My dad told me to just use a bigger hammer on a stuck brake caliper

Last weekend I was trying to replace the brake pads on my 2012 Honda Civic and the caliper piston would not budge. My dad came over, took one look, and said just get a bigger hammer and hit it harder. I did that and ended up cracking the caliper housing. Cost me $180 for a rebuilt caliper and two extra days without my car. The right advice came from a mechanic friend who said to use a C-clamp and slowly turn the piston clockwise while pressing. That worked in like 2 minutes. Has anyone else had family give them terrible car advice that cost way more time or money?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorb943d ago

That bolt snapping story hits close to home lol. My brother gave me the same advice about just cranking harder on a stuck bolt, and I spent three hours with a broken extractor bit stuck in the hole. It's crazy how much time and money you can save by just using the right tool or asking someone who actually knows what they're doing instead of just brute forcing it.

verac403d ago

My dad told me to just keep cranking on a frozen bolt on my old Ford Focus until it snapped. Cost me like 50 bucks in extractor bits and a whole afternoon at the junkyard finding a replacement.