On the 10th-gen Civic this is one of the friendliest brake jobs out there. A single-piston sliding caliper comes off with two 12 mm bolts, the bracket comes off with two 17 mm bolts, and there is nothing electronic to disable at the front because the parking brake motors live on the rear calipers. Two hours with hand tools and a torque wrench is realistic for a first-timer doing both sides.
Rotor diameter is the part that varies: most 2.0 L LX/EX and 1.5 T sedans and hatchbacks use 282 mm front discs, the Si uses a larger 293 mm setup, and the Type R runs 350 mm Brembos with four-piston calipers - a completely different procedure. The thing people get wrong is the rotor retaining screw: hit it with a regular screwdriver and you will round the head. Use a hand impact driver with a #3 Phillips bit the very first time you touch it.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, use pinch-weld jack pad Lift the front of the car at the jack points. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair Support the car at the side sill jack points while wheels are off. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 19 mm deep, 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes all five wheel lug nuts. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 18-24 in Loosen lug nuts and stubborn caliper bracket bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Socket, caliper guide pin bolts 12 mm 6-point, 3/8 in drive Removes the two caliper guide pin (slide pin) bolts. | Required | shop |
| Socket, caliper bracket bolts 17 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the two caliper mounting bracket bolts from the knuckle. | Required | shop |
| Open-end wrench 14 mm (for guide pin if it spins) Holds the guide pin while the bolt is loosened on higher-mileage cars. | Recommended | shop |
| Caliper piston compressor Large C-clamp or brake pad spreader Pushes the single piston back into the caliper for the new thicker pads. | Required | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire hook Hangs the caliper from the spring so the brake hose is not stretched. | Required | shop |
| Impact driver, hand type With #3 Phillips bit Frees the seized rotor retaining screws without stripping them. | Recommended | shop |
| Hammer Dead blow or 2 lb ball peen Shocks a rust-bonded rotor off the hub. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Steel, plus small file Cleans rust off the hub face and bracket pad abutments. | Recommended | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 20-150 ft-lb Torques bracket bolts and lug nuts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 5-80 ft-lb Accurate torque on the 12 mm guide pin bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Brake cleaner Chlorine-free aerosol, 2 cans Removes the protective oil coating from new rotors and cleans the hub. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp, for pins and pad ears Lubricates guide pins, pad clips and the back of the pad ears. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize Small tube, for hub face only Thin smear on the hub face stops the new rotor rusting on. | Consumables | shop |
| Front brake pads 282 mm (2.0/1.5T), 293 mm (Si), Brembo set (Type R) The wearing friction material, sold with new shims/clips. | Parts | shop |
| Front rotors 282 mm x 23 mm most models; verify with brake code Replacement discs, sold in pairs. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray are irritants. | Safety | shop |
Socket sizes (12 mm pin bolts, 17 mm bracket bolts, 19 mm lug nuts) are the same on 2.0 L K20C2 and 1.5 T L15B7 cars. Rotor size differs: 282 mm on LX/EX/EX-L/Sport, 293 mm on Si, and 350 mm Brembo on the Type R, which uses a fixed four-piston caliper with pad retaining pins instead of a sliding caliper.
| Caliper guide pin (slide) bolts, 12 mm head | 18 ft-lb (24 Nm) |
| Caliper mounting bracket bolts, 17 mm head | 100 ft-lb (136 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Wheel lug nuts | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Rotor retaining screw | about 7 ft-lb (10 Nm) - snug only |
The 12 mm guide pin bolt, 17 mm bracket bolt and 19 mm lug nut sizes are correct across the 2016-2021 Civic (non-Type R); double-check the bracket bolt torque and your exact rotor diameter against the service manual and your car's brake code before final assembly.
No. The electronic parking brake only operates the rear calipers, so the front pads and rotors can be done with hand tools. You only need a scan tool with an EPB retract function if you are also doing the rear brakes.
The two caliper guide pin bolts take a 12 mm socket and the two caliper mounting bracket bolts take a 17 mm socket. Lug nuts are 19 mm.
First back out the Phillips retaining screw with a hand impact driver. Then either strike the rotor face between the wheel studs with a dead blow hammer, or thread two 8 x 1.25 mm bolts into the threaded puller holes in the rotor and tighten them alternately to push it off.
An independent shop typically charges $400-650 for front pads and rotors on a 2016-2021 Civic, with Si and Type R at the higher end. Doing it yourself, quality pads and rotors run roughly $120-220.