
Brake pads are designed to wear down and need to be replaced after some time. The good news is, you can replace brake pads by yourself subject to the availability of the disc brakes into your car. In case you observe any screeching sound or unusual quantity of dust on your front wheels, that’s a pretty good sign that the pads are worn and you need to replace them soon.
How to Replace Brake Pads on Your Own?
Luckily, installing new brake pads isn’t a rocket science and with some basic tools you, can successfully install them on your vehicle without any technical assistance.
From brake pads to other tools and equipment, almost all necessary essentials are easily available these days. In fact, there are many China-based wholesale manufacturers of brake pads that offer complete kit for your convenience.
Tools Required
- Jack and jack stand
- Breaker bar
- C-clamp
- New brake pads
- Wrench
Once you have all these tools handy, you can immediately start replacing the brake pads of your vehicle.
Step 1: Remove Wheels
First things first, park your car on a leveled surface. Make sure to break loose the lug nuts before jacking up your vehicle. With the help of a jack, elevate your car and place jack stand to provide firm support to the vehicle. Carefully remove lug nuts and slide the wheel. You can now clearly see the rotor and the caliper.
Step 2: Remove Damaged Pads
You have to open the caliper to remove damaged pads. There are two bolts that keep the caliper in place. Try to remove the lower bolt first and rotate the caliper away from the discs. Carefully remove the damaged pads from the brake assembly. With the help of a C-clamp, compress the piston and check the rotors for any other damage or wear.
Step 3: Install New Brake Pads
Now is the time to install new brake pads to your vehicle. There is generally a pair of top and bottom slots. Place one tab in the lower notch and rotate the brake pad to fix it into place. Press upper tab into another slot. Repeat the same process for inside brake pads. In certain cases, the shape of the inside and outside pads are different. In that case, make sure to install in the same manner you’ve seen them before removing.
To enhance the life and efficiency of the braking system, you can also apply some lubricant to the parts. Avoid using lubricant on the friction surface though.
Step 4: Close the Caliper
Once you have successfully fixed new brake pads into place, close the caliper and rotate it back to the normal position. Make sure the caliper is perfectly lined up. Put the bolts back into place and place the wheel on the hub. Fix lug nuts by hand and properly fix the bolts by moving in the backward and forward direction to opposing nuts.
Remove the jack once the wheel is properly bolted on. Make sure to tighten the nuts again to the instructed torque as recommended by the manufacturer.
Congrats! You have successfully changed the brake pads of your vehicle without any professional help. Clean up and store all tools for future use.