Can I do this?

[sullione]

I just got my brake pads in today (Axxis Deluxe Plus) and was wondering if I could reuse the shims that are already on the car? This will be my first attempt at a brake job so I don't want to screw anything up. I am armed with a Haynes manual though and quite a few people here told me that I should be able to pull it off. So here goes.

[vrg3]

Yes, assuming they're in okay condition and you clean them off. I reused the shims when I installed my Axxis pads.

[sullione]

Okay, another question, what kind of brake fluid do you guys recommend me getting? I won't be bleeding the brakes (not necessary now that I think about it, done last year) but it says to remove some of the fluid and then refill it. BTW, I will be replacing the rotors also. Is there anything I may need to know before I take on this project? How long can I expect this to take...keep in mind I'll be doing all 4 wheels.

[BAC5.2]

ATF Super-Blue for brakes. Bleed the whole system and use the Super-blue.

www.ogracing.com has it for $10 bucks.

If the fluid isn't golden/clear then bleed it. ATF Superblue is (duh) blue, so you'll know when it's all out of the system.

OG racing has both the blue and the gold so you can swap them when you need to change fluids, it makes changing easier.

[professor]

Estimate for the time: first corner should take about an hour if you haven't done it before. Arm yourself with a good ratchet set with short extensions, and a big c-clamp to retract the piston (don't go ape, slow and steady, if you push the piston too far you'll foog it up). The next corner, 30 minutes. And then the other end of the car should only take an hour or so.

Once you get familiar with the car, you can easily do a four-corner brake job in 15 minutes per corner, by having all the right sockets, extensions, etc handy.

I like to use the Permatex antisqueal stuff (blue goo), spreading it liberally on both sides of the shims right after removing them (if still good), thus giving it time to set up a bit before re-installing. I never get squeal when using that stuff. If the shims are rusted, then get new ones (or I will even leave them off in a pinch, with the Permatex stuff I don't get sqeal even then). Seriously rusted ones will squeal like a pig.

The color brake fluid is good stuff, but if your fluid is reasonably fresh (less than 2 years old) you can just remove some from the master before starting (to avoid overflow), and top up when finished with the same grade. if in doubt, change it out. I also think bleeding is always a good idea, even if you think you don't need it.

[BAC5.2]

Yea, brake fluid is cheap, and it takes almost no time to do it (took us around 30 minutes to do my buddies 05 2.5GT). Just swap it out. It takes almost nothing to boil the brake fluid.

You'd be surprised at what good fluid will do for your brakes. I'm going to be using ATE Super Blue (and super gold) from this point forward, as soon as I get my WRX front brakes.

[greg donovan]

i use wilwood's hi temp dot 3(i think) fluid.

totally transformed the braking system. even better improvement than the performance pads.