- 1). Place a tire iron or socket and ratchet over the lug nuts on the rear wheels and loosen them. Raise the rear end with a floor jack high enough to place a jack stand under it on either side. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Remove the wheels and set them aside.
- 2). Spray brake cleaner onto the brake caliper, rotor and nearby components. Wipe everything down with a clean, dry rag. Remove the brake pads' spring clips on the outer part of the caliper with pliers if your vehicle is so equipped.
- 3). Locate the two bolts that hold the caliper on. These face the wheelwell and are on the top and bottom of the caliper. Remove the bolts with the appropriate-sized socket or star-shaped bit. The type of bolt will vary from car to car.
- 4). Remove the caliper from the rotor by sliding it off of the rotor. Support the caliper with a platform or tie it to a nearby suspension piece if you are not supporting it with your hands. This will prevent the soft brake line from becoming damaged from the weight of the caliper.
- 5). Remove the old brake pads. The pads will either be in the caliper or may be stuck to the rotor. Some older vehicles use pins that go through the caliper and the pads to hold them in place. Remove these if necessary. Remove any brake pad wear sensor wires if there are any.
- 6). Clean the rotor and the caliper again with brake cleaner and wipe everything down. Move to the engine bay and remove the lid for the brake fluid reservoir. Remove about ½ inch of brake fluid from the reservoir with a syringe.
- 7). Compress the brake caliper piston into the caliper to make room for the new pads. Use a C-clamp to compress the pistons by placing one side of the clamp on the piston and one side on the outer face of the caliper, then tightening the clamp. The caliper pistons on some cars (Audis, for example) are compressed with a tool that turns and tightens the piston at the same time.
- 8). Install the new brake pads in the opposite manner they were removed. Some pads have clips on the back that need to be pressed into the caliper piston. Slide the caliper back over the rotor. Install and tighten the caliper bolts. Repeat for the other side of the vehicle.
- 9). Replace the wheels on the car and lower it to the ground. Fill the brake fluid reservoir to the full mark with new brake fluid. From inside the car, pump the brake pedal until it feels firm again.
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