Rear brakes on the 10th gen Civic are a straightforward slide-caliper job. Two 12 mm guide-pin bolts release the caliper, two 17 mm bolts release the bracket, and the rotor comes off over the studs. The rotors are small and light, and everything is reachable with a basic 3/8 in drive set.
The one thing that trips people up is the parking brake. Lower trims use a hand lever, so the rear piston is a screw type and has to be wound in clockwise with a cube tool - pushing it in with a C-clamp will not work. Touring and Sport Touring trims have the electronic parking brake, which needs a bidirectional scan tool to enter maintenance mode first; backdriving that actuator with a clamp is how people end up buying a caliper.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, pad at rear jack point Lifts the rear of the car to remove the wheels. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair, under rear pinch welds/subframe Supports the car while both rear wheels are off. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 19 mm thin-wall 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the five rear lug nuts. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 18-24 in Loosens lug nuts before lifting the car. | Required | shop |
| Scan tool with EPB function Bidirectional, Honda EPB maintenance mode Puts the electronic parking brake in service mode on Touring / Sport Touring trims; not needed on hand-lever cars. | Required | shop |
| Socket set, 3/8 in drive 12 mm and 17 mm 6-point sockets 12 mm for the caliper guide-pin bolts, 17 mm for the caliper bracket bolts. | Required | shop |
| Ratchet 3/8 in drive with 3 in extension Drives the caliper and bracket bolts in tight quarters behind the wheel. | Required | shop |
| Rear caliper piston wind-back tool Cube/disc-brake wind-back kit, clockwise rotation Screws the cable-actuated rear piston back into the caliper on hand-brake trims. | Required | shop |
| Rotor push bolts Two M8 x 1.25 bolts, 40-50 mm long Threaded into the rotor's service holes to press a rust-stuck rotor off the hub. | Recommended | shop |
| Dead blow or ball-peen hammer 2 lb Frees a corroded rotor from the hub flange. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Steel, hand brush Cleans rust and scale off the hub face and caliper bracket pad abutments. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Torques caliper and bracket bolts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, up to 150 ft-lb Torques lug nuts to 80 ft-lb evenly. | Recommended | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire hook Short Hangs the caliper so the brake hose is not stretched. | Recommended | shop |
| Brake cleaner Chlorine-free aerosol, 2 cans Removes shipping oil from new rotors and cleans the hub. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp, for guide pins and pad ears Lubricates caliper guide pins, pad clips and shim contact points. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize compound Small tube, for hub face only Thin film on the hub center keeps the next rotor from rusting on. | Consumables | shop |
| Rear brake pads 10th gen Civic rear set with shims/clips Replacement friction; Si and Type R use their own part numbers. | Parts | shop |
| Rear brake rotors 262 mm x 9 mm (1.5T/2.0), Si/Type R differ Replacement discs, sold in pairs. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray are irritants. | Safety | shop |
Socket sizes are the same for the 2.0 K20C2 and 1.5 turbo L15B7: 19 mm lugs, 12 mm guide-pin bolts, 17 mm bracket bