# 2005 Honda Civic Brake?



## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

Today I went to a tire shop to swap tires and the guy suggested to change the brake pads as he thinks it has 10% left. That tire shop do not do any brake works. I am not mechanically sound and I have couple of questions. I was told previously that it is better to change water pump while changing the timing belt as it is cost effective.

- Should I just change the brake pads? 
- Do I need to change rotor or calipers? Is it wise to change all three at the same time or it would be waste of money?
- What would be the good brake pads/rotor for a 2005 Honda Civic? Last time it was done at the Honda Dealer and I am going to a dealer this time.
- Any idea how much is the average cost for front brake pads and rotors including labour?
- How often should I change rear brake pads and rotor?

Thanks in advance.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> Today I went to a tire shop to swap tires and the guy suggested to change the brake pads as he thinks it has 10% left. That tire shop do not do any brake works. I am not mechanically sound and I have couple of questions. I was told previously that it is better to change water pump while changing the timing belt as it is cost effective.


Makes sense, but again it's YOUR DECISION based on your personal economics at the time. It is a LOT of labour involved to change one or the other, so while a good part of the engine has to be taken apart to get at the timing belt to change it, the water pump (more than likely), needs to be removed as well. 

The cost at that point is just the cost of the new water pump, because the same amount of labour is used to re-install the old water pump VS the new one.


> - Should I just change the brake pads?


You could, but if you are taking your car to the dealer to do the brake job, more than likely you will not get the dealer's 90 day guarantee on his brake job if you just want the pads changed. The rotors could be "worn out" as well. Too thin for safety or warped. 

If the tire guy inspected the FRONT caliper and saw about 10% of wear left, your pedal is going a lot lower to the floor board to stop you. It depends on how comfortable you feel about that in a PANIC STOP at speed, as the brake pedal has to travel further to engage what is left on the pad's lining with the rotor. The rotor may also be polished and grooved...not that good for stopping power, especially if new pads
are installed. 
About 80% of the braking power in the car is done by the front wheels and about 20% for the rear. 



> - Do I need to change rotor or calipers? Is it wise to change all three at the same time or it would be waste of money?


*It is always advisable to change the rotors as new rotors wear in the new pads a lot faster.* Old rotors can be warped from excessive heat and that will COMPROMISE your stopping power.

As far as calipers, it depends on whether the calipers are functioning correctly or not. In most cases the TWO caliper pins, (calipers are floating on these pins),are rusted and probably need to be cleaned off and lubricated with a SPECIAL CALIPER PIN lubricant to allow the caliper to slide better on them to give equal wear to the INBOARD brake pad and the OUTBOARD brake pad...or Changed out.

The whole caliper doesn't need to be changed...only if it is SEIZED and you would know that as the wheel with the seized caliper would be dragging overheating the bearing hub, and that could end up as premature wheel bearing failure. 


> - What would be the good brake pads/rotor for a 2005 Honda Civic? Last time it was done at the Honda Dealer and I am going to a dealer this time.


The dealer will use whatever brand they prefer to use. You just have to pay the dealer's prices on the brake job.



> - Any idea how much is the average cost for front brake pads and rotors including labour?


Depends on the dealer's labour charges and what parts need to be replaced.


> - How often should I change rear brake pads and rotor?


When you hear a squealing/grinding sound, or brake pedal travel is excessive, or vibration in the brake pedal (one or both rotors warped).


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> Today I went to a tire shop to swap tires and the guy suggested to change the brake pads as he thinks it has 10% left. That tire shop do not do any brake works. I am not mechanically sound and I have couple of questions. I was told previously that it is better to change water pump while changing the timing belt as it is cost effective.
> 
> - Should I just change the brake pads?
> - Do I need to change rotor or calipers? Is it wise to change all three at the same time or it would be waste of money?
> ...



Change pads if thickness is the same or less than the metal backing that the pad is glued to

if both pads are the same thickness,no caliper change,if no pedal pulsation,rotors are ok

all ranges are possible from 25.00 a piece to 100

labour is 0ne hour per axle plus parts,extra labour if calipers and bleeding required

maybe every 100k to 150k,,,rear brakes last a long time,if regular maintenance is done

I rotate my tire every 3 months,,,dissemble brakes and lube every second rotation,,,,,I do it at work

Always do you water pump and belt at the same time,,it is a small job to do


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

You only need to change the pads IF the rotors and calipers and hoses are in good shape. On an 11 year old car this is questionable. A good mechanic will inspect the related parts and recommend changing them if necessary, if they are in good shape then just the pads.

