The tools you need to change your brakes

If you pay attention, your car will often let you know how it’s feeling. This includes when it needs new brakes.

Before you change your brakes, however, take your time gathering all the tools you need so you don’t have to stop in the middle of the job.

Safety gear

When you’re doing any kind of maintenance on your car, remember: safety first! Before you break out any tools, make sure you have these essential pieces of PPE.

Gloves are crucial for protecting your hands from chemicals, oils, and dirt. Disposable nitrile gloves are a great choice for all kinds of maintenance jobs.

To avoid inhaling dust or other debris, wear a face mask during your brake job. Your mask should fit snugly over your mouth and nose while still allowing proper ventilation so you don’t overheat while working.

For extra protection, grab a pair of safety glasses to keep any debris or fumes out of your eyes.

Jack & stands

Since you’ll have to remove your car’s tires to work on your brakes, you’ll need a jack and jack stands to get safely under your vehicle. A service/floor jack is recommended because it’ll provide you with more height than a jack made for tire changes.

It’s unsafe to use a jack without stands, so make sure you have both before doing any work under your vehicle. You can find advice on how to pick the right jack here.

Hand tools

Now, it’s time for your hand tools. First, you’ll need a lug wrench to remove the wheels. To loosen and tighten different bolts, grab a socket set. A

A C-clamp or brake pad spreader is essential to reset your pistons so new brake pads can be inserted.

For rear brake pads, a brake piston tool may come in handy.

Once you put your wheels back on, a torque wrench will help you make sure the caliper bolts and lug nuts are on snug.

Specialty tools

In some vehicles, the brake calipers are held together by Allen bolts. In this case, you’ll need an Allen bit set. For those with torx bolts, you’ll need a torx set. You can confirm which kind you have by checking the shape of the bolts on the back of your calipers.

If you need to disconnect the brake hose to change your brake calipers, you’ll need a brake line wrench. This is also known as a flare nut wrench, and it can release any trapped air in the hydraulic lines.

Additional items

Of course, you’ll need a new set of brake pads to replace the old ones. For advice on choosing brake pads, check out this article.

You should also have some brake fluid and brake grease on deck. To help clean things up, some sandpaper, brake cleaner, and a wire brush can come in handy.

Getting started

With your tool cart loaded and ready to go, follow this guide to complete your brake job. You’ll find additional tips and pitfalls to avoid during this task to get things done right.

For any questions about changing your brakes, visit a NAPA Auto Parts store to ask an expert.

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