Changing Brakes & Rotors

[versaknight]

Hi there,

I have a '07 versa, hb, SL, 6 speed and need to change my front brakes and disc. I'm thinking of doing the back drums as well (might as well do all brakes while at it). I'm thinking of doing everything myself (first time) because I got a quote from the dealership service center for $510.00 for just the front pair. It's not an easy pill to swallow.

I guess, I'm looking for advice on:

Front Brake Disc:
Front Brake Pad:
Rear Brake Drum:
Rear Brake Shoe:

Brand (not OEM), where can I get it, price & review.

I'm also open to pointers, tips and FAQs when replacing.

Thanks.

[TryingDrive]

well, i'm an assistant manager at an advance auto store.... so my advice is sorta gonna be "by the book" and what i've been taught from there. Although I was a lead tech at a shop for roughly a year.

510 is crazy, plain and simple. What kind of Pad are you looking for? Performance, noise level, long lasting? What's most important to you?

Rotors are simple. Though, depending on the shape of yours you can probably have them turned for a lot less. (and a side note: even if you buy NEW rotors, if you want best results. HAVE THEM TURNED! The shop I worked for, we turned all new rotors before install. I've only seen one, yes ONE, rotor ever be perfect out of the box.)

[versaknight]

Thank you for the quick reply. I'm looking for performance and long lasting pads. What are your recommendations?

[TryingDrive]

well, if you want performance AND long lasting... I'd say give akebono pads a try. They're going to give you better performance all around than OE. I know we're about to start carrying them at my store, but for now you'd probably be best off to find them online.

here they are on advance's site. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... 1343280512___

hope this helps.

[FGVersa]

Hi there,

I have a '07 versa, hb, SL, 6 speed and need to change my front brakes and disc. I'm thinking of doing the back drums as well (might as well do all brakes while at it). I'm thinking of doing everything myself (first time) because I got a quote from the dealership service center for $510.00 for just the front pair. It's not an easy pill to swallow.

I guess, I'm looking for advice on:

Front Brake Disc:
Front Brake Pad:
Rear Brake Drum:
Rear Brake Shoe:

Brand (not OEM), where can I get it, price & review.

I'm also open to pointers, tips and FAQs when replacing.

Thanks.

first off how many miles do u have?? rear drums dont wear out that fast compared to disk brakes on the front. have u measured ur pads? does ur steering wheel shutter when u come to a stop? if youve got less than 50K typically ur rears are still ok. i work at honda and to save money we suggest on just resurfacing the rotor and putting on new pads. If u wanna do an upgrade from your OE pads i would go with hawk ceramics. they are kinda pricey but def worth it esp if you have aftermarket wheels. low dust and great stopping power. i have them on my mustang.

like i said depending on ur mileage, you may just have to resurfacing the rotors and slap new pads. if you're gonna buy at advance auto...wagner thermoquiets are nice or wearever gold pads are a bang for buck.

doing brakes arent hard. if ur jusst replacing the pads and rotors you wouldnt have to bleed the brakes.

[Promise Land]

This is all I saw....

Blah, blah, blah, i work at honda , blah, blah, blah...

That's awesome.

[FGVersa]

This is all I saw....

Blah, blah, blah, i work at honda , blah, blah, blah...

hey man im just going from my experience..if you dont like it then you didnt have to post a smart a** comment. obviously you saw more than just "i work at honda" since that quote was right in the middle so you read everything. im giving Knight some pointers..ur comment was not needed.

[Promise Land]

Chill FG. It's ironic that you work for Honda, but drive a Nissan and own two other non-Hondas. That is all I was saying. Your experience and pointers are welcomed and I back them. Just having some fun, and not trying to make you look bad.

[FGVersa]

ok. yeah,. i love ford cars and nissan. i just got the job there and i have no complaints cz it pays the bills lol

[FGVersa]

btw the nissan isnt mine. its my gf's. im just on here to get info and pointers for her car. lvoe this place

[Promise Land]

are you at a dealership, or Honda (like a factory or R&D center)?

[versatil]

Do you have to resurface the rotors every time you change pads, or can you just put in new pads?

