My husband would like to attempt to change our brake pads & rotors (he’s done this on other cars…this will be the 1st time on our Kia) and he’d like to fill up the coolant.
(The body shop was asking $770 for front & back brakes/rotors and coolant flushing…WAY too much $$)
Is there anything he should know…going into this? Any tips, secrets, or warnings?
I would make sure to have a repair manual and the owner’s manual standing by just in case. Make sure the proper coolant is used.
Good thinking!! Thanks
Why do you have a body shop quoting you on brakes & coolant?
As missileman said, a basic repair manual from an auto parts store will be around $20. If he plans to start doing a lot of his own maintenance/repairs spending more on a factory service manual might be wise. But for the basic, light driveway maintenance work the basic auto store manuals are usually sufficient.
Hopefully you have jack stands. Other than changing a tire, one must never ever ever (did I say never ever yet?) work on a car supported by a jack only.
Hmmm. . jack stands - Didn’t think of that!! Good call. . . Will add that to the shopping list!
The car had a voluntary recall for the rust spray on the bottom - while the car was in the shop they looked at it and quoted the brakes & coolant
If he installs new brake rotors or has the existing ones machined I would advise that the rotors be thoroughly cleaned with a brake cleaning solvent or aerosol carburetor/injector cleaner.
Many rotors have a rust protectant chemical on them (sometimes visible to the eye, other times not) or there may be oils embedded in the cast iron from the production process. This could contaminate the pads and the purpose of the cleaning is to remove those contaminants.
Add brake fluid to the list, a quart bottle at least, and a “one man bleed kit” although he will still need some help bleeding the brake if he does it right. He will also need something to suck out the old brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir before starting the flush. I do not like flushing the coolant system (or transmissions), just drain and refill, but I do believe in flushing the brake system with every pad change.
Wow - The brake fluid seems tricky! We were just going to top off the coolant - hope that will work.
We’ll do some more research with the maintenance manual & see what You Tube videos are available
When you say coolant, you do mean the radiator don’t you?