Mazda CX3 - Change Rear Brake Pads and Rotors

[@alcavigliano732]

Thank you so much! Fantastic videos. I was able to replace rotors and pads on my wife’s CX3 by watching your videos. Great job, thanks!

[@NexusAuto]

That's awesome news! Happy to hear that the videos helped out on both brake axles!

[@PaulGeauvreau]

Great job putting the video together. Great help for an armature like myself.

[@NexusAuto]

@PaulGeauvreau lol no problem!

[@derekfleming3095]

The best tutorials I’ve seen online, well explained and simple to follow. Just subscribed and I don’t even have a Mazda 😀

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks for the awesome feedback and for subbing! I appreciate it!

[@kentmorgan7742]

Brilliant, all the needed detail without repetition. Really helpful, thanks.

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all. Happy to hear the video helped out

[@zoefzoef3825]

Thanks for that very clear video. Changed all of my brakes with your video on the laptop. Saved me a lot of money.

[@NexusAuto]

Awesome! Happy to hear the videos helped out! And great idea with the laptop. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewdenley6681]

Really helpful instruction - thanks very much

[@NexusAuto]

@@andrewdenley6681 no problem!

[@Nunez021]

Hey Bro thanks alot for creating this video! It really helped me out and also appreciated the walk through at the end! Keep it up sir!!

[@NexusAuto]

You're very welcome, happy to hear the video was helpful. I appreciate that feedback

[@aaronjackson5882]

Awesome video, made my day go much easier. I went straight for the screws first before removing any brackets or bolts because I got myself in a bind before with a BMW that uses set screws to hold the rotor. My drill was too powerful and almost stripped the screws so what I did was right after I removed the tires, I set the ebrake and then used a big screw driver, and vice grips to hold it straight and the screws came free.

[@NexusAuto]

Awesome news, glad to hear the video helped out. Good idea going after those screws first! Those things are a pain in the ass. Funny thing, I just had the same issue on a Silverado that you likely had on the bmw. Great to hear everything worked out

[@jocelynfalardeau4723]

Love it Bro! English it’s not my first language and you explain very well. Thanks!😊🚙

[@NexusAuto]

Thank you very much. Happy to hear the video will be helpful

[@fernandofrancisco3106]

Thanks for the info 👍👍👍. Great tutorial. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all! Thanks for watching!

[@bisonuberti]

Dealer= $297 just for pads. Local auto station= $245 just for pads. Advance Auto and this video= $33.99 Thank you kindly.

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all! That's big savings. Happy to hear the video helped out!

[@jeffbrown1507]

Helped me a lot! Thanks!

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all

[@michellediaz1131]

Thank you so much, this helped me a lot!!

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all.

[@bhanna9001]

Thanks your video was a big help

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all!

[@andyf1406]

Great tutorial! Could almost do it myself until I saw the part about the "turning" of the piston, and don't have the correct tool. But this video does help me gauge if the garage is quoting too high. (Dealership around $600 canadian, i know, it is dealership, lol).

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. Gotta love the dealerships LOL. Glad to hear the video was helpful!

[@rj4n]

You can just use a pair of needle nose pliers and some elbow grease too fyi. I have the tool and i rarely go grab it and just turn em in by hand.

[@NexusAuto]

@@rj4n That's true too, and what I used to do. But if you have the tool...why not use it? You are reaching for the needle nose pliers...might as well grab the tool instead. I always say...work smart, not hard lol.

[@misterdeluxia5948]

my dealership quoted me 1700$ Cad today lol

[@rj4n]

@@misterdeluxia5948 for all 4 brakes or just the rear? This is a very easy job to do yourself. The wind back tool at princess auto is around 60 bucks with the multiple attachments for different calipers. You can also just use needle nose pliers and wind it back by hand if you've got some elbow grease.

[@viktorpanarin3365]

Это лучшее ,что я видел .Очень профисионель

[@NexusAuto]

Thank you!

[@roadrun28]

I read somewhere that for rear brake replacement on CX-3 you need to put the electronic brake in service mode before carrying out work, as this could cause damage. Please check your vehicle before carrying out work on rear brakes.

