🔧 Challenger - Rear Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

You’ll remove the rear wheels, take the caliper and pads off, swap the rear rotors, then reinstall everything and bed-in the new pads. This restores braking performance and prevents vibration or pulsation caused by worn pads or warped rotors.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• 🧯 Work on flat ground and chock the front wheels before lifting.
• 🧤 Never rely on a jack alone; support the rear with jack stands under solid lift points.
• 🔥 Brakes can be extremely hot; let them cool before touching.
• 🧵 Do not let the caliper hang by the brake hose; support it with a hook/strap.
• 🛑 Keep the parking brake fully released while removing/installing rear rotors.
• 🧼 Avoid breathing brake dust; use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• 🔋 Battery disconnect is not required for this job.

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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
• 22mm socket
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• 1/2" drive torque wrench (50-200 ft-lbs range)
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 3/8" drive torque wrench (10-100 ft-lbs range)
• Socket set (metric 10mm-21mm)
• Hex bit socket set (metric 6mm-10mm)
• Torx bit set (T30-T50)
• Flathead screwdriver
• Pry bar
• Needle-nose pliers
• Bungee cord or mechanic’s wire
• Brake caliper piston spreader (specialty)
• Wire brush
• Dead blow hammer
• M8 x 1.25 bolts (pair, 25-40mm long)
• Brake cleaner spray
• 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
• Brake hardware kit (rear) - Qty: 1
• High-temperature brake lubricant - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1
• Medium-strength threadlocker - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🅿️ Put the car in gear, turn the engine off, and release the parking brake.
• 🧱 Chock both front wheels with wheel chocks.
• 🔩 Slightly loosen rear lug nuts using a 22mm socket and breaker bar before lifting.
• 🧰 A “piston spreader” pushes the caliper pistons back in so the new thicker pads will fit.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift the rear and remove the wheels

• Lift the rear using a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum), then set the car on jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Remove the rear lug nuts with a 22mm socket and take both rear wheels off.

Step 2: Identify which rear caliper you have (Brembo vs sliding)

• If your rear caliper is a big fixed caliper with no slider pins, follow the Brembo (fixed caliper) notes below.
• If your rear caliper slides on pins (you’ll see pin/bolt heads on the back side), follow the Sliding caliper notes below.

Step 3: Remove the caliper (do not open the brake hose)

• Brembo (fixed caliper): Remove the two caliper mounting bolts using the correctly-fitting socket from your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm).
• Sliding caliper: Remove the two guide pin bolts using the correctly-fitting socket/bit from your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm) or hex bit socket set (metric 6mm-10mm).
• Carefully lift the caliper off the rotor. Use a bungee cord or mechanic’s wire to hang it from the suspension so the hose isn’t strained.

Step 4: Remove pads and hardware

• Use a flathead screwdriver to help lift any anti-rattle spring/clips as needed.
• Pull the pads out by hand; use needle-nose pliers if they’re tight.
• Remove any pad abutment clips/hardware from the bracket (if equipped).

Step 5: Remove the caliper bracket (sliding caliper setups)

• Sliding caliper only: Remove the caliper bracket bolts using a breaker bar and the correctly-fitting socket from your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm).
• Set the bracket aside.
• Bracket bolts are usually tight.

Step 6: Remove the rear rotor (watch the parking brake shoes)

• If there is a rotor retaining screw, remove it with the correctly-fitting bit from your Torx bit set (T30-T50).
• If the rotor is stuck, thread two M8 x 1.25 bolts (pair, 25-40mm long) into the rotor “push-off” holes and tighten evenly with your 3/8" drive ratchet until the rotor pops loose.
• If needed, tap the rotor hat with a dead blow hammer to break rust free.
• Slide the rotor off. If it won’t come off, make sure the parking brake is fully released.

Step 7: Clean the hub and prep the new rotor

• Clean rust off the hub face using a wire brush.
• Spray the new rotor braking surfaces with brake cleaner spray and wipe clean (removes protective oil).

Step 8: Install the new rotor

• Place the new rotor onto the hub.
• If equipped, reinstall the rotor retaining screw using the correctly-fitting bit from your Torx bit set (T30-T50) (snug only).

Step 9: Retract the caliper pistons

• Place an old pad against the pistons (to spread force evenly).
• Use a brake caliper piston spreader (specialty) to slowly push the piston(s) back until fully seated.
• Check the brake fluid reservoir while compressing; if it rises near the top, stop and remove a small amount (do not spill fluid on paint).

Step 10: Reinstall bracket (sliding caliper setups) and install new pads

• Sliding caliper only: Reinstall the bracket using your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm) and a 1/2" drive torque wrench (50-200 ft-lbs range).
• Torque to 169 Nm (125 ft-lbs) for rear caliper bracket bolts.
• Install new pad hardware/clips (if included) by hand.
• Apply a thin film of high-temperature brake lubricant where pads touch the clips/bracket (do not get lube on pad friction material or rotor).
• Install the new pads into the bracket/caliper.

Step 11: Reinstall the caliper

• Slide the caliper back over the new pads/rotor.
• Brembo (fixed caliper): Install caliper mounting bolts using your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm) and torque with a 1/2" drive torque wrench (50-200 ft-lbs range).
• Torque to 156 Nm (115 ft-lbs) for rear Brembo caliper mounting bolts.
• Sliding caliper: Install guide pin bolts using your socket set (metric 10mm-21mm) or hex bit socket set (metric 6mm-10mm), then torque using a 3/8" drive torque wrench (10-100 ft-lbs range).
• Torque to 35 Nm (26 ft-lbs) for rear caliper guide pin bolts.
• If bolts are not pre-coated, apply a small amount of medium-strength threadlocker to clean threads.

Step 12: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Reinstall wheels and hand-thread all lug nuts.
• Lower the car enough that the tires just touch the ground so they don’t spin.
• Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using a 1/2" drive torque wrench (50-200 ft-lbs range).
• Torque to 176 Nm (130 ft-lbs) for lug nuts.

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✅ After Repair

• 🦶 Before driving, pump the brake pedal 10-15 times until it feels firm.
• 🧪 With the engine on, test brakes at low speed in a safe area.
• 🛑 Test the parking brake hold on a gentle incline.
• 🧯 Check brake fluid level and top off only if needed.
• 🛣️ Brake pad bed-in: make 8-10 moderate stops from ~40 mph to ~10 mph, driving a bit between stops to cool; then avoid hard stops until fully cooled.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $650-$1,200 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $250-$650 (parts only)

You Save: $400-$550 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?

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