DIY Brakes?

I did the same with an oxygen sensor socket - had it in my tool box so long that I forgot it was there.
 
Brake cleaner on new rotors

Just a tip for brake newbies. If you do end up buying new rotors, they typically come coated with oil to prevent rust. Thoroughly clean the rotors with brake cleaner before installing. For most DIY people this is obvious but I have heard of newbies missing this step.
 
Just a tip for brake newbies. If you do end up buying new rotors, they typically come coated with oil to prevent rust. Thoroughly clean the rotors with brake cleaner before installing. For most DIY people this is obvious but I have heard of newbies missing this step.

Good tip! When I did mine there was no indication anywhere to do this (not in box, instructions online, video). Thankfully, I had a retired mechanic "supervise" me the first time just to make sure I didn't screw it up and he told me to do this.
 
Just did my second CX5 front brake job. Here's a tip for removing rotors should they be rusted on like mine were...again, despite having disassembling the assembly and coated them on the inside with anti-seize after I bought it new. On the hub of the rotor you'll see a threaded hole, should be for a 7mm bolt to fit in it. Most likely the bolt with strip through the rusted threads, so I have an 8mm bolt that I just force into the hole, it usually does the trick and pops off the rotor, make sure you douse the hub with lubricant. It always seems to be the driver's side that gets rusted on for some reason.
 
My tips:

- Use high temp silicone grease for caliper pins. Usually marketed as Ceramic Silicone grease which is rubber compatible yet has high heat threshold.
- After greasing pins and inserting them back ensure to "burp" the air out of the boots. You do this by pinching the boot while inserting/releasing the pin to expel excess air. When the pin is fully pressed into the boot....it should move freely. If its difficult to move then you've got too much air trapped in there thus requiring a "burp".
- Try to buy new hardware (clips) when changing pads. Some pads come with new hardware.
- Use copper grease on pad edges where they touch the hardware. Doing this and in combination with greased and burped caliper pins allows me to move the caliper rather easily with my bare hands. This tells me the brake system is well lubbed and protected:)
- Inspect your piston boots for rips. You don't want water and dirt messing up your brake pistons. The number #1 way they get ripped?= human error when pushing pistons back. A caliper tool such as this ensures you don't damage those boots. https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
- Bleed your brakes. In our case/driving styles/environment we notice that after 2 years the brakes performance dwindles. Bleeding the brakes with new fluid and removing air restores braking performance. This product and video allowed me to bleed my brakes for the first time. Wow what a difference and its an easy process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vVly3kQIP8
 
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