Update: That 'quick' brake pad replacement on my Subaru took 6 hours instead of 1

I thought it'd be a simple afternoon job, but the caliper pins were seized solid from rust. Had to drive to three different auto parts stores to find a slide pin kit nobody stocks. Has anyone else had a supposedly quick car repair totally blow up on them like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_adams8d ago

The outer pin was the worst for me. Had to torch it for 20 minutes to get it out, then the replacement was hard to fit. What year is your Subaru? I’ve heard the older ones are way worse for that rust issue.

sean8548d ago

MAybe it depends on the rust belt, my 2010 came right out with just a breaker bar and some swearing.

jessica7078d ago

My 2005 Outback was a nightmare with that same pin, had to soak it in PB Blaster for two straight days before I even touched a torch. Like you said @jamie_adams, the older ones are brutal with rust - I ended up buying a whole new knuckle assembly from a junkyard in Arizona after I mangled the original one trying to get it out. What finally did the trick for me was using a punch set to drive the pin out from the opposite side while heating the bracket, not the pin itself. The replacement went in way smoother after I filed down the new pin just a hair and coated it with anti-seize before hammering.