10 Brake Job Tips when Replacing Brake Pads and Rotors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Replacing your brake pads and rotors? Here are 10 tips that will help you do the brake job right and avoid brake noise and brake vibration. Also get the best performance from your new brakes. Thanks to CRC Industries for being a great partner on this video.
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I've done tons of brakes, and I don't have to do brakes anytime in the near future, but I watched the whole thing because he's awesome.
Thank you so much. 💜
Exactly, you can tell he loves his fans and he is passionate about cars :)
I have zero plans to ever do this myself, but ya, great vid!
BroncoSolid hey so is it possible if I change my brakes and rotors my self first and then taking it to shop for a brake fluid flush?
Same here! Went down the humble mechanic rabbit hole. He gives great information, i can't tell you how many times I've seen shops and dealerships skip greasing the slide pins. The most recent brake job I did, the slide pins looked like they had RTV on them 3 out of 8 were seized inside the caliper, went from 1 hour job to 4 hour job since I decided to rebuild all the calipers.
Great tips especially when cleaning off the hub and applying anti seize. Wish every mechanic was this thorough.
That CRC grease, I used the same one and months later I checked the guide pins and the grease was hard as clay. Ended up getting the glide pins stuck. So I bought silicon lubricant instead and it worked better.
Apparently silicon lubeis the only way to go for slide pins but I keep seeing this CRC synthetic stuff being used by youtube mechanics.
The point about a little bit of anti seize going a long way is so true. Definitely do not cake that stuff on. Little dabs like are shown in the vid are appropriate.
I didn't learn anything new, but man I wished I had this video back when! I do brakes for most of my friends, and every one of these tips I've learned the hard way (Except the jack stands, thankfully!) These are awesome and concise tips. I imagine someone learning in seven minutes what's taken me a few years and a few dozen brake jobs to learn! Worth it.
We all learn the hard way!
What about greasing slide areas and using the caliper glue
Great basic info that every person servicing their own brakes should know. Awesome job and thank you!
The most important thing is to remove the brake fluid reservoir cap before pressing in the brake pistons
Santosh Narasimhan Yeah, try pressing those pistons with all the fluid pressure is going to break your hands. LOL very true.
Yep!!! It makes a mess if you don't
Should have been number 1 before even jacking up the car inspect the fluid level n remove cap
Not for me !
Not for all thous that have ABS and not new calipers !
I put a hose clamp on the brake hose and the loosen the vent, all nasty fluid will come out and not threw the ABS module !
All the beast !
@@ROAlexa1981 clamping a brake line will damage it
Good video!!!
The other tips I’ve learnt over the years is
Be careful what Grease you use on the slide pins here in Australia we have this stuff called Bendix blue I have found that it can make some rubbers go soft as opposed to just straight silicon grease
Also turning the steering wheel from the hub is fine but if you happen to be working on a Ford falcon or Fairlane here in Australia what that does is it cavitates the power steering pump and it makes a shudder noise until it re-bleeds itself so so you really gotta start the motor to turn the steering on those cars and maybe others
And I used to pinch off the rubber brake line with a special clamp to avoid the fluid going back up to the reservoir and then was warned that if you do that while it’s a good idea you can actually damage the brake line internally and cause it to delaminate which you can’t see and you end up with the brakes pulling or bias on the front end
Also if you go to the App Store you can download a G Force meter for free that’s good for bedding in brakes because the amount of G Force you repeatedly apply can be consistent and measured and it’s really good for betting those in right Which short-circuits squealing at a later date
More EXCELLENT CONTENT from Charles, our very own Humble Mechanic!
Another tip: Make sure you have the correct tools for compressing the rear brake pistons.
Several car manufacturers require that you spin AND apply pressure to get them to retract (I'm looking at you Ford). You can rent the tool for free from your local parts store, or just buy it outright. I paid less then $30 CDN for mine, and as far as I was concerned, it paid for itself the first time I used it.
Great video as always Charles!
GREAT TIP!! I think I paid $40 for mine in 2001. Used it 100s of times and it's still perfect. This is the one I use ~ amzn.to/2Jshp4x looks like it may have went up in price.
Circlip pliers do the job!
