8th Generation (2006-2011) Honda Civic Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Video demo of me replacing the rear brake pads on an 8th generation Honda Civic sedan. The procedure is the same for the coupe model as well as other comparable year Honda Civics with rear disc brakes.

Always remember to exercise safety in the garage by using jack stands and wheel chocks and get a helper if at all possible to make the job go quicker.

Also remember, that whenever you work on brake systems that you pay careful attention for any cracks or leaking fittings and hoses as well as making sure you properly bleed the brake system after installing your new brake pads and shoes. In fact I always recommend a brake fluid change at every brake pad replacement because the fluid should be replaced every 2 years regardless of mileage and pads generally last 2-4 years. To keep your brake system in tip top shape as well as increase braking performance always try to replace all the brake fluid in the system every time you install new pads.

I only demonstrate the replacement of one side of the rear brakes but the opposite side is done in the EXACT manner.

The biggest difficulty in servicing the rear brakes is that the piston retraction is different with the rears than they are with the fronts. Instead of using a c-clamp to compress the piston you will need to use a tool (pliers or a brake piston tool) to twist the piston back into the bore. The reason for this is Honda's parking brake system uses the brake pads to apply the parking brake so the piston acts as a one way locking cam for the park brake.

The most important part in the rear brake pad replacement process is ensuring the centring guide pin on the rear pads is aligned with the groove in the brake piston. It just takes patience and a little finesse to get it to line up and it helps if you have a small flat blade screwdriver, a good light source and a mindful eye. The first time I ever did the rear brakes on a Honda with a rear pad centring pin it took me about 30 minutes to line the pin up. If you misalign the piston from the pin then you're rear brake pads will wear out VERY quickly and you could also warp the rear rotors from uneven braking pressures.

Make sure that when you're done the job that you always double check your brake fluid level and confirm that the wheel lug nuts are torqued to manufacturer's spec. When driving off after a new brake service don't forget to test the brakes slowly first to make sure the feel and pressure is acceptable before driving away onto a higher speed road to test.