1. /// Mister-Auto’s DIY Guides
www.mister-auto.co.uk - 0844 338 00 21
*Please note: free and informative document for which Mister-Auto does not accept any responsibility or liability.
MOUNTING BRAKE PADS
15 mins / wheel
EQUIPMENT
DIFFICULTY
TIME
All cars are equipped with
brake pads. You find them
fitted into the brake calliper.
The caliper presses the pads
against the brake disc when
the brake pedal is pressed.
Brake pads are wearing car
parts. Due to the friction
between the brake disc
and the pads, the latter are
subjected to extremely high
temperatures and thus wear
and tear. To ensure your
brake pads have a relatively
long lifespan, it is best to buy
good quality pads.
The front brakes need to
deliver the highest braking
force. As a result, the average
lifespan of a set front of brake
pads is estimated between
18.600 and 27.900 miles. At
the rear, your brakes need
to deliver a less important
braking force. The rear brake
pads therefore last longer:
about 37.200 miles. The more
worn the brake pad is, the
less effective it becomes.
BRAKE PADS
On the Mister-Auto website, you’ll
find a wide selection of brake pads
for your car. For the most well-
known car makes you’ll be able
to choose from brands including
Mintex, Ferodo, Bosch or TRW. Be
sure to choose brake pads from a
quality brand as these car parts
are essential for your safety on the
road. Despite buying a top brand,
Mister-Auto allows you to be able
to save considerably on your car
parts. We offer discount prices for
all our car parts, so avoid cutting
your brake parts expenses.
Prior to ordering a brake pad
reference, it is important to check
the parts on your car.
Mister-Auto offers you a large
selection of brake pads from
different brands but you’ll discover
that some correspond to your
original pads and others do not.
To avoid ordering pads that do not
fit on your car, it is important to
check the following:
• the make of your brake caliper
(engraved onto its body)
• the shape of your brake pads
(visible if you dismount a wheel)
Mister-Auto has included
technical details as well as a
brake pad scheme on the product
description.
HOW TO CHOOSE BRAKE PADS?
WHEN DO I NEED TO CHANGE BRAKE PADS?
In general, brake pads will need to
be changed when you notice they
are worn.
Nevertheless they can also need
replacing if the caliper is leaking
or if the hydraulic system is failing.
As a matter of precaution, the
brake pad manufacturer will often
recommend checking the state of
your pads every 12.400 to 15.500
miles. It is best to do so when you
are changing your oil for example
to keep track of the intervals.
- flat pliers
- combination pliers
- 1 large plainslot screwdriver

2. /// Mister-Auto’s DIY Guides
www.mister-auto.co.uk - 0844 338 00 21
*Please note: free and informative document for which Mister-Auto does not accept any responsibility or liability.
WHAT DO I LOOK AT WHEN CHECKING MY BRAKE PADS FOR SIGNS OF
WEAR?
• If your brake pads are not
equipped with a brake pad
wear contact, you’ll only need
to check your brake fluid
levels. The thinner your brake
pads become, the more brake
fluid the hydraulic braking
system needs to press them
against the brake disc. So, if
your brake pads are getting
too thin, your brake fluid levels
will reach the bottom of the
reservoir.
• However, if your brake pads
do have a wear contact, a
dashboard warning light will
come on when it becomes
necessary to replace them. This
does not mean that as soon as
the indicator lights up, you need
to rush to the nearest garage or
change your brake pads on the
same day. From the point that
your brake pad light comes on,
you’ll be able to safely drive for
another 2000 miles. After that,
you’ll risk damaging the brake
disc if you continue to use worn
brake pads. If the latter have
next to no friction material left,
the metal backing will run on
the brake disc, and scratch it.
• Besides these two checks, it is
possible to dismount a wheel
and literally look at the brake
pads. You’ll need about ¼
inch of friction material to drive
safely. If less than ¼ of pad is
left, we strongly recommend
you replace your brake pads
as quickly as possible.
• If you have a relatively light car,
you probably won’t have disc
brakes at the rear but drum
brakes. In that case, to check
the lining on the rear brakes
count the number of visible
teeth on the hand brake when
blocking your car. If you see
more than 6 teeth, you will need
to replace your brake shoe
lining.
• Do not fill up the
brake fluid reservoir
without checking
the state of your brake
pads: if the brake pads
are worn, they won’t have
a enough friction material
anymore. As a result, they will
be stuck against the brake disc
and the piston is permanently
pushed outwards. When you
look at your brake fluid lev-
els, they are likely to be rather
low. Don’t let these levels fool
you though, they are only low
because the piston is pushed
out. To see if you have enough
brake fluid, dismount the brake
pads and push the piston back
into the caliper. The brake fluid
will flow back through the hose
and indicate a higher and prob-
ably normal level. You can see
that if you had just topped up
the brake fluid without think-
ing twice, the reservoir would
have overflowed after fitting
new brake pads with more fric-
tion material.
• Prepare your new brake pads:
brand new brake pads are
often a bit shiny. Lightly file
the friction material on the
brake pads to ensure they
completely touch the disc and
don’t slide over the disc when
you’re braking. The larger the
braking surface of the pads,
the more you will get from your
braking force.
• S l o w l y w e a r y o u r n e w
brake pads: avoid heavy
or emergency braking the
first 125 to 185 miles after
mounting new brake pads.
They need a little time to set to
the shape of the brake discs.
• Check your other disc brake
parts: before mounting your
brake pads, check the state
of your brake discs. The latter
need to be thicker than 1
mm. If they are thinner, you
will need to change them as
soon as possible and avoid
fitting your new pads onto
worn discs. They will wear
unevenly if you do. The same
goes if you see that your
brake discs are scratched,
scorn or warped. Do not wait
too long before you replace
them then. Don’t forget to also
check how the brake pads are
worn. If you see for example
that one brake pad is more
worn than the other or if their
wear is uneven, it might be
necessary to clean or even
completely replace your brake
caliper.
TIPS FROM MISTER-AUTO
BRAKE PADS

