🔧 Civic - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

This is a manageable job, but your Civic’s electronic parking brake makes it different from an ordinary pad change. Put the system into brake-maintenance mode before compressing either rear caliper piston. Otherwise, the parking-brake actuator can be damaged.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5-2.5 hours

Assumption: The rear rotors and calipers are reusable and show no leaks, deep grooves, cracks, or severe rust.

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on level, solid ground and chock both front wheels.
• ⚠️ Support your Civic with jack stands. Never work under a vehicle held only by a jack.
• ⚠️ Release the electronic parking brake before lifting the rear.
• ⚠️ Enter brake-maintenance mode before removing the calipers or pushing the pistons inward.
• ⚠️ Never press the brake pedal while a caliper is removed.
• ⚠️ Don’t let a caliper hang from its rubber brake hose.
• ⚠️ Brake dust can irritate your lungs. Don’t blow it away with compressed air.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnection isn’t required when using a compatible scan tool correctly.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• 3/8-inch drive ratchet
• 7mm hex-bit socket
• 19mm wheel-nut socket
• 3/8-inch drive torque wrench rated 10-100 ft-lbs
• 1/2-inch drive breaker bar
• Rear brake caliper piston compressor (specialty)
• Honda-compatible EPB service scan tool (specialty)
• Floor jack rated 2-ton minimum
• Jack stands rated 2-ton minimum
• Rubber wheel chocks
• Caliper hanger hook
• Small flat-blade screwdriver
• Soft-bristle brake-cleaning brush
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile mechanic gloves

An EPB service scan tool electronically retracts the parking-brake motors so the caliper pistons can be compressed safely.

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1, replaces both sides
• Rear brake pad hardware kit - Qty: 1, if not included with the pads
• Silicone-based brake lubricant - Qty: 1
• Non-chlorinated brake cleaner - Qty: 1 can

Replace all four rear pads together. Don’t replace pads on only one side. That’s how a simple brake job becomes a steering complaint.

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park your Civic on level ground and leave the manual transmission in first gear.
• Release the electronic parking brake while holding the brake pedal.
• Chock both sides of both front tires before raising the vehicle.
• Open the hood and check the brake-fluid reservoir. If it’s completely full, remove a small amount with a clean fluid syringe before compressing the pistons.
• Connect the scan tool and select the electronic parking-brake maintenance or brake-pad replacement function.
• Follow the scan tool’s prompts until it confirms that both rear parking-brake actuators are retracted.
• Switch the ignition off, but don’t operate the parking-brake switch again.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen the Rear Wheel Nuts

• Keep the tires on the ground and use the 19mm wheel-nut socket with the 1/2-inch drive breaker bar.
• Loosen each rear wheel nut about one-quarter turn. Don’t remove them yet.

Step 2: Raise and Support the Rear

• Use the floor jack rated 2-ton minimum at the approved rear lifting point.
• Place the jack stands rated 2-ton minimum beneath the reinforced rear side jacking points.
• Lower the vehicle gently onto the stands and give it a light stability check.
• Keep the floor jack nearby as backup.

Step 3: Remove Both Rear Wheels

• Use the 19mm wheel-nut socket and remove the loosened wheel nuts.
• Remove both rear wheels and slide them beneath the rocker-panel area as additional protection.

Step 4: Inspect the Rear Brakes

• Use the safety glasses and inspect both rotors for deep grooves, blue heat marks, cracks, or a heavy outer lip.
• Check around each caliper piston and brake hose for wet brake fluid.
• Stop the repair if a piston boot is torn, a caliper is leaking, or one pad is dramatically thinner than its partner.

Step 5: Remove the Caliper Guide Bolts

• Remove the guide-pin caps if fitted, using the small flat-blade screwdriver carefully.
• Use the 7mm hex-bit socket with the 3/8-inch drive ratchet to remove the upper and lower caliper guide bolts.
• Lift the caliper away from the rotor.
• Support it with the caliper hanger hook. Don’t twist or stretch the brake hose.

