston rotates as you push, stop and get the right tool.

   Watch the master cylinder. If it overflows, fluid will strip paint. Use a rag.

6. 06

   Slides, boots, and reassembly

   Pull the guide pins, wipe them, and inspect the boots. Torn boots are how pins seize. Grease the pins with caliper grease, reinstall, and make sure they slide by hand. Install pads in the correct inner/outer orientation (wear sensors usually go to the inner pad, specified side). Seat the caliper over the pads, start the bolts by hand, then torque.

7. 07

   Wheels, pedal, bed-in

   Refit the wheel. Snug lugs in a star on the stands, lower the car, then torque to spec in a star. Pump the brake pedal slowly until it is firm — several strokes. Check fluid level. A short bed-in: a series of moderate decelerations from ~40 mph without coming to a complete stop, then a cooling drive. No hard panic stop on cold new pads.

   If the pedal stays soft, you have air or a leak. Do not drive it.

Verify every torque and fluid spec against the factory manual for this VIN. Autobay Book is a research assistant, not a substitute for a procedure written for your car.