cray159

I have about 30k miles on my '05 TL.

I am thinking its time to redo my brakes. I've done brakes on my old Jeep, I was wondering how hard this process was?

Anything I may want to look out for?

I planned on replacing the pads and resurfacing the rotors.

And how often should I expect to replace the pads or rotors?

sweating_ice

Well my 04 is getting it's first ever brake job at 67k miles. I have a slight pulse when braking so I am replacing the rotors on the car. Resurfacing to me just isn't a cure. Makes the rotor thinner and more easy to warp (this is my opinion, not looking to argue or start a debate). I find it odd you are replacing them at 30k, since I have gone so long w/o doing it.

ajs800

iTrader: (1)

I am surpised to hear that you got 67k out of the orig set. I am looking at replacing my front rotors and pads (third set) on my 06 and I am at 60k. I could probably go for awhile longer, but the rotors are horribly warped. I am going to go with a better blank rotor and either the ET300, Akebono, or Aspec pads...i can't decide.

To the OP, replacing brakes on the TL are pretty simple and straight forward. Do some searching on here and you'll find everything there is to know.

bigdell215

Doing brakes and rotors on this car is pretty easy as long as you have a jack a ratchet set and something to push the caliper back with you will be good. it's only 2 bolts for the pads and 4 for both the pads and rotors. The only trouble you might have is getting the screws off the rotors if they are stuck. I had to take mine to a shop to get the screws off because i was tired of trying to get them off and plus i was starting to strip them.

Time intervals vary on replacement from car to car but if you are going to replace them yourself it's easy to do once the screws are off the rotor.

NAiL05

Six speed or auto?

01tl4tl

buy a $10 Impact Screwdriver to get the retainer screws out with ease

See the Garage section for DIY help- its all there from bleeding/flushing the brake fluid before anything else!!!- the special TL order of brake bleed...
fluid choices- pad and rotor choices--type` brakes` into search for gen3 and it there
or look at the thread titles by scrolling

sweating_ice

ajs800, can you provide me some links or information on the rotors you are looking at, I too am in the rotor search....

Was thinking slotted/drilled but a quality blank might be best.

01tl4tl

search `which brake rotors` and there will be several threads
How is your budget and braking style?? that determines what you need for pads and rotors
6speed or mt is huge differance in parts price--ie brembo vs non

ajs800

iTrader: (1)

I started a dedicated thread regarding the products I'm looking at using in the performance modifcation section. I was going to PM you some of the links, but you don't accept PM messages.

Johnny_b

Why resurface when it is more economical to buy new these day?

NAiL05

Why when resurfacing costs only 10 per rotor if not 20 bucks and you have a new set of rotors. Anyway if its factory they are made to be resurfaced a couple times before you trash them.

Johnny_b

Didn't know resurfacing was that cheap. My father had an auto parts business and had two resurfacing machines that he used frequently in the late 80's to mid 90's. Until the price of rotors came down enough to make buying new the better option. It might depend on the rotor. Later on, he was only resurfacing rotors for F-350's and the like. Why resurface a 35 dollar corolla rotor for about the same money?

ajs800

iTrader: (1)

i wouldn't bother resurfacing the oem rotors. they will only warp in half the time as the first time around. You'll lose some of the cooling properties after resurfacing. BTW, my local shop does it for $12 a rotor.

LoveMyTL-S

I'm at 31K miles and still going strong on the original Brembo brake pads.....

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

You can purchase the stock replacement TL rotors from $24 to $115, but the quality varies greatly, and you get only the quality you pay for e.g. steel versus cast, so if one has a good set of rotors, no problem with turning, except that one must be very cautious as to the amount removed. The rotors can only have about 2mm, .08", removed before they are below the factory minimum. That's only 1mm from each side, not much. Some part stores won't even check the rotor thickness and therefore the rotors end up below the factory recommended minimum thickness after turning.
Also, when doing a pad replacement, if the rotor exhibits no signs of uneven wear, no need to cut, just go over with some emory cloth, or even sandpaper and you'll be good to go.

narnia

I have 80,000+ on my car and I'm still on the original brakes!

platinum1

That's really good. Probably you have lubricated enough calipers and precise position installation of brake pads. Every same model and year car has different useage and condition, so not all cars can achieve the same result as yours

ajs800

iTrader: (1)

all hwy driving, I'm sure. I could probably let this second set go for another 5-10k miles, but the warping is driving me nuts

Babnik

1) How do you know if the rotors need to be resurfaced, is it only if you feel pulsing while braking?