[@NexusAuto]

That's definitely to watch out for. This model has a mechanical parking brake cable, and there wasn't models with the electronic ebrake at the time. I did add that information in the video description some time ago.

[@viktorpanarin3365]

Sehr gut !

[@paulbaddiley7326]

Easier to put pads back in at an angle and then straighten them when in!

[@cone6052]

Why using cheap rotor???

[@NexusAuto]

Customer request, not mine.

[@danjulien3273]

Thank you for this video. Easy, well explained and to the point. I'll be changing the rear pads and rotors on my daughters 2017 CX-3 AWD (no electronic brake) tomorrow so your video helps a lot to show what to expect. I did her front pads a month ago. Front discs were fine so didn't change them. I noticed you didn't loosen the parking brake. Don't have to? And you don't have ABS speed sensor? Would you recommend I remove the wiring harness or don't have to? Thanks for the tip installing the rear pad first.

[@NexusAuto]

Hi Dan, Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Hopefully the job went well. To answer your questions, for the abs speed sensor, it is there, and you can see it at the top of the knuckle assembly at 1:11. It is not hooked up to the brakes in any way (it reads off the rear driveshaft) so it does not need to be removed or anything like that . The parking brake was not engaged from the inside. Unless you are removing the caliper itself, there is no need to remove or loosen the ebrake cable from the caliper assembly. You can see the cable at 1:25. It attaches at the rear of the caliper, so no need to do anything with it either. This is why you have to wind back the caliper piston though, instead of just pushing back as you would the front.

[@danjulien3273]

Thank you for your reply. It went very well and happy I saw your video first. It helps so much to visualize before hand what you will see when taking the wheel off. It's not my first brake job but again so cool to see it all first. I removed the ABS and tucked it aside so to have a little more room with my rachet. Didn't want to tug on the wire and as for the parking brake I did loosen it before removing the caliper and support just in case but I do agree with you that I could have just skipped this step. In any case, it went well and thank you again for posting your video. All the very best to you and your Family. 👍

[@NexusAuto]

@@danjulien3273 thank you Dan, same to you! You sound like a awesome dad for helping your daughter out. All the best to you and yours! And thank you again for the great feedback. I am happy to hear the job went well!

[@dmennenoh]

Can you compress the piston using a C Clamp, or big channel locks like normally? Or do you have to have this special tool that screws the piston in? I've never seen that before.

[@NexusAuto]

Unfortunately, you cannot. It is a relatively new concept, but I am seeing it more and more these days. Has to do with the emergency brake...that twist is how the ebrake adjusts itself. So you do have to wind it back. If you just push it back, you will damage the ebrake mechanism (and the internals of the caliper). It does suck, I much prefer just using the c-clamp or brake compressor ratchet.

[@dawsonanstey9557]

I used a grinder wheel tool....kinda pushing while turning clockwise

[@madbodhi]

Nicely done. It would be helpful though to show the lift points and where you placed your jacks. On these newer cars especially it's not always as clear.

[@NexusAuto]

Fair point, I should have included that point. For the CX3, I would lift at the pinch welds along the side of the vehicle. I did not feel it was a good idea to lift at the rear differential, and I could not access the front subframe due to a engine cover underneath. The pinch welds have a thicker piece of metal that can be used to put the jack stand, and you can put your jack just in front of that. Hope that helps a bit.

[@SportCampTirol]

Very good and very helpful explanation! One thing just always add the torque settings in nm as well as ftpds. Thanks.

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all

[@dawsonanstey9557]

Are those little pad warning clips really important? Mine appeared to jam everything up so left them off. The old pads didn't have them.

[@NexusAuto]

Do you mean the clip that sits on the top of the pad?

[@dawsonanstey9557]

@@NexusAuto Yes....that's the ones. They didn't seem to fit down in the gap properly.

