well i woke up this morning so i could beat the FL heat to get my new Axxis MM pads on. this was my first time...jack up the car take off the front wheels...about 30 minutes later it's back on the ground and i was completly done with the front. took it for a drive worked like a charm. i was so excited. then i get to the rears... i knew it was gonnd be a little harder but i didn't expect what happened. i got the right rear caliper off quickly, put on the new pad (btw, the fronts had about half a pad left and the backs were down to the wear indicator cause the fronts were changed once only, but i changed them all today) and go to get the piston in. my friends with me but i'm doing everything. i get my needle nose pliers, put them in the notches, try to turn...no turn. i decide to go over to pepboys and pick up the little 10 dollar tool to push in the piston i saw when i was in there the other day and go home. no luck. the kind i bought works like ****. anyway, i start with the pliers again and the boot is turning with it. i figure that's not good and the lawn cutters came so i was like **** it i'll take a break and let them cut. so i come on here and search around cause i know people always ask about this. i read a thread that said if the boots turning just turn it back and keep going. so the cutters finally left and i went out (noticed my windows were down and there was grass all over my seats, but that's tomorrow's problem...) and i went at it again. turn a little, put the boot back, turn a little more, move the boot back again...everntually the boot was staying in place and it was turning very good. like i said, the pads were down to the indicator, so i had a ways to go. so after about and hour or so i had one rear done. here comes h***. i get the other rear wheel off, take off the caliper which was on there very tight and put the new pads on. go at it with the pliers...nothing at all! they were so dry also. get ****** go in get a drink. come back try again nope...try the stupid tool, nope. keeo trying eventually it moves a little with the pliers. so for about 2-3 hours on and off going to the car, getting a drink, going back, moving it about a quarter turn, stopping...and then my friend goes in to tell my mom it has stopped completly and as he's going in it turns, almost smoothly. by the time they came out i turned it about 2 times. and i told them it was working. within like 5 minutes it was on and the car was lowered. so from about 8-2 (i didn't exacly beat the heat, i was dying out there) i spent about 30 minutes on the fronts, an hour and a half on the back right and like 3-4 hours on the back left. get in, pump up the breaks start driving slowly (ok, i stepped on it, hey i trusted myself) worked ok. i get to a light with my friend and right as i notice it he says why's the brake light on. so i pull into a plaza and check the fluid, as i thought, it was at min. went to pepboys, bought some fluid, topped it off, pumped the brake, it was fine. success. my hand still hurst from turning the **** pliers so much though.
on a good note, the Axxis do take a few stops to really kick in like i heard, but then WOW, they are so much better than the nissan brakes i had on there. it's amazing, thanks again Phuong. oh and the back right side and the front right a little got a little fluid spill so they smell real bad like burning brake fluid after a drive so i have to clean that up unless it all burns off soon. overall a good experience that saved me money and taught me a little. oh yeah, and for anyone reading this in a search for how the **** to get the rear piston in the caliper, i would suggest the tool people talk about with a socket end, and a piece that actually fits into the notches, unlike the ****ing tool i had, oh well, they work now.
ok, so it's a lot long...sorry

 

oh yeah, and now that i can stop again, tomorrow i'm taking her out for some good turns so i can come home and put on my new strut bar and redo the turns and see how it works. oh yeah, and funny side note, when i was away this week, my pads came in the mail and my sister's friend said to her, "michelle, your brother's ****'s here"

 

brake pads have a break in period.. dont just install them and go out and do some heavy braking.

 

oh i know that, i just mean i've been driving around normal daily driving style, but i can definately notice a difference over stock after they wram up.

 

cool, i dont want your pads to wear out faster than normal

 

thanks for the lookout