🔧 Maxima - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

You’ll be removing the rear wheels, swinging the rear calipers out of the way, replacing the pads (and hardware clips if included), then properly resetting the parking brake system if your Maxima has an electronic parking brake. This matters because rear pads wear down and can damage rotors or reduce stopping power if ignored.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support the car with jack stands—never rely on a floor jack alone.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is harmful—use brake cleaner, not compressed air, and wear a dust mask.
• ⚠️ Don’t let the caliper hang by the hose—support it with a bungee cord.
• ⚠️ If your Maxima has an electronic parking brake (EPB), you must retract it using EPB service mode before compressing the piston, or you can damage the caliper/actuator.
• ⚠️ Keep grease off pad friction material and rotor surfaces.

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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 (10-200 Nm range)
• 14mm socket
• 19mm socket
• Flat trim tool
• Brake caliper piston compression tool (specialty)
• Bungee cord
• Wire brush
• Brake cleaner
• Shop towels
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses
• Dust mask
• Scan tool with EPB service mode (specialty)

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake pad hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake caliper grease (silicone) - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2 (optional if worn/grooved)

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Park on level ground, put the shifter in P, and chock the front wheels.
• 🛑 Make sure the parking brake is released before lifting the rear.
• 🔍 Look at your center console: if you have a parking brake switch (not a foot pedal), you have EPB and you should plan to use EPB service mode with a scan tool.
• 🧴 Open the hood and check the brake fluid level; compressing pistons can raise fluid. If it’s near MAX, remove a little with a clean syringe/turkey baster.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen lug nuts and lift the rear

• Use a 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen the rear lug nuts 1/2 turn (don’t remove yet).
• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift the rear, then set the car securely on jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Remove the rear wheels with the 21mm socket.

Step 2: If equipped, retract the electronic parking brake (EPB)

• If your Maxima has an EPB switch, connect a scan tool with EPB service mode (specialty) and command Rear EPB > Maintenance/Service Mode > Retract.
• If your Maxima has a foot-operated parking brake, skip this step.
• Do not force the piston with EPB applied.

Step 3: Remove the rear caliper (pad access)

• Turn the steering wheel is not needed for the rear; just position yourself for access.
• Use a 14mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet to remove the two rear caliper slide pin bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and hang it using a bungee cord (do not stress the hose).

Step 4: Remove old pads and hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads out by hand. If they’re stuck, use a flat trim tool gently.
• Remove the pad abutment clips (hardware) from the bracket using the flat trim tool.
• Clean the bracket pad lands with brake cleaner and a wire brush, then wipe with shop towels.

Step 5: Compress the caliper piston

• Place an old pad against the piston face, then use a brake caliper piston compression tool (specialty) to slowly push the piston fully in.
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir while compressing; remove excess if it starts to overflow.

Step 6: Install new hardware and pads

• Install the new abutment clips from the hardware kit onto the bracket by hand.
• Apply a thin film of brake caliper grease (silicone) to pad ears where they touch the clips (not on the pad friction surface).
• Install the new inner and outer pads into the bracket.

Step 7: Reinstall caliper and torque fasteners

• Set the caliper back over the new pads.
• Install the caliper slide pin bolts using a 14mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet, then final-tighten with a torque wrench: Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs).
• If you removed the caliper bracket (only needed for rotor replacement), tighten bracket bolts using a 19mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 98 Nm (72 ft-lbs).

Step 8: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Reinstall the wheels and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the car off the jack stands using the floor jack.
• Torque lug nuts in a star pattern using a torque wrench: Torque to 113 Nm (83 ft-lbs).

Step 9: If equipped, exit EPB service mode

• If you used EPB service mode, use the scan tool with EPB service mode (specialty) to command Rear EPB > Maintenance/Service Mode > Close/Initialize.

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✅ After Repair

• ✅ Before driving, pump the brake pedal 10–15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pistons against the new pads).
• ✅ Check brake fluid level and top off only if needed.
• ✅ Test at low speed first. Confirm normal braking and no warning lights.
• ✅ Perform a gentle pad bed-in: 6–10 medium stops from ~30 mph to ~5 mph, with cooling time between. Avoid hard stops for 200 miles.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $250-$450 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $60-$160 (parts only)

You Save: $190-$290 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?

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.