3. /// Mister-Auto’s DIY Guides
www.mister-auto.co.uk - 0844 338 00 21
*Please note: free and informative document for which Mister-Auto does not accept any responsibility or liability.
Park your car on a flat and well-lit surface. Start by loosening
your wheel bolts. Take your jack and lift the car. Fix the
vehicle on axle stands and ensure it is well stabilised and
level. Then completely dismount the wheel. If you have
wheel trims, you’ll only need to pull to take them off.
Push the piston back into the brake calliper. Drive a
screwdriver between the inner brake pad and the disc
and to create a lever with which to push the piston. If
the brake pads are very worn, they will be stuck against
the disc.
Step
Step
Step
1
2
HOW DO I MOUNT NEW BRAKE PADS?
REPLACING BRAKE PADS IN EIGHT EASY STEPS
Replacing brake pads is an easy
task that anyone can carry out them-
selves. Ensure to closely follow the
next steps though:
• Start by parking your car onto a
well-lit, flat surface. When lifting
your car with a trolley jack, ensure
it is sufficiently stable and level.
Prefer the use of wheel ramps
or axel stands as they provide
more stability than a jack.
Underneath your car you’ll find
the manufacturer’s instructions
for lifting your car.
• Arrange all your tools and parts
well to avoid losing anything. Put
your wheel nuts upside down
on their heads, in a neat row to
avoid losing one or damaging the
screw-side. Prior to mounting your
new brake pads, you’ll need to
dismount the old ones. Pay close
attention to the order in which you
dismount the different parts to put
them back in the opposite order.
Also, be sure to complete one
side before starting on the other.
That way you cannot get mixed
up and if you are uncertain about
anything, you can easily check on
the other wheel.
• Equip yourself with all the
necessary tools before starting.
The caliper guide pins in particular
are tightly screwed. To loosen
them, you’ll need special tools to
avoid any damage.
• Push back the piston ensuring
you don’t accidentally damage
the rubber boot with your tools.
The easiest and safest way of
doing this is in fact using the
brake pad closest to the piston as
a lever to push the latter back into
the calliper. Wedge a screwdriver
between the brake pad to create
the lever.
• Finally, remember to well tighten
the bolts and nuts and to check
you have mounted all the parts.
Then use the brake pedal to
press the brake pads against the
disc. It is highly important not to
forget this final step. If omitted,
you won’t have any braking force
when you are pressing the brake
pedal when driving for the first
time with new pads.
Unscrew the calliper. Use two combination spanners or
ratchet spanners to loosen the inner guide pin and unplug
the brake pad wear contact if you have one.3
Unscrew the caliper
Push back the piston
BRAKE PADS

4. /// Mister-Auto’s DIY Guides
www.mister-auto.co.uk - 0844 338 00 21
*Please note: free and informative document for which Mister-Auto does not accept any responsibility or liability.
Clean the pads’ seat by brushing or scratching.
Connect the brake pad wear contact (if present).
Press the new brake pads into the calliper. Put some bolt sealant, which is usually included with
the brake pads, onto the bolts to be able to tighten them properly. Then push the calliper back into
place and secure the guide pin. If carried out correctly, the parts should fit together like a jigsaw.
Press the brake pedal several times to ensure the brake pads are well applied to the brake disc.
Once you’ve lowered the vehicle back to the ground, remember to secure the wheel bolts to ensure
the wheel is well connected to the axle.
5
7
6
8
Lift the calliper and take out the brake pads by hand.
4
Lift the caliper and take out the brake
pads
Grease the brake pad seat
Grease the calliper guide pins Result
Finish
BRAKE PADS
Step
Step
Step
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