The lining on the pads is not much thicker than the metal backing to begin with. As long as metal does not contact metal no unusual wear will happen. In other words the lining can wear down almost paper thin and no harm done.

Best answer is go to a good mechanic and trust his judgement.

One problem is they do not wear evenly. There are 4 pads and you have to go by the most worn one. If it is worn down to 1 or 2mm it is time for new pads even if the others are hardly worn.


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## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone. I will book an appointment with a mechanic soon.

While searching for brake pads online, I have found there are several types of pads such as standard, platinum and ceramic. Does it really matter which pads I use for this old car?


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> Thanks everyone. I will book an appointment with a mechanic soon.
> 
> While searching for brake pads online, I have found there are several types of pads such as standard, platinum and ceramic. Does it really matter which pads I use for this old car?


Replace with what car came with,,,front pads maybe 30$


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm leery of the cheapest pads if they come from China because quality can be iffy. Stick with a name brand Canadian or US or Japanese made pad. You do not need any premium or ceramic. Ceramic is for race cars and extreme heavy duty use.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> Thanks everyone. I will book an appointment with a mechanic soon.
> 
> While searching for brake pads online, I have found there are several types of pads such as standard, platinum and ceramic. Does it really matter which pads I use for this old car?


Yes. standard (semi-metallic) have quite a bit of asbestos and wear out faster (plus lots of asbestos dust on the calipers)

platinum?/gold? etc etc ..
mostly marketing gimmicks to make the buyer think that that brand of pads are something special over the others of the same type,
but better obviously than the lowest priced 'standard pads

ceramic...made of much harder ceramic material that although has much longer wearability , quieter but may have less stopping]
power than the other kinds. In most cases the rotors may need to be changed out at the same time. 

pros and cons of different brake pads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1MkFh4ZgJc


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

1980z28 said:


> Replace with what car came with,,,front pads maybe 30$


It seems like almost everybody wants to "shop" when repairing their car. I don't understand the idea of completely disregarding the engineering that went into a car which sent it a long, long way down the road.

The rear brakes on my VW lasted 225K kms and still had some meat on them. When I swapped the pads, I didn't even consider marketing department pressure to change to something different. All I had to do was put identical pads back on and I could expect another 225K kms. The rotors weren't perfectly smooth but weren't bad so I didn't swap them. It was cheap. Took me less than an hour to do both sides. I call that a win.

Almost to the last product, "upgrades" are a scam. With only a handful of exceptions, aftermarket products aren't as good as boring but competent factory parts.

1980z28 knows his stuff.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

TomB19 said:


> *The rear brakes *on my VW lasted 225K kms and still had some meat on them. When I swapped the pads, I didn't even consider marketing department pressure to change to something different. All I had to do was put identical pads back on and I could expect another 225K kms. The rotors weren't perfectly smooth but weren't bad so I didn't swap them. It was cheap. Took me less than an hour to do both sides.


Rear brake pads will always last longer than front brake pads. It isn't rocket science. but dynamic weight transfer of the vehicle when braking (you may notice that nose dive on a panic brake stop) the vehicle weight shifts forward onto the front wheels. 
That results in the front pads doing more of the stopping work and more pad wear on average.

OEM parts are very good, they have to be to outlast the manufacturer's warranty period at least for a specific manufactures car. 
However, they are lots of aftermarket parts that are just as good, if not better quality.

Not sure about these "platinum" or "gold' pads though, this seems more of a marketing tool to get more money out of the consumer.
I know for a fact that CTC sell a couple grades of pads...MotoMaster (standard quality) and Certified, which they claim is better quality.


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## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

I got a quote to replace front brake pads and rotors for $250. The brake pads are wagner thermoquiet premium brake pads and rotors are coated (don't know about the brand). If I don't need to replace rotors, $125 just for brake pads. Is it too much or reasonable?

I will try to get another quote on Monday.


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## olivaw (Nov 21, 2010)

I paid $125 installed for OEM brake pads at Brasso Nissan in the Calgary Auto Mall.


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## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

Finally changed the front brake pads and rotors for $240 including tax. Mechanic got the Wagner TQ Premium Ceramic brake pads and Wagner premium coated rotors from Napa. 

This is my first car and this is the first time I have changed the rotors. Brake pedal does not go to all the way to the floor. That's a good thing. But the car is not stopping where it should stop while braking. It's stopping in between one to two feet ahead of where I intend to stop. Is this because of new rotors and brake pads? This is the third days since I have changed the pads and rotors. 

Another thing is that the steering wheel is little bit tighter since I have changed the brake pads and rotors. Is this a normal thing? Thanks.


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