All the way from the United Kingdom..... Great video and I have to admit most of the content is beyond me (I’ll have a go at something’s) but the way it’s presented and explained is amazing!!!!! I’ve got a Skoda Fabia Vrs Diesel) and whilst it’s part of the V.A.G group, I can use some of the videos content whilst working on my car! The extra mile showing top tips is something I’ll defiantly use when servicing my brakes! Kudos 👌🏻
Excellent dude. Even a seasoned tech needs to watch this. Ive see a few jobs come onto the shop that a previous tech missed a step or two. When you jump into the white wookie you are the rumble mechanic. Not a bit of humbleness in that ride 😎😎😎
HAHAHAHAH I like it. :)
A seasoned tech knows everything. Even the stuff he does wrong.
I watch every video that comes in my notification box i want to keep my jetta a good long time thanks Charles
Thank you!!! !
After cleaning the gunk off the caliper slider pins, I give them a run on a bench buffing-wheel and use clear silicone grease when reinstalling them. The last sets of discs/rotors I installed were fully coated. The friable coating wears off quickly without pad contamination, but the rest of the disc stays rust-free. Worth the extra few £$.
Also, if doing the front brakes, raise the entire front of the car, not just one side at a time. That way it's really easy to swing the wheels wherever it's most convenient for access.
The bottle cleaner for the interior of the caliper slide was a great tip, I used a shop towel but was never big on it as I didn't want link in the caliper.
It fits perfect. That bottle brush came with a turkey baster I use for extracting brake fluid. Thanks Walmart $1 total. LOL
Fantastic set of tips. Advice from a seasoned professional.
Thank you
Also done brakes plenty of times and this as all good advice. No unnecessary stuff.
I did pads on my a3 and found that one of the rear slide pins was rust welded to the carrier! I had to pay a shop to help me remove it, cost me a little less than replacing the carrier, but it saves you a lot of money if you pay close attention to your dust bolt and clean that cavity where the pin actually goes! Very nice video charles
Great Break Job Tips.....
I already know all this, I just watched the video because I find your videos entertaining.
Thank you
Excellent video. Everything a Do-It Yourselfer should know about doing their own brakes. Well done.
Thank yoh
This is very nice timing. I'm waiting on some new pads and rotors right now.
Loved the video, all great tips. Didn't know that rust on the face of the wheel hub could lead to rotor runout. I'll be adding that into my brake work in the future.
Thanks!! It also a good idea to check the wheel to be sure there isn't heavy rust on it too.
Remind me to buy your second hand vehicles.
Absolutely one of the best videos ever. Thank you!
Thanks
Great advice in general, especially the safety info...however, at 0:44 in the video, notice how the car pulls off of the jack stand in the left of the frame as the jack is released.
Awesome video! Takes me back to tech classes. What are your thoughts on spraying the back of brake Padres with silencers? I know some pads come with a shim, but ones without is my question... For daily drivers, not high performance.
Cardboard or a drip pan is a must definitely Some solid tips👍
My son and I like to use the Black Tubs for hand mixing Cement from H.D. Motorsports as our catch/splash pan.
NICE! I have a really great tub from Tractor Supply I use all the time.
Good one, you have to do one for the rear brakes, where the piston is screwing in the brake caliper.
I will when I redo my rear brakes.(possible upgrade? :P)
I'm glad I do these automatically, I'll also clean up any rust from around the brake area and use a particulate mask.
Tiny extra steps basically add no time to the job. And if they do, it's always faster than having to redo something.
Hey Charles, after my brake fluid flush on my R32, my pedal seems to go down further than I remember. Yes, no air in system and later I had the dealer bleed them thru the ABS pump with their VCDS, but the pedal is still lower than rock solid. Car brakes fine, but I don't like the pedal travel.
Any ideas for me to try ??
Thanks
Charles is like the friend everyone wants. Knows everything about cars, and would come over to your garage to help you out with a job if you bought the beer.
What gets me about "properly lifting the vehicle" is that everyone seems to have their own version of what the right way to do that is.
And they'll let you know too!!
The proper way is upwards.
Hi to pump the brakes after replacement, car needs to be off? Ifnition on? Or car off? Thanks
Simple and to the point!!!!! Great job. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All good tips! I recognise some of these tips from Chris fix, so if you both give these tips then they must be good!
Hell yes! There are basic “rules” for brakes, then a handful of things that make it a better overall job!!!
HumbleMechanic I think my favourite one is putting a wheel under the car in case it falls off the jack stands, a nice backup and one that costs nothing. Chris fix also leaves his jack under the car as another backup, good to have a second backup!
