I took my wife’s car for the first time in a while a few weeks ago. The steering wheel shook a lot as I used the brakes while traveling at a fast speed. I was aware that the rotors needed to be changed. She drives a 2007 Chevy Malibu with more than 113,000 miles on it, which is far more than the amount of time before a brake replacement is advised.
Brake pad and rotor replacement is a quick and simple DIY project. But it took a lot more time this time. I visited the neighborhood parts store and purchased two front rotors and brake pads. I brought them home, parked her car on jack stands, and began removing the previous tires. Because of the worn brake pads, the rotors were severely damaged. However, they hadn’t yet begun emitting that high-pitched metallic screech that occurs when you brake. I made the decision to rotate the tires while the automobile was supported by supports. What’s this? Even worse were the ones at the back. I visit the parts store once more as a result. Advice: Just go ahead and purchase all four rotors, pads, and the required tools if you decide to wait that long to replace your brake pads. You’ll gain time this way.
I removed the back ones when I got home. I wanted to compress the piston on the back calipers, so I grabbed my C-clamp (one with a straight handle) and twisted it on the first as I slowly moved the handle, which caused the piston to slowly revolve and allow me to step in. Not that horrible. When I got to the right rear, even after removing the brake line and draining the fluid from that caliper, my clamp wouldn’t crush the piston.
I returned to the parts store. I also purchased a one-man bleeder kit, a brake fluid container, and a C-clamp with a “T handle. Thinking there wouldn’t be much fluid left once it ran out, I purchased the tiny bottle of fluid. For the third time, I returned home, squeezed the piston with the 9-inch C-Clamp, and put everything back together. It’s time to take a spin. I drove the car to test the brakes, and everything was flawless. The tiny bottle of liquid, though, wasn’t enough. The brake light failed to turn on. Returning to the parts store I spent $250 on materials and labor for the entire repair, which was considerably less than the $750 my mechanic would have charged me.
In This Article...
How long do the brakes on a Kia Sorento last?
In general, depending on the factors mentioned above, 2020 Kia Sorento rotors need to be replaced every 30,000 to 80,000 miles. For further details, it is essential to consult your Kia Sorento maintenance handbook.
Is a specific tool required to change rotors?
NICOLE WAKELIN, NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION, ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MARCH 25, 2018
Most of the equipment required to change brakes is probably already in your toolbox or garage. If not, buying these tools is essentially an investment since the majority of them may be put to a variety of other uses. The equipment needed to change brakes is shown below.
Make sure you are adequately protected before beginning any work on your car. To prevent breathing in brake dust, you should wear a dust mask, protective eyewear, and a pair of mechanic’s gloves to protect your hands.
Make sure you have the appropriate replacement components on hand for the job before you begin. This applies to brake fluid if you plan to bleed your brakes while the brakes are being replaced, as well as brake pads and rotors if those are being replaced.
To work on the brakes, you’ll need to remove the tires from the car, so you’ll need a jack and jack stand. Your car probably came with a jack so you could change those annoying flats, but a service jack is considerably more useful. Additionally, you need to buy jack stands. These increase the stability of your car while it is elevated and lessen the possibility that it will slide and crash while you are adjusting your brakes. NEVER work underneath a car that is only being held up by a jack.
Before lifting the automobile and setting it on jack stands, the lug nuts should be removed. Use the lug nut wrench to completely remove the nuts once the vehicle’s weight is securely supported by the jack supports. Then, remove the wheel to reveal the brakes.
To fit around the bigger, thicker brake pads, the piston or pistons must be retracted. Using a brake caliper tool is the simplest way to accomplish this (or a C-clamp will do in a pinch). Depending on the caliper, the piston may need to retract by being compressed while also being turned. Here is where a specialized tool excels.
A brake bleeder wrench may or may not be required from the list of tools required to change brakes, depending on the task. You need this tool to check sure there isn’t any air trapped in the hydraulic lines if you disconnected the brake hose to replace the brake calipers.
