🔧 Soul - Rear Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

You’ll remove the rear wheels, swap the brake pads, and replace the rear rotors. This restores smooth braking and fixes issues like grinding, pulsing, or thin pads.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 2-4 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on level ground and chock the front wheels.
• ⚠️ Release the parking brake before starting (rear calipers may not compress otherwise).
• ⚠️ Support your Soul with jack stands; never rely on a jack.
• ⚠️ Do not breathe brake dust; use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ Don’t let the caliper hang by the brake hose—support it.
• ⚠️ Keep brake fluid off paint; wipe spills immediately.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• 21mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• Torque wrench (20–200 Nm range)
• 14mm socket
• 17mm socket
• 14mm open-end wrench
• Phillips #3 screwdriver
• Manual impact driver (specialty)
• Brake caliper wind-back tool kit (specialty)
• Wire hook or bungee cord
• Rubber mallet
• Wire brush
• Shop rags
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2
• Rear brake hardware kit (pad clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• High-temp silicone brake grease - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 2 cans
• Brake fluid (DOT 3 or DOT 4) - Qty: 1 bottle

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, shift to Park, and chock both front wheels.
• Make sure the parking brake is fully released.
• Loosen the rear lug nuts slightly before lifting.
• Open the hood and check brake fluid level; it may rise when you retract pistons.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and secure the rear

• Use the 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen (do not remove) the rear lug nuts.
• Use the floor jack to lift the rear, then place jack stands under safe lift points.
• Remove the lug nuts with the 21mm socket and ratchet and remove both rear wheels.

Step 2: Remove the rear caliper

• Turn the steering wheel slightly if you need more room to work around the rear hub (optional).
• Use a 14mm socket to remove the two caliper slide pin bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and support it with a wire hook or bungee cord.
• Never let the caliper hang by the hose.

Step 3: Remove the pads and the caliper bracket

• Pull the old pads out of the bracket by hand.
• Use a 17mm socket and breaker bar to remove the caliper bracket bolts.
• Remove the bracket and set it aside.

Step 4: Remove the rotor

• If your rotor has a retaining screw, remove it using a Phillips #3 screwdriver.
• If it’s stuck, use a manual impact driver (specialty) to break it loose (an impact driver is a hand tool you strike to turn stuck screws).
• Pull the rotor off. If it’s seized to the hub, tap around the rotor hat using a rubber mallet.

Step 5: Clean the hub and install the new rotor

• Use brake cleaner and shop rags to clean rust/dirt from the hub face.
• Use a wire brush to clean the hub where the rotor sits flat.
• Clean the new rotor with brake cleaner (removes shipping oil).
• Install the new rotor onto the hub. Reinstall the retaining screw (if equipped) using the Phillips #3 screwdriver (snug only).

Step 6: Reinstall the caliper bracket and hardware

• Reinstall the bracket and start the bolts by hand.
• Tighten the bracket bolts using the 17mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 75 Nm (55 ft-lbs)
• Install new pad clips from the hardware kit (if included) into the bracket.

Step 7: Retract the rear caliper piston (critical)

• Look at the piston face: if it has notches, it must be rotated while pushing in.
• Use the brake caliper wind-back tool kit (specialty) (this tool presses and turns the piston at the same time).
• Rotate while pressing the piston in slowly until it’s fully seated.
• Keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir so it doesn’t overflow; use shop rags to catch any spills.
• Go slowly to avoid damaging the seal.

Step 8: Install new pads and reinstall the caliper

• Apply a thin layer of high-temp silicone brake grease to pad ears where they slide in the clips (do not get grease on pad/rotor friction surfaces).
• Install the inner and outer pads into the bracket by hand.
• Lower the caliper over the pads.
• If the slide pins spin, hold them with a 14mm open-end wrench while tightening the bolts.
• Tighten the caliper slide pin bolts using the 14mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs)

Step 9: Reinstall wheels

• Put the wheels back on and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the vehicle using the floor jack.
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using the 21mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 90–110 Nm (66–81 ft-lbs)

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✅ After Repair

• Before driving, pump the brake pedal 10–15 times until it feels firm.
• Check the brake fluid level and top off with DOT 3 or DOT 4 only if needed.
• Apply and release the parking brake a few times to confirm normal feel/hold.
• Bed-in the pads: make 6–10 gentle stops from ~30–40 mph, letting brakes cool a bit between stops.
• Test drive at low speed first and listen for abnormal grinding or clicking.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$800 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $140-$320 (parts only)

You Save: $310-$480 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 2-3 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.