When changing my the brake pads on my Prius, I found that some of the caliper pins were in poor condition. I was able to remove, wire-brush and silicon lube them into reasonable condition, but now I’m preparing to replace front discs and want to take the opportunity to replace the pins and bracket. I’m not sure if I need to replace the bracket, but for the right price, I don’t mind doing it. Unfortunately, I cannot find a market (have not check Toyota dealer yet) from which I can purchase just the brackets. That is to say, I found markets that sell brackets but not for the Prius.
It seems I can only buy a full brake-caliper-bracket assembly. Why is that?
Also, if the pins are corroded but not seized, is it acceptable to just replace the pins and not brackets? Presumably the bracket has corrosion too, but for multiple reasons, I don’t want to replace the calipers if I don’t have to.
I’ve never looked at Prius brakes but brackets usually aren’t replaced unless they’ve been damaged in an accident.
Ok. So you don’t think I need to change bracket to deal with corroded pins. That is helpful. Thanks.
Do you have any insight on why brackets might not be available on my car (or some cars). I can find brackets for plenty of other cars, including the Prius C (which is not my car)? Indeed, I was able to get replacement bracket for my Audi!
Simple market demand determines the availability of aftermarket parts like the bracket. There aren’t as many Pirii out there as you think and they apparently live in climates that don’t corrode the pin area. I’d replace the bracket as that corrosion won’t stop and you will be cleaning that slide long before the pads wear out.
Check the Toyota price for the bracket and compare it to the bracket and caliper assembly. Buy the cheaper of the 2.
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Check eBay if nothing else. There are a number of caliper brackets and calipers with brackets listed on there.
Meh. I have corroded brake parts happening since I started driving as I have always lived in those climates. The first time I am forced to fix something like this, I simply ream out the pin bore by attaching metal sandpaper to a dowel rod and ream the corrosion from the bore using my drill. I then sand down and polish the pin. A generous application of the appropriate lube and they work fine until the next brake job. Then I usually just need to inspect and replenish the lubricant.
Almost all calipers I’ve bought in the past 40+ years come with brackets. Only recently (last 5 years) have I’ve seen just calipers without the brackets. I prefer this method since the brackets should last the life of the vehicle. It’s just a hunk of metal used to attach the caliper to.
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I normally just clean the guide pins with steel wool or something. I’ve replaced the bushings on the caliper if they’re old and loose. If the bracket is that rusty, you might want to change the caliper anyway.
There may be compatibility problems between the different brackets and calipers that fit this vehicle, so it is better to sell the caliper and the bracket as a unit, rather than separately. Then you know the two parts are compatible. This would especially be the case if a caliper/bracket pair were “almost” compatible, as they might seem to fit ok, but fail to provide proper braking function.
Toyota sells the bracket separately, depending on which model year you have, for the 2010 in the family they would cost $142 each in the front and $137 in the rear from a dealership. Online for about $40 less not including shipping charges and tax.
A1 Cardone sells some brackets but not for these.
I am sure you can find a hardware kit for that car that includes the pins,rubber bushings and hardware.What year is your Prius?Here is a link for the pins without knowing the year of your vehicule.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/UBP84382?searchCategory=136.1366&searchIndex=Prod
You can buy any single brake component from the dealer that you wish to buy. However this is usually not going to be cost effective. If you buy a new or rebuilt caliper from an auto supply store it will come with new brackets and slide pins etc…all for a reasonable price and a core exchange. So you can decide which route to take here…if you just want pins, buy them, just brackets, buy them…or just get the whole thing already rebuilt from any parts supply store… I’d go with the second option and just buy the whole thing ready to install. You will need your old units as a core return, so be forewarned.
its a 2012 Prius. I already have new pins, bushing, and boot, I just can’t find the bracket outside of toyota dealer as noted by @worlyrobb (at not a compelling price). I can find remanufactured brake assembly (bracket, caliper, pin, etc) for less than price of OEM bracket.
I usually sandblast the bracket when doing a brake job if its really rusty.To clean the bracket holes,I use some emery cloth attached to a drill bit.Sometimes, all its needed is a few squirt of brake cleaner and a piece of blue shop towel to clean them.