Yep I do that too. I usually leave it under the last corner I lift. Its funny because I don't even think about it. HAHA.
@@HumbleMechanic :)
You have one more item of safety equipment than ChrisFix though - the beard... :P
I levaing jack under help when you got take if stands to because it ready for you. Also putting the wheel under car normally gets it out way to
Thank You Charles. Spot on in every way! My son and I recently did a huge complete 4 wheel brake job on the GTI. He's not digging the ATE Ceramic Pads I chose. In brief, what would be a correct procedure now for a Pad swap? I have concern because of course the ATE's have been 'Bedded' to the new Rotors.
New Pads on a used disk are fine. They will bed in by themselves. Just never use old pads on new Rotors.
ATE recommends to use the ceramic pads only together with new rotors because they say that the (for the ceramics) essentially "transfer film" on the rotors is only built on brand new rotors. If this is a real argument or just to sell more rotors... I can't say.
Do you think slotted rotors are any less susceptible to warping than solid rotors are?
Great tips, awesome advice. Thx
It is handy to have a piston retractor tool for the front and it is kinda obligatory for the rear ones :)
Still a great video though.
Are there any caps you can put on brake lines, while you paint calipers (if you remove them), so the break fluid won't come out completely?
You can also clean really grungy/corroded guide pins using very fine sand paper (1000-2000 grit) and spinning them (with a drill/driver and correct socket/hex bit) in the sand paper with WD40 or Brake Clean, much quicker than hand cleaning.
I’ve that on a Tiguan the rear brakes can be a bit tricky. Due to electric parking brake. Any tips. Thanks.
Excellent video
Quick question when you replace all your rotors and brakes do you have the hand brake on ? Or in gear for a FWD
Love the white gti
Do a install of E-Codes on the Mk3? Just went to dual chmaber headlights on mine and it's a big difference!
Nice
Can i add the use of a flair nut wrench to remove (if is necessary) a brake line? I learned it (hey! XD i was 15 doing my firts brake job)the hard way!
YES!!! I personally don't use a flare wrench. I had one bad experience with one and swore off them since(probably stupid on my part). I use high quality open end wrench and have been very fortunate. If they are rusted or stuck, I will use the closed end.
Can you do one on installing steel brake lines by yourself?
Great idea!!!!
HumbleMechanic Thank you! I would appreciate it. It’s a near future upgrade planned for my 2013 86, as the pedal feels a bit soft and makes me nervous on heavier braking.
@@I-didnt-ask-you your brake pedal should never be soft even with stock brake lines. Check/bleed your brake fluid and if that doesn't solve your problem you either have a faulty master cylinder or something else is failing.
Cristian thanks, I’ll get them looked at soon. I am unsure if it’s a normal feeling. It’s firm, but not firm enough to my liking.
@@I-didnt-ask-you something I'm experiencing too. Bleeding done yet there is a firmness and softness too
You did a good job.
Thanks so much
Hey humble mechanic. Going to be doing this on a 2010 jetta sportwagen. I just got it. Anything I should check on it? Any common things that wear out? How important are tranny services on the tiptronic transmission? That seems to be the only thing that was never really serviced on it from previous owners. Thanks for the help. Also I seen on one of your other videos that the sportwagen wasn't made in Mexico like the other ones. Where is the sportwagen made?
Nice. For sure get the trans service done.
About the grease, do you recommend copper of anti-size? which one is more suitable? Thanks.
Those Wilwood brakes are so good
I have seen BMW TIS say not to grease the pins and I have seen them not mention grease and the pins. Any thoughts on why they would sometimes specify not to?
Some mention and some don’t. I’m always on the side of do what the manufacturers recommend.
I use "blue thread lock" 🔐 on the caliper bracket bolts... just to be safe 👍
Thanks for the tips Charles.
Excellent tips. Hey what pressure bleeder was that?
This one came from ShopDAP.com Brake Flush Tool ~ bit.ly/2u0KPft
Charles, when doing a fluid flush on a MK VII do you need to use a Vag Com or can you just use the one man bleeder? Thanks!
No scanner needed for a simple flush
11. If your brakes require the piston to be rotated to retract it, get the proper tool. Don't try to use home-made substitutes. Those are a recipe for skinned knuckles and frustration.
12. If this is your first time doing brakes, or your first time on your particular car, do one side at a time. That way if you get lost and can't figure out how stuff goes back together, you have the other side to use as a reference. This is especially helpful with drum brakes, which have all sorts of springs and levers and retractors and pins and stuff and for many people it's tough to visualize how it all goes together.
