Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Brake Pads

From: Steven Trovato <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2015 18:04:44 -0400

Jim,

I haven't worked on any Hondas in a while, but I would think it 
should be well within your capabilities, if you have done brakes on 
older vehicles in the past.  The internet takes all the mystery out 
of this stuff.  You can read how to do it, watch a video on how to do 
it and hear of the problems encountered by others.

As for rotors, nobody turns them anymore.  They are made thin to 
start with and making them thinner makes them more prone to warping 
from heat.  I don't know how much of the issue is actually technical 
and how much is just economics, but that's the way it is.

I don't think it is really wrong to replace pads and reuse the rotors 
if they are not scored or warped.  Sure, it might be a better job to 
replace them, but it all depends on a lot of personal decisions 
regarding your finances and plans for the vehicle.  The car won't be 
unsafe.  I don't really see why a car that wasn't pulsing before 
would pulse with new pads and old rotors.  I've never heard a 
dealership service writer say your rotors are fine.  Sometimes they 
will tell you that you have to replace all the calipers as 
well.  They have a strong incentive to up-sell.

As for those EBC pads, I really wouldn't count on that coating doing 
much.  I think it's more of a break-in thing.  Use whatever pads you 
like.  Well, having said that, I would use the same type of pads.  If 
OEM was ceramic, use ceramic.  If OEM was semi-metallic, use 
that.  If you change the pad material, understand the pros and cons.

I have had good luck removing rotor screws with a hand held impact 
tool like this:  http://amzn.com/B004I9UOAA .

One more thing.  If you have done brakes before, I am sure you have 
managed to press the caliper pistons back into the caliper 
bodies.  Usually a C-clamp is all it takes, unless there is a special 
Honda trick involved.  If you haven't done brakes on a car with ABS, 
there are some who say that pushing the caliper pistons in is bad for 
the ABS components, pushing dirt back in or something.  They 
recommend cracking the bleeder when pushing in the pistons, so the 
fluid comes out rather than flowing back.  I have heard other people 
who say this is all crap and not to worry about it.  It's your 
call.  You can always take the opportunity to flush the brake fluid 
and put fresh in there.  Just don't let the system run dry, because 
some ABS systems are very hard to bleed without the factory scan tool 
to command the valves to open and close in a special sequence.

I'm about to start the same job on my wife's Toyota Venza.  Good luck.

-Steve
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