Another perhaps, but an Allen wrench set is a necessity for anyone who intends to work on their car. As the brake calipers are frequently secured in place by Allen bolts that must be removed, it is one of the tools required to change brakes.
Depending on the task, lubricants and greases can also be required, but having at least these fundamental tools on hand guarantees that you’re prepared to change your brakes.
You can easily and safely repair the brakes on your car with the help of these tools. If you don’t already have a set of these tools, buying one is a good idea because maintaining your car’s brakes is an essential component of car ownership.
NAPA Online offers a comprehensive selection of brake system components; alternatively, you may depend on one of their 16,000 NAPA AutoCare facilities for regular maintenance and repairs. Speak to a qualified specialist at your neighborhood NAPA AUTO PARTS shop for further details on the parts you need to change the brakes on your automobile.
What equipment do I need to replace the rotors?
Toys Required:
- jack stands and a car jack.
- Impact driver (cordless or air-powered)
- Tools for Mechanics by Husky (432-Piece)
- Drive Deep SAE Impact Socket Set by Husky, 1/2 in (11-Piece)
- breaker bars in sizes 3/8 and 1/2
- drive adapter, 1/2 female to 3/8 male (optional)
- set of Torx bit sockets.
- metric 3/8 drive sockets.
How much time does changing rotors take?
Consider this: even a skilled automotive technician needs at least an hour to replace the braking rotors and pads on some cars. Brake pad repair could take several hours or longer for a person with little to no skill.
Learning the procedure, assembling the necessary supplies, carefully carrying out each step, and then putting everything back together again might easily take up a half-day of effort that may not be worthwhile in the end.
You might need to start over to fix the issue and correctly install the new brake pads if you complete the procedure only to discover that the brake pedal feels strange or that your brakes have begun to screech or grind. What a pain in the neck!
An easy approach that might ultimately save you time and money is to have a professional do your brake pad repair.
How much do Kia Sorento brakes and rotors cost?
Depending on the type of brake pads chosen and the degree of harm your previous worn-out pads have done to other elements of your car, such the rotors, replacing the brake pads on a Kia Sorento can cost anywhere between $150 and $300 each axle.
How durable are Kia brake rotors?
How durable are Kia brake rotors? This largely relies on the rotor type, your driving technique, and the kind of vehicle you’re operating. Depending on the aforementioned variables, Kia rotors need to be replaced every 30,000 to 80,000 miles. For further information, consult your Kia maintenance manual.
Kia brakes should last for how long?
Brake pads typically last for 50,000 kilometers. However, depending on your driving habits, this figure may change. Others might only make it to 25,000 miles, while some will last for nearly 70,000 miles. To find out how long your Kia car’s brake pads will last, consult your owner’s manual.
Smooth, progressive stopping will aid in extending the lifespan of your brake pads. The environment in which you drive has an impact on how long your brake pads last. Brakes tend to deteriorate more quickly on city streets with stop-and-go traffic and stoplights than on wide roads.
Knowing when to replace your brake pads should be simple if you can recognize a few warning indicators. The most typical symptom is a screeching sound. When metal fibers at the very bottom of the brake pads contact the rotors, this happens. The majority of contemporary vehicles also contain sensors that, when the brake pads need to be replaced, activate a dashboard light.
How can I tell if my rotors are damaged?
How to Spot a Bad Rotor (15 Bad Rotor Symptoms)
- the steering wheel vibrates.
- The brake pedal pulses.
- sporadic brake noises
- when applying the brakes, grinding.
- after installing brake pads, screeching.
- Rotors that are not circular.
- scores or deep grooves.
- Rotor cracks.
To change rotors, do you need a torque wrench?
To tighten nuts, you don’t need a torque wrench, and using a short allen key wrench has its limits. As you advised, tighten them evenly using a cross-bolt pattern. After that, check them occasionally to make sure the bolts haven’t become unfastened. Maybe someone has more information, but unless you use another tool for greater leverage, I doubt you can apply more force than about five pounds to a five-inch allen wrench.