🔧 Altima - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Your Altima’s rear brake pads wear down over time and need replacement to keep stopping power strong and prevent rotor damage. This job is mostly unbolting the caliper, swapping pads, and correctly compressing the caliper piston before reassembly.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5–3.0 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on a flat, solid surface and support the car with jack stands (never rely on a jack alone).
• ⚠️ Release the parking brake before starting rear brake work (it can prevent the caliper piston from moving).
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal while a caliper is off the rotor.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is unhealthy—use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ Brake fluid can damage 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
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 1/2" drive torque wrench (20–150 ft-lbs range)
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 14mm socket
• 19mm socket
• 14mm wrench
• Flathead screwdriver
• C-clamp (6" minimum)
• Disc brake piston wind-back tool kit (specialty)
• Brake hanger hook (or strong bungee cord)
• 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
• Brake pad hardware kit (abutment clips) - Qty: 1
• High-temp silicone brake grease - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Park on level ground, turn the car off, and chock the front wheels.
• 🅿️ Fully release the parking brake.
• 🧴 Open the hood and loosen the brake fluid reservoir cap (leave it sitting on top). This helps the caliper piston compress.
• 🧰 Stage your tools and parts so you’re not searching while the car is in the air.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen rear wheel lug nuts

• Use a 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen (do not remove) the rear lug nuts about 1/2 turn.

Step 2: Lift and support the rear

• Use a floor jack to lift the rear at the proper jacking point.
• Set the car down onto jack stands and give the car a gentle shake test.

Step 3: Remove the rear wheels

• Use the 21mm socket and remove the lug nuts, then remove both rear wheels.

Step 4: Remove the rear caliper (do not hang it by the hose)

• Turn the steering is not applicable in the rear—just position yourself for access.
• Use a 14mm socket (and a 14mm wrench if needed to hold the slide pin) to remove the two caliper slide bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and support it with a brake hanger hook (or strong bungee cord).
• Tip: Hanging by the hose can damage it.

Step 5: Remove old pads and hardware

• Remove the inner and outer pads from the bracket by hand. If stuck, use a flathead screwdriver gently.
• Remove the pad hardware/abutment clips (usually metal clips the pads slide on).

Step 6: Compress the caliper piston (choose the method that matches your piston)

• Look at the piston face.
• If the piston face is mostly smooth/flat: use a C-clamp (6" minimum) to slowly push the piston straight in.
• If the piston face has two notches and seems to “want to turn”: use a disc brake piston wind-back tool kit (specialty) to rotate/press the piston back in.
• Go slowly and watch the brake fluid level under the hood with a shop rag ready for spills.

Step 7: Clean and prep the bracket

• Use brake cleaner and a wire brush to clean pad contact areas on the bracket.
• Install new abutment clips from the hardware kit.
• Apply a thin film of high-temp silicone brake grease where the pad “ears” slide on the clips (do not get grease on pad friction material or rotor).

Step 8: Install new pads

• Install the new inner and outer pads into the bracket by hand.
• If your pad set includes wear indicators, match them to the same side/style as the original setup.

Step 9: Reinstall the caliper

• Set the caliper back over the new pads.
• Use a 14mm socket to reinstall the caliper slide bolts.
• Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs).

Step 10: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Put the wheels back on and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the car off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Use a torque wrench with a 21mm socket to tighten lug nuts in a star pattern: Torque to 113 Nm (83 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• ✅ Pump the brake pedal 10–15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pads against the rotor).
• ✅ Re-check brake fluid level and reinstall/tighten the reservoir cap.
• ✅ Test in a safe area at low speed first. Confirm normal braking and no pulling/noise.
• ✅ Bed-in the pads: do 6–10 medium stops from ~30–40 mph, allowing short cool-down time between stops (avoid hard panic stops for the first 150–200 miles).

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $250–$500 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $40–$140 (parts only)

You Save: $110–$460 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.0–1.5 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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