Another Day

Today I took the car to my father's house and we then went to my uncles to replace the brake pads. The car has 176001 miles and they were last worked on at the 130000 mark.

My uncle had helped me a while back by replacing the discs and pads on the Nissan NX-1600. Those brakes had some issues. The right pad had worn down to metal and it really grooved the rotor. I went to Pep Boys to get new rotors and pads. Well, they sold me a set of pads that were mismatched and the rotors were not for the car. We went back once after taking off the wheels and finding the pads did not match. After we got new pads from AutoZone, we found that the discs were not correct being too thick. Had to take them back to Pep Boys to get refund and buy some new ones at AutoZone. After 4 hours, the brakes were in good working order but this job should have only taken 30 minutes. So what did I learn: 1) Always check the parts you need on the on-line database (I found Autozone a good one on-line), 2) Check inside the package at the parts you receive to make sure they are there, 3) Don't buy car model specific parts at Pep Boys, & 4) Be patient.

So tonight I had all the parts before I went over learning from my past experiences. I had looked numerous times on the internet at the parts to buy for this job. I was late leaving work so it we started later than I expected. I had the rotors, pads, bleeding kit, and brake fluid. We get the front wheels off and they were hot from the trip over. My uncle removes the first set of pads and finds they do not quite match the ones coming off the car. So we box them back up and head off to AutoZone before it closes. I get there and explain the situation. Even though the day before I had given the salesperson the part list from the website showing part 562C, he had given me part 526C. I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE NUMBER ON THE BOX WITH THE NUMBER ON MY SHEET!!!

So the salesperson quickly exchanged them on and back we went to my uncles. He then changed out the pads and the fit. We re-greased these two bolts with a small package AutoZone sold me for $0.99. After studying the rotors, they decided they did not need to be replaced. It had been 45,000 miles since they last turned but they still had a smooth surface. He fitted the other wheel and then we put the tires back on. I tested the brakes out in the driveway and they seemed quieter and responsive. We did debate about bleeding the brakes but since it was so late decided to wait. Things I learned: 1) Check the part number, 2) ceramic pads do seem quieter, and 3) need to bleed the brakes.
Driving home I think I need to bleed the brakes to make them tighter. I might try to do this later in the week.