[NCJack]

Service on those parts are pretty easy, but if you've NEVER done it before, I'd seek help rather than just advise. Maybe someone who has done this before to just to watch you and help while drinking your delicious, ice cold bud lights! Front brakes are a breeze to work on, but the rear drums...they can be tedious and take twice as long to service as disc brakes.

You can have the rotors resurfaced everytime if you wish, but personally, I wouldent unless there is uneven wear on either your rotor or your old pads. Uneven wear should be noticeable when you brake.

And if you do resurface one rotor, just do them both to keep them even.

Regards
Jack

[FGVersa]

are you at a dealership, or Honda (like a factory or R&D center)?

I work at a dealership

[FGVersa]

Do you have to resurface the rotors every time you change pads, or can you just put in new pads?

u can just slap on new pads on there and forget about the rotors as long as they arent warped or the steering wheel doesnt shudder when going to a stop...if it does shudder then u will need to get the rotors resurfaced...BUT it is recommended to get them resurfaced when putting new pads. theres also a process using on car brake lathes. i believe this is expensive to do..we do them at work but i just dont know the prices. this process makes a precision resurface because the rotor is actually mounted on the car..it makes a world of difference. i hope this helps and makes sense

[FGVersa]

adding to my comment up top^^^. when i put on brembo pads on my truck my rotors were ok so i said EFF it and just put on the pads and didnt resurface and they are fine.

[versaknight]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, my disc have been resurfaced already and I'm down to 1 - 2 mm and cannot resurface any more, so I have to replace the disc. My pads are approx. 30% left. I do not know the status of my rear and not really too worried but would be nice that I have the parts ready to change when I need. With 53k, I'm not sure if it's also time to change the rear. My wheels shudder when I'm braking at speeds, like 80km/hr and above. Ooops, I forgot to mention, I have a "Canadian" versa and not sure if I buy parts from US will fit.

I'm thinking of buying "CENTRIC PREMIUM BRAKE DISC" and "Hawk Performance HPS Brake Pads". Wonder if they'll fit?

[FGVersa]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, my disc have been resurfaced already and I'm down to 1 - 2 mm and cannot resurface any more, so I have to replace the disc. My pads are approx. 30% left. I do not know the status of my rear and not really too worried but would be nice that I have the parts ready to change when I need. With 53k, I'm not sure if it's also time to change the rear. My wheels shudder when I'm braking at speeds, like 80km/hr and above. Ooops, I forgot to mention, I have a "Canadian" versa and not sure if I buy parts from US will fit.

I'm thinking of buying "CENTRIC PREMIUM BRAKE DISC" and "Hawk Performance HPS Brake Pads". Wonder if they'll fit?

yeah sounds like ur gonna need new rotors. as far as the rear's u can always check them urself by jacking up the rear and inspec t them. use a hammer and hit the drum HARD a couple times around til they loosen up so u can pull the drum off. if the pads are more than 2mm they are still good. and if ur wheels shudder at high speeds then could be a tire wear issue not ur brakes. it should only shudder going to a stop. And for the parts interchanging im not sure about that. im sure its all the same. u can always call nissan and ask them for the parts numbers for both vehicles and if they match then im sure the aftermarket stuff will work. If u go with Hawk pads you wont be disappointed in them. Good Luck

[Knightro2]

Brake replacement isn't hard to do...but like the other person said...if you haven't done it before it is best to have someone there that has.

I'm about up for a brake replacement myself. I'm an Auto Zone fan but I was surprised by them for the first time in my life they didn't carry what I needed. They only offer the front pads as a special order and not in store. They don't even offer the shoes at all. So I will have to go to my backup of Advance Auto Parts because they carry all of it. So sad, what is happening to my Auto Zone that I grew up with?

I just miss the days where Auto Zone would resurface rotors and drums for you. Now it takes a private eye to track down a place that will do it for you without having to get the brake job done there too.

[bigdaddychia]

How many miles do you have on your car. I am at 218K and about to do my 3rd set of pads and turn the rotors for the first time. I did the 2nd set of pads at 96k miles.