Love ur content bud!!! Keep up the good work!!
Thank you so much.
couldn't said better nice job
Nice video my bro!!! 👍👍👍
I was wondering do you or did you ever use the ELSAWIN software as a technical reference. If so can you tell me where do you find the service instructions the "technical service manual" (HST2) or the workshop repair guide.
Speaking of which in the workshop repair guide nowhere does it mention to use any kind of product on the slide pins/bolts. Does this change from vehicle to vehicle (tiguan 2015)
Other quick question being do you crack a bleed valve open when you push the caliper piston back in that way the old dirty brake fluid does not go back into the system?
It may be old and boring, but watch your torque spec for the bolts. Because after tight there's loose and this really could ruin your day.
YES!!!!!
True! Also, re-torquing after a small amount of driving too, just in case a bolt backs out, you missed one, or the wheel wasn't *quite* as flush to the hub as you thought :)
My tip is to put some lock tight on the caliper bolts and the bracket bolts. Blue lock tight will do it’s just that extra safety precaution to prevent bolts from coming lose. Also pump the brakes with the car off then pump it again with the car on the engine helps with a vacuum assist and you’ll feel the brake get more stiff with the engine on. Most don’t do this they pump the brake with the engine off
hey man, I have a 2013 CC paid for and past warranty. At about 70k miles VW replaced my 2.0T engine due to the infamous timing chain tensioner issue,so I have an 85k miles car with only 15k on the engine. So, thinking about putting some performance upgrades and maybe hit the track a few times, but mostly for street driving.
I'm thinking: Unitronic 1+ ECU tune, upgrade the pads to Hawk PCs and a decent summer tire.
Anything, in your opinion, that you would add and is the car worth it?
I just want a solid performer without going too drastic, like coil overs and such.
Of course maintenance first. But I think that’s a great start. Similar to my R32 mods
love these tip videos
Thank you
Looking forward to see you do a brake job on the rear of your new VW. Any chance of that in the foreseeable future?
Good tips in this one too. 👍
The company that put together the front kit is working on the rear now. Hopefully very sew.
@@HumbleMechanic Sorry, not that one. Your Touareg/Tiguan/Touran or what it was you bought a year or so ago.
Ahhh. Probably not on the Touareg. Well maybe. That one requires a pad scrub in procedure. It SUCKS!
It's a good idea to put plywood between the Jack and the proper jacking point to avoid any crushing that may occur as the plywood will take the brunt of the pressure
brakes look really good with those wheels
Great video Charles:):)
I would also add removing the rust from the caliper bracket where the hardware goes
Yes. Yes. Yes. I love when people grind the pads because they "don't fit" in the rusty caliper bracket, or when they throw away the pad hardware all together. Remove the rust and lube the pad slides.
And add a film of grease between the new shims & the caliper bracket to reduce rust buildup.
Good tips. Never use a petroleum based grease. DO release air pressure from the boots- slide pin and caliper. You can use a small screw driver to lift up on it- just don't rip it.
Question, if someone asked before, sorry I missed that comment.
1. Some guide pin/sliding pins have a rubber busing. Over time these busing expand and is hard to get it back into the calliper bracket. Does this means I have to change the busing whenever it swells or it will be fine if I just force it back in. I done it once carefully forcing it back, it still moves freely. Probably not as free as new one tho.
2. Can normal rubber grease be used? Temperature rating up to 180°C or should I use specific brake grease for calliper guide/slide pins?
3. I done some online search before. Most of the forums said the cause of the rubber busing swelling is incorrect brake grease used. Is this true or is just another wear and tear part cause by heat?
Thanks for your reply in advance =D
Remember to loosen wheel nuts before lifting the car. Forgot that one a few times over the years....
Great tip!
Tip #11
- While bedding in the spiffy new brake pads, do it in a lowly populated area with no cops present. They may think you're driving while impaired with such erratic braking, and make you give their spiffy machine a blow-job as a result.
True story. That actually happened to me. :)
Before starting work making sure you have all needed vehicle specific tools/computers needed to complete the job
On a related note: For quick pad changes like swapping to street pads after a track day, could you show what technique and tools you use to compress the caliper?