2) Is there a DIY video of how to replace the pads?

NAiL05

Its not so much pulsing through the pedal but if its bad enough it can. Its when you stop and you feel a vibration in the steering wheel. Normally it should be stable but if it vibrates pretty bad that means your rotors are warped.

I dont think there is a diy but depending on six speed or auto both are relatively easy.

cray159

Thanks guys for your insight.

I have an automatic.

After listening to your comments, I think I all I really need to do is change out the pads.

Mine starting to squeek, but I get no pulsing or vibrations from stopping.

Do you guys think I would be able to just get by with replacing the fronts (I'm trying to stay on a budget for now)?

NAiL05

Yep you can. The rears usually dont wear out as fast. I would say after you change the front 2-3 times the rears need to be changed but it depends on how often you use the brakes lol.

narnia

You're right, I drive almost 600 miles a week, only about 10 miles aren't on the highway.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Just because the brakes make a squeal/squeek doesn't indicate replacement is necessary. Best bet is to remove the wheel and look at the thickness of both the inside and outside pad material.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

I also have an 05 TL and I'm at 48k miles on my original brakes too!! I'm the original owner and according to what I understood I should need new brakes by now. I took my car into Acura, they did a brake inspection and said I'm at 55% and told me I don't need brakes yet. They told me 3G TLs were really good about brake wear....I dunno.

cray159

I thought I read somewhere that the breaks will start to squeek as a way to know your brakes are low.

Anyways, they aren't squeeking too bad at all, but I'll get the wheel off and take a look at the pads myself.

denny crane

Why do the MT have Brembos and the AT don't?

denny crane

This kinda sucks. I had a state inspection and the...Toyota dealer said I needed new brakes after 29,500 miles. There was squealing, so I didn't complain that much but what to do if you don't believe them.

I eventually took it to a Acura stealership because I needed some warranty work done. there they changed the pads and resurface the rotors.

mrlobaloba

iTrader: (2)

Do the brakes have sensors to let you know when they are low?

shotgunnar

Not a sensor,but a bent piece of steel that will scrape the rotor when the inside pad is worn down far enough.It's not a squeal,it's a noticable scraping.IMHO brakes should be replaced well before this happens.The lining on the inner pad will overheat and seperate from the steel backing and then you gotta get new rotors!But thats just me,I check everything when I change the oil.

honard

114K miles on my original brake pads!

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

!!

KzooTL

Yeah i'm in the same boat as the Topic Starter, about 40k and i noticed the rear rotors are getting grooved. I'm also going to do it myself along with a fluid change and brake bleed when i muster up the courage haha.

Brake wear definately depends on the driver, i can't tell you how many people i see tailgating and riding their brakes on a daily basis. I always try to leave a car length in between me and the person in front for every 10 mph. So if they turn or slow down i usually don't even have to hit the brakes just get off the gas.

honard

I can't believe I've run my brakes to 114K without replacing them, but I have them checked out every service and they are still within spec. At 48 years of age, I imagine that I am a bit mellower on the braking then most of you younger drivers out there, but still, pretty impressive longevity for brake pads.

sweating_ice

I am still within my 15day limit so I can't receive PM's yet....

I REALLY do need to find some nice rotors and pads, like NOW. I don't want to change out my calipers though.

ajs800

iTrader: (1)

I decided to go with the Centric Premium painted rotors with Aspec pads. The centric rotors are probably a slight upgrade from OEM and of course the pads will be a nice change from the base pads. It's a daily driver and i have no real reason to go with a premium slotted rotor and racing style pad.