Problem with changing my brakes for the 1st time on my Infiniti M35.

[JOHNNYM35]

OK well I decided to do my brakes since the dealer charges way to much just for changing the brakes. So I did my front brakes and they where no problem got the rotors off, got them turned and put everything back on. Well when I got to the back brakes I got up to the rotors and got stuck from there, I couldnt get the rotors off, I tried to figure it out but couldnt. Can anyone tell me how to take the rotors off? Is there a special tool that I need to use?

[MagikDragon]

Is your ebrake on? I know it sounds silly but Its possible that the ebrake and a drum assembly inside the rotor and if its on then your rotor won't move. If its off and the rotor still won't budge, then just get a bigger hammer.Oh BTW, why the backs already. I was under the impression that rears wear at a slower rate than the fronts in most cases.

[JOHNNYM35]

No I didn't leave the ebrake on, I guess ill try harder next weekend. I dont know there has to be something to that. U know thats what I thought, that the rear brakes wear slower but I guess for these type of cars they dont, actually the front brakes werent as bad as the rear so in thias case the rear got used up alot faster. The rears were already grinding and the fronts were, so yea , now we know.

[MagikDragon]

there should be 2 threaded holes in the rotor itself. find yourself 2 long bolts and start threading them in there and it will start to move the rotor out slowly thread both bolts in evenly. hopefully that will work.

[infinititech1]

i use a rubber mallet and a few hard hits...it comes off

[vq35de]

beat the hell out of it, they will come loose. Why do you need to take the rotors off? are the rotors worn that far already? You shouldn't need to resurface them yet unless you feel vibration.

You can do a runout and thickness measurement in place on the car.

Enjoy.

[vq35de]

check the esm. Unless your runout exceed a certain value or you have vibration when braking (not ABS) you shouldn't have to turn them.

Infiniti doesn't make the rear rotors very thick to begin with to maximize performance. You only get a couple milimeters to begin with of acceptable rotor thickness. Don' twaste it by turning them excessively.

[JOHNNYM35]

Well when I use the brakes theres no vibration or anything the only reason why I was going to get them turned was because I called infiniti service department and the guy told me that I have to get them turned everytime I change the brakes, but maybe I shouldnt then because of what u said. The rotors from what I know do not look worn or anything for them to get turned. What do u think I should do?

[Q45tech]

Since the brand new vs worn out range is only 2 mm [1 mm per side] things must be measure not just eyed!

The perfect to warped range is 0.0028" THIS IS LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR...............impossible to tell how warped without measurements.

The measurements take special equipment and require 15-20 minutes, roughly the same time it takes to remove and retrue a rotor or use an on the car lathe to do the same job..................to a tech who sees warped rotors all day long why measure when you are 95% sure they are warped and just skip that step and fix the problem

The picture below is a $75-$125 runout measuring tool:

Study your FSM where the whole process is outlined

[mercurio]

Is it just me or is it kinda soon to be replacing brakes. My M45 has 26k miles and I was just told that both front and rears need to be changed and front needs resurfacing.Don't get me wrong, I LOOOOOVE this car, but couple the dealer cost of changing breaks with the cost of 19" tires, and the M starts to seem a little pricey to maintain.

....again, I LOVE this machine, just love my cash a little more.

[szh]

My first set of brake pads lasted about 35k miles as I recall (crossed 45k miles on the odo today!). The rotors do not need changing that quickly, of course, but they will need re-surfacing when the pads are changed.

My past experience has been that the rotors last about as long as three sets of pads. In my older Q45, the pads used to be done at about 20 to 25k miles, so the 2003 M45 has done better. But, since these pads lasted longer, I do think that the rotors may need changing the next time the pads are changed (i.e., a ratio of two instead of three).

By the way, many of us at NICO believe that the Nissan/Infiniti OEM pads are best for these cars, regardless of which rotor you use. Heavy cast-iron rotors absorb heat better ... so, if you do go for something other than Infiniti rotors, check their weight and make sure that you get the best stuff possible. Heavy cars like our M need them! On my older Q45, I used cross-drilled and slotted Bradi (sister company of Brembo) rotors with the OEM pads and was very pleased with the result.

One more thing: I initially had a tiny bit of vibration and pulsing that re-balancing tires would never seem to remove, so I stopped worrying about it (was very minor anyway).

When my pads and rotors were replaced some time back, the Infiniti tech at the dealer did an outstanding job. Now, for the last 10k miles or so, the ride and braking has been fantastic! Since I re-balance my tires pretty regularly every 3k to 4k miles anyway, that is not an issue.

Z

[AG-M35]

What does the size of the tires have to do with servicing brakes?. If you can't do it yourself, take it to the corner service station and they'll treat it like any other Nissan..

[AG-M35]

If you don't stand on your brakes all the time and no pulsing, there's very little reason for them to turn the rotors. Granted, I haven't been to that point yet, but for the past 45 years, I've maintained my own cars and have never turned any rotors, unless they were gouged. Just use #80 sandpaper to remove any glaze and install the new pads. If the alloy of the rotors is so soft that they easily get trashed, then its a designed in feature....