The adult VTEC: 2006 Acura TL

Every car ever should have Brembos. Soooo easy to replace pads - you don't take the caliper off!

That's not a "Brembo Only" thing, and there are many Brembos where that *isn't* a possibility.
 
I've never actually had to do much brake work to my cars since I've always had the garages do it when I had something else that needed to be sorted, but I did do the rear pads on one of my old Volvos. I got the same pleasant surprise.

This is on a 940 rather than on a V70 like mine, but I think it's the same caliper. It used the same pads, anyways.

That said, it's all fun and games until you realize the :censored:ing piston won't go back in. Or you break the bleed nipple. And that's when you're happy you paid a mechanic to swear for you instead of trying to DIY on a vehicle you need to have back on the road in time for work tomorrow morning.

KhWo7ZQ.png
 
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That said, it's all fun and games until you realize the :censored:ing piston won't go back in. Or you break the bleed nipple.
I used a screwdriver to push the pistons in while the old pads were still in place. How did you manage to break the bleed nipple??
 
Rust, I bet. Some cars come with rubber covers over the bleed nipples to keep out moisture in anticipation of exactly that problem.
 
Adequate passing power:





Also, first time really pushing the TL on backroads. Grip is what you'd expect from a heavy sedan on (performance-oriented) all-seasons. However, brakes are great and the diff does a great job putting power down on corner exit. I was playing around a bit on a different road with getting on the gas earlier and earlier and the car did quite well, considering that it's a DD.
 
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I've never actually had to do much brake work to my cars since I've always had the garages do it when I had something else that needed to be sorted, but I did do the rear pads on one of my old Volvos. I got the same pleasant surprise.

This is on a 940 rather than on a V70 like mine, but I think it's the same caliper. It used the same pads, anyways.

That said, it's all fun and games until you realize the :censored:ing piston won't go back in. Or you break the bleed nipple. And that's when you're happy you paid a mechanic to swear for you instead of trying to DIY on a vehicle you need to have back on the road in time for work tomorrow morning.

KhWo7ZQ.png

I don't know. I've changed rear pads on Volvos 3-4 times and never had an issue with pushing the piston back in with just the master cylinder cap open.
 
I used a screwdriver to push the pistons in while the old pads were still in place. How did you manage to break the bleed nipple??

I guess we could continue this discussion from April, it's just half a year old.

Like Labcoatguy said, rust. And that's why the pistons won't go back in - rusty cylinder walls in the caliper.
 
Last fall when I was changing over to snow tires (General Altimax Arctic), I junked my old worn-out tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position). Since then I've been plagued by the noise, discomfort, and lack of dry grip of my snow tires but good news! I just ordered a new set of rubber (BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S) - very much looking forward to getting these mounted.

Edit: just got the new tires mounted and what a difference! Significantly more grip, less tire noise, better ride - very happy!
 
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Crossed over 140k, still loving the TL. In other news, I broke an axle a few weeks ago by painting elevenses in the rain ? That was admittedly silly and childish but I knew the axles needed to be replaced for quite some time anyways.

While traction is poor in a straight line in the wet, the Torsen pulls the car out of turns impressively well in the dry; very fun car for a large FWD sedan. Unfortunately I don't get to have fun all that often these days, as my current commute is all single-lane backroads, but the TL is a supremely comfortable cruiser so I'm happy.
 
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