[@NexusAuto]

@@dawsonanstey9557 hmm. Just curious...what year is your CX3? It is interesting that they did not have the clips originally. Those clips really create vertical tension in the brake pad itself. Basically to hold it in place and prevent a potential 'clunk' noise with the brakes. Hard to say what would happen without them. I will give an official and unofficial answer. Officially, they should be added. Without them, the brake pads could eventually start making a clunk noise with the brakes applied, and could potentially lead to premature failure. And they should be installed. Unofficially, and this is just a theory so take it for what it is, if the original brakes did not have them and functioned perfectly fine, then there is a good chance that these clips missing will have a minimal effect on the operation itself. I can't say what it could do for long term wear, but if the all the other hardware was installed correctly, it will likely work ok. Still, if you can, I would still say to install the clips if you can. They are a giant pain..they made the job way harder than it should have been. But I say take all the info I provided above and decide if it is worth adding them for you.

[@dawsonanstey9557]

@@NexusAuto 2018

[@NexusAuto]

@@dawsonanstey9557 Ok cool. I did go and verify the information on those clips in the service manual and aside from functioning as the squeal sensors, they should really offer no other change in the function in the brakes. So other than having no indications when the brakes get low, they should give you no change in functionality. Only advice I would give is to periodically check on them so you don't get to metal on metal down the line, but otherwise, you should be fine.

[@KenCassorla]

great and detailed video..and I do really appreciate the small details novices like me need to understand. I drive a 2019 AWD CX 3...your video only goes to the 2018 model year...what, if any differences are there to do the job for my car? The e brake on my car engages with a switch, rather than a mechanical pedal or pull lever. How does this affect changing the rear brakes? Thanks much

[@NexusAuto]

No problem at all. I can answer the questions for you. From the 2018 model to the 2019 model, there is differences. The fundamentals are generally the same, but other things are different. The brake pads have different clips and are installed slightly differently. The torque specs are different ( I don't have those for 2019, unfortunately). With the electric parking brake, the brakes have to be put into maintenance mode so that the rear brake can be disengaged. You can't just push it back. There is a enough differences to not directly use this video as a reference, maybe more as a general guide. Hope this helps a bit.

[@KenCassorla]

@@NexusAuto Thanks for getting back to me...I appreciate you taking the time

[@AlecGrinage]

The screws on the rotors are a total nightmare. Instantly stripped them the first attempt at trying to get them off. They're completely stuck. The ones I did get off I almost don't want to put back on

[@NexusAuto]

I agree. I've done so many cars with them, and they're more of a headache than anything else. FYI, if the screws are good, I would install them, just because. But honestly, they are not needed. They're only used by the manufacturer to hold rotors on on the assembly line. The rims, when torqued correctly, holds the rotors with no issues

[@Trump_Doesnt_Wipe]

So just to change the rear brake pads, we need that caliper piston rewind tool?

[@NexusAuto]

Not necessarily the tool, but you do need to be able to wind that caliper back. I've see people use a pliers by putting the ends into the notches, and turning it, for example. It's hard to do, but I've seen it. The tool is the most ideal though

[@pierremollans1622]

After doing it, I now understand why the hammer !

[@NexusAuto]

Haha yep. But sounds like the video was helpful otherwise? Either way, thanks for watching!

[@pierremollans1622]

@@NexusAuto Merci beaucoup !

[@GeraldArcenas]

My piston is lock, it can’t push ., any idea why I can’t push the piston

[@NexusAuto]

It should be diagnosed, but it can be 1 of 3 things that I can think of. 1. If you have a newer CX3, it may have electric parking brake. If that's the case, you need to put the car into service/maintenance mode. When I made this video, that wasn't an option just yet (or was just becoming an option), so I didn't get to advise of that in the video 2. If you have a manual parking brake (so you don't have that little toggle button by the shifter), the piston inside the caliper may have become seized or jammed inside 3. If you have a manual e brake and the caliper piston is fine, then you may have an issue with the brake line, most likely a pinch in the brake rubber hose (which often can't be seen from the outside). Hope this info helps a bit

[@pipediaz6631]

Y para los que tienen caliper electrónico como se pone el modo mantenimiento?

