Just had my rear rotors and pads replaced last week and the entire braking system professionally flushed and refilled with new fluid. I'll be doing the front rotors and pads this weekend. Do I need to bleed the brakes then or am I OK not doing so? I've always bled the brakes when I've replaced pads or rotors but it would seem from some of the DIYs here that it's not needed.

 

I did not bleed mine but,it could use it.
my pedal goes 3/4 the way down before solid braking

 

I won't really be doing anything to introduce air into the system by pushing the calipers in but some people believe that can do it even with the cap on the brake fluid reservoir.

 

thats all I did was push the pistons back.
Now the pedal goes down futher than it did before.
It not like I'm driving then all of a sudden there no pedal.
Pedals there, it just seams like it take a little more preasure compared to how it was beforeI pushed the pistons back
I'm just one person and cant be in the car and cracking the bleeders at the same time so I have not did them yet.
Their fine thou

 

u dont need to rebleed them. i never have and dotn have any issues

 

You dont need to bleed them.

But something to watch out for is if you just had the system flushed, they likely topped off the resevior and if you front pads need to be replaced then you will end up compressing the caliper quite a ways. That means you will likely have some over flow from the master cyclinder resevoir. I would remove some of the fluid first (and dont resuse any fluid you take out) or at least keep an eye on the fluid level as you compress the caliper. If yu remove fluid first you might want a fresh bottle to top off with. Not and old bottle sitting in your garage that was opened a year ago. Fresh as in still sealed. Brake fluid has the tendancy to pick up moister.

Just thought you would like a heads up!

 

^
Great advice. Remove some of the brake fluid, and refill with new fluid as needed after pad replacement.

 

Yes, last thing you want is brake fluid running down you engine bay.

 

I think that I saved myself anywhere between $60-$160 just performing this maintenance myself rather than taking my car to a maintenance shop or the Acura dealership. Additionally I lubed all my brake parts inspected the brake pads and rotors and put rust inhibitor on the underbody parts. One last thing I think is a good investment and also another reason I flushed the brake fluid was because I had an item called DIP STRIPS. These strips are like litmus paper. The strips analyze the amount of copper in the fluid and give you a visual indication of whether the fluid is good bad or needs to be flushed some time in the future. The more copper in the fluid the dirtier the fluid is. Phoenix systems makes the strips and I would recommend them as well. If anyone needs a fluid flush or would like their fluid analyzed in the NY/NJ/Conn area. I can analyze your fluid and do a brake flush. PM me if you have any questions.

 

I've always bled the brakes when I've replaced pads or rotors but it would seem from some of the DIYs here that it's not needed.

 

I've always bled the brakes when I've replaced pads or rotors but it would seem from some of the DIYs here that it's not needed.

 

I too have replaced my pads multiple times and rotors and pads without bleeding the brakes; however, the brake does appear less firm after some time has elapsed with the unbleed brake in operation on the car. I would say that my pedal became softer after 13-15k miles or a year and change. But I did notice the pedal was softer. The fluid was also very dirty. On American cars I think it is more critical that you bleed the brakes when replacing pads. I say this because I have replaced pads on American cars & the owners seem to complain about soft or spongy brakes immediately. I guess that the fluid in American manufacturers calipers or the calipers themselves is more susceptible to air when pushed back into the piston bore. The Acura/Honda calipers seem to allow air in at a much slower rate in my opinion. So the bottom line is bleed the brakes

 

It's a good idea to change the brake fluid every 2-3 years. Brake fluid is hydroscopic which means it attacts water. If contaminates and water gets into the system, it lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid and you'll end up with spongy brakes as the system gets hotter. It may also decrease the life of your master cylinder.