Replacing the rubber boot for our 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan rear brake caliper
Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Easy
Process:
We brought our "new to us" van to get it inspected and they told me that almost $1000 worth of brake work was required (which ended up being COMPLETELY FALSE...that's whole other story). So instead of paying them to do the work, as always I figured I'd do it myself. Even though it legally wasn't necessary to change the pads and rotors, and since I've already bought the parts and had the wheel off, I figured I might as well replace the parts. But, I noticed that whichever bozo put the brake caliper back on the rotor last time got the protective rubber boot stuck between the brake piston and the brake pads (insert censored words here).
Oh, and the mechanic told me he thought the brakes were a bit spongy...duh...
anyways...
So I called the dealership to see if they had any rubber boots in stock. To my shock, they didn't. Neither did NAPA, Canadian Tire or any other specialty store I called. Not only didn't they have it in stock, they didn't have them period. According to the dealership you have to replace the entire brake caliper and they quoted me over $200 bucks for it PLUS installation PLUS bleeding of the brake lines...so yeah, i'm not gonna pay $300 bucks because a $10 part was damaged.
I put it all back together, went on ebay and ordered the
Centric Brake Caliper Repair Kit 143.67013 for $10 bucks plus another $10 for shipping.
Putting it in was as easy as
Driving the van up on my Car Ramps
Jacking up the van
Taking off the rear right wheel
Taking off the brake caliper
Taking off the broken seal
Putting the new seal on the piston
Putting the brake caliper back on
Putting the wheel back on
Taking the van back down
All in all, it cost me $20 and took about 15-20 minutes. Love paying myself $840/hr to do my own work!!!
Pictures:
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| Yeah, wasn't very happy about this |
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| Wheel's off |
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| The brake in question |
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| The rubber sleeve between the piston and the brake pads |
 |
| Ugghhh... |
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| The old piston boot |
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| After the rubber boot was removed |
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| The new $10 rubber boot |
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| After it was installed |
Car Ramps
Jack
Impact driver
Socket set
Screwdriver
Materials:
1 Centric Disc Brake Caliper Repair Kit 143.67013
Cost:
$20.00
Time:
20 minutes
Savings:
$280.00
Conclusion:
Works great!
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