Step 6: Remove the Old Pads and Hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads from the caliper bracket by hand.
• Use the small flat-blade screwdriver to remove the old stainless pad clips without gouging the bracket.
• Compare the old pads. A major inner-to-outer thickness difference suggests a sticking guide pin or piston.

Step 7: Clean and Inspect the Bracket

• Spray the bracket with non-chlorinated brake cleaner.
• Use the soft-bristle brake-cleaning brush to clean the surfaces beneath the pad clips.
• Check that both guide pins move smoothly and that their rubber boots aren’t split.
• Apply a thin layer of silicone-based brake lubricant to the guide pins if they’re dry.
• Keep all lubricant away from the pad friction material and rotor faces.

Step 8: Compress the Caliper Piston

• Confirm again that the scan tool completed EPB maintenance mode.
• Place an old pad over the piston and use the rear brake caliper piston compressor to press the piston straight inward slowly.
• Watch the brake-fluid reservoir while compressing the piston. Stop if fluid approaches the top.
• Don’t force or rotate the piston if it binds. Excessive resistance means the EPB isn’t fully retracted or the caliper is faulty.

Step 9: Install the New Hardware and Pads

• Press the new stainless hardware clips fully into the clean bracket by hand.
• Apply an extremely thin film of silicone-based brake lubricant where the pad ears contact the clips.
• Install the new inner and outer pads in the same orientation as the originals.
• Make sure each pad slides freely without excessive looseness.

Step 10: Reinstall the Caliper

• Lower the caliper over the new pads without damaging the piston boot.
• Start both guide bolts by hand to prevent cross-threading.
• Use the 7mm hex-bit socket and 3/8-inch drive torque wrench.
• Torque the rear caliper guide bolts to 23 Nm (17 ft-lbs).
• Refit the protective guide-pin caps if equipped.

Step 11: Repeat on the Opposite Side

• Repeat Steps 4 through 10 on the other rear wheel.
• Confirm that every pad is seated correctly and both brake hoses remain untwisted.

Step 12: Reinstall the Wheels

• Install both wheels and start every wheel nut by hand.
• Snug the nuts in a crossing pattern using the 19mm wheel-nut socket and 3/8-inch drive ratchet.
• Use the floor jack rated 2-ton minimum to lift the vehicle slightly, remove the stands, and lower it completely.
• Use the 19mm wheel-nut socket and 3/8-inch drive torque wrench.
• Torque the wheel nuts to 108 Nm (80 ft-lbs) in a crossing pattern. Honda specifies this value for the Civic. bernardiparts.com

Step 13: Exit EPB Maintenance Mode

• Connect the Honda-compatible EPB service scan tool if it was disconnected.
• Switch the ignition on without starting the engine.
• Select the scan tool’s EPB maintenance-mode completion or brake-pad replacement completion command.
• Follow the prompts until both actuators cycle and the tool confirms normal operation.
• Honda’s parking brake releases with the ignition on, brake pedal depressed, and EPB switch pressed. techinfo.honda.com

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✅ After Repair

• ✅ Before moving your Civic, press the brake pedal slowly several times until it feels firm.
• ✅ Check the brake-fluid level and correct it only with fresh Honda-compatible DOT 3 brake fluid if necessary.
• ✅ Apply and release the electronic parking brake twice while holding the brake pedal.
• ✅ Confirm that no brake-system or parking-brake warning remains illuminated.
• ✅ Check around both rear calipers for leaks and verify that the wheels rotate without severe binding.
• ✅ Perform the first test at walking speed in a clear area.
• ✅ Follow the pad manufacturer’s break-in procedure. If none is supplied, make several moderate stops with cooling time between them.
• ✅ Avoid panic stops and holding the brake pedal after a hard stop for roughly the first 200 miles.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $220-$420 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $35-$100 (parts only, excluding tools)

You Save: $120-$320 by doing it yourself!

Local Sonīpat labor rates may be lower than U.S. estimates. A shop typically bills approximately 1-1.5 hours for this repair.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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