hi guys,

i just replaced my brake pads and rotors with nissan OEM pads and brembo slotted rotors.

The removal / install was ok ... nothing out of the ordinary.

I took it out for a test drive this morning and I can hear the brake pads scraping against the rotors. Is this normal for a brand new set?

 

btw, i also noticed that even after pumping the brakes a couple times before i left for the test drive, the resevoir seems a bit more full than it was initially.

Ihaven't bled the system yet, but i want to make sure these calipers haven't frozen on me. I was able to push/turn all of em back so i don't think that's it.

What do you think ... just keep driving until it wears enough to sit properly?

 

alright i just went driving anyways and the noises really went away but when i drive slowly on the streets, my passenger can hear the slight scraping on the front right wheel ... i'm guessing they all just need to set.

I do notice that my parking brake handle can be pulled up higher with the same force i usually apply ... I did check and see that both cables were moving when parking brake is applied and it does catch / hold my car on the driveway.

 

The noise is normal for new brakes. You should have followed a proper bedding in procedure when you put the new pads on. That should have stopped the noises your currently hearing. The reason your fluid level came up is because you pushed the calipers back in, which in turn displaced the fluid in them to return to the master cylinder. You should bleed or actually flush your brake system's fluid every time you change the pads. Brake fluid is hydroscopic by nature which means it absorbs moisture and breaks down over time. That causes contamination of the brake system from the inside out. It's sort of the silent killer of brake system components because you can't see it happening.

 

Every time you change the pads? That seems a bit excessive if you go through pads frequently (once a year or more frequently). The interval I've heard most is every 2 years. I just bled my brakes last week after installing some new calipers and the 1-year old fluid looked brand new.

 

That didn't happen when i did the front brakes on my 97, but it did when I did the rear brakes on my mom's 03. I just broke them in and then it seemed to be ok.