[@NexusAuto]

Como este automóvil no tenía freno de estacionamiento electrónico, no estoy 100% seguro. Busqué en línea y encontré esta información, pero no pude probarla. Espero que funcione. 1. Cambie el encendido presionando el botón de encendido dos veces, con el pie fuera del freno. No enciendas el auto. 2. Suelte el freno de estacionamiento eléctrico. Para soltar el freno de estacionamiento, coloque el pie en el pedal del freno y presione el interruptor del freno de estacionamiento. Escuchará el ruido del motor y se apagará la luz del interruptor del freno de estacionamiento. 3 suelte el pie del pedal del freno y presione el pedal del acelerador. Presione el interruptor del freno de estacionamiento al mismo tiempo y mantenga presionados ambos 4.Presione el botón de inicio 3 veces rápidamente, escuchará que el motor se mueve y el signo de exclamación amarillo se iluminará en el tablero. Tendrá una P Espero que la información sea correcta, pero no estoy seguro. Además, para el pistón de la pinza del freno trasero, aparentemente no necesita girar con la herramienta como la de este video. Aparentemente solo lo empujas hacia atrás, como lo haces en el frente. Pero nunca revisé esto yo mismo. Lo siento, no pude ayudar más que esto.

[@taygaming8039]

I have a stripped bolt in my 2004 Grand Prix, how could I get it out. And do u know how to put carpet in?

[@NexusAuto]

Depends on the bolt. Depending on the bolt, it can be tapped out, or I'll heat it up with a torch and tap in a socket to allow it to form to the socket. They also have sockets you can buy that will grab stripped bolts. They really come in handy. And depending on the bolt, sometimes I just grab my grinder and grind it off. It all depends on which bolt it is. For the carpet, you do have to take everything out on the floor, including the front seats, rear seat lower cushion, all the plastic trim around the floor, and the center console. The it is just a matter of removing the old carpet and laying in the new one. Beyond this, it depends on the carpet (form fitted, or generic carpet, and the carpet type), and that will determine how you lay the carpet in..sometimes carpet adhesive is required. That's the process in a nut shell, but it is a bit of a process and takes some patience to make it look great

[@djpfletcher]

Hey, I want to change the rear pads on my 2018 CX-3 soon. Am I able to change the pads without compressing any pistons and just following the first few steps in your video? I’m fairly new and want to start doing simple maintenance myself. Thanks for the video

[@NexusAuto]

HI Dannie, that is awesome news, glad to hear you are looking at doing your own work. Nothing wrong that. Unfortunately, you do need to compress the piston. As you use your brakes, the pistons push out more and more. When you put the new pads in, they are much thicker, and the pistons need to be pushed back in to make room for the thicker pads. Although this is not an exact time, you can follow these timestamps 0-3:00 - remove caliper and pads 8:40-13:30 -removing clips and installing new ones, lubing the caliper pins. This can be done with that caliper frame still on the car. You only need to remove that frame if doing the rotors too. 15:23-22:42 - installing new pads, depress caliper, and install. Note, as I had the frame off, I installed the inside pad earlier in the video. You can install the inner pad with the frame still on the car, but it is a bit more frustrating. Can be done though. Hope this helps

[@MerrillSmallwood]

I can’t get the screws off. Ug

[@NexusAuto]

Damn, that sucks. Look into something called an Impact Driver (if you haven't already). As long as those rotor screws aren't stripped, they should get them off. Spray them with a penetrant like PB Blaster too

[@wistferal]

While I was winding back my caliper I noticed a small rip hole in the rubber boot Is this a big deal or can the replacement wait a week or 2

[@NexusAuto]

Good question. I'll give an official and unofficial answer. Officially, you need to change that asap. It should be done due to safety concerns. Unofficially(and this is based on what you saw when doing the brakes), it can potentially wait a couple of weeks. If there was any brake fluid leaking out of the hole, or if the piston felt stiff or 'grinded' when you wound it back, I would say get it done asap. Otherwise, I would likely hold out the couple of weeks with no issue

[@GeraldArcenas]

What is NTC

[@NexusAuto]

Is that when I was cleaning the hubs? I had to rewatch the video, as i wasn't sure what NTC was. I heard something like that when I was cleaning the hub, but that was 'antiseize'. Which sounds just like NTC. If that's it, sorry it wasn't clear

[@kostab1119]

👍👍

[@NexusAuto]

Thanks! Glad to hear the video helps and gets the double thumbs lol