Remove the Old Brake Pads

Brake caliper is suspended with a bungee cord.

Before you pull out the old brake pads, take a second to observe how everything is in installed. If there are little metal clips around the brake pads, note how they are in there so you can get it right when you put things back together. Better yet, take a digital picture of the whole assembly.

With the caliper out of the way, the brake pads should slide right out. I say should because in a new car they probably would. Since our cars are not always new, you may need to coax them out with a litte tap of the hammer to loosen them up. If your car has little metal tabs holding onto the brake pads, put them to the side becase you'll need them in a minute. Put the new pads in the slots with any metal clips you removed.

While you're here, it might be a good idea to inspect your brake discs.

Go ahead and slide the new pads into place now, making sure you don't forget any of the little retaining clips you removed earlier.