I am thinking another 10 tips video might need to happen. LOL
I'd use something along those lines, quickest tool that will do the job.
www.ebay.nl/itm/132437651263
Street pads from a track day huh lol anybody asking this type of question I don't think should be at a track let alone touching a tool...
Awesome tips
Thank you
Great video!
USE BRAKE PARTS CLEANER SPRAY FOR REMOVE FINGERPRINTS ON PADS AND SHOES
Try as we might, our fingers sometimes transfer silicone or grease to the pad or shoe braking surface. Except for
severe contamination of the caliper pad or shoe surface, most residue can be removed with a brake parts cleaner spray. Best applied immediately after the contamination is discovered, and certainly before the car is road-tested.
I've seen crappy work in my own shop fixing tech short cuts by not lubing all contact points to caliper brackets. I fix it by cleaning all contact and using high temp grease. I also scuff pads perform a test drive after being completed.
Thanks for the love
Old brake line bent into a hook on both sides also works great to hang calipers
if you don't have a means of hanging the caliper up, what I've noticed is a lot of normal cars' caliper "teeth" can hook into the spring on your strut fairly easily... if that's not accessible, place it inside/on your lower control arm!
I’ve done that plenty of times too.
My number one tip is to check the position of the brake pads before you remove them, and to torque down to the proper specs the bolts.
Great info
Re grease your slide pins each time you change your winter tires. Takes 10 minutes more but saves your rotors....
agreed. I do mine every quarter.
Would I have to bleed the brakes if the reservoir starts to overflow when I push in the calipers piston??
J Ball Actually that happened to me this past weekend. After compressing the cylinder the fluid reservoir started to go up above max. However after doing all rotors and beads and driving it it went down.
If your pads are worn way down yet the reservoir is full its best to remove some of the fluid from the reservoir with a turkey baster or similar tool before pushing the caliper piston back. That will avoid the overflow all together. Bleeding is not needed in this case. You only need to bleed them if you introduced air into the system. Such as replacing a hose or the caliper. For a simple pad replacement no bleeding necessary. Be careful not to get fluid on painted surfaces, brake fluid will eat the paint right off.
AJ S Thanks I appreciate our help
Replace hardware kits, clean the brake pad recesses on the caliper bracket and lube under the brake hardware, measure rotor thickness if re-using rotors, use a silicone based lube on brake pins so the rubber boots don't get swollen and damaged
YES yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
Dude your comment went to spam. :(
for stock aluminum rims you need a lot of antiseize between the rotor and the rim if you live somewhere with salt. my rim was stuck so bad once that it literally didnt come off while driving it with the lug bolts loose.
Wow. Lol
In the north, we wire brush or wire wheel the rust off the caliper bracket.
Oh yea!!! Lol actually a good practice anywhere
I have an 08 r32 and read about a pad release thru the car computer. is this true and if I press my calipers apart will it hurt them?
if it has an electric parking brake you need to
@@HumbleMechanicI have a parking brake handle not a button. leads me to believe that I do not have an electric parking brake? and I would like to get one of the dash inserts that you have which reads codes at some point. but maybe a video on some of these affordable scan tool with a more in-depth explanation of your center dash replacement could be a good video. thank you for being one of the only people on youtube that actually responds. signing up on your site today! don't feel right asking another question till I do! haha
Can u work on my vw?lol i have no clue on wat im doing haha
I just took a job at the local VW dealer. Anything you tell me to watch out for coming from mazda, and ford.
Follow the repair manual and make 100% sure you’re paperwork is 100% right always. On every ticket.
You may need a set of those damn triple-squares!
TRUTH!
For tools ~ th-cam.com/video/l2vbdqTRF6A/w-d-xo.html
wash the car or wash out the area where the wheel actually sits before starting the brake job altogether get rid of all the excess dirt so it doesn't end up impacting the brake job.
Cleaning the wheel is something to go along with that. Great tip
That’s what brake cleans for spray the area get rid of the dirt before installing new brakes
First time I did disc brakes I put one of the pads in backwards. I'm glad I'm able to laugh about that now.
If you can't get the brake disk to come off, you can try tappin the top side of the brake disk with a hammer or another blunt object you might find at hands reach.
If I am replacing I whack the crap out of it. HA
While brake fluid's hygroscopic nature will absorb water, my tester hardly ever shows significant contamination on customer vehicles. What does happen very often, however, is contamination and deterioration which you can see by the color change and test for with reactive test strips. Or just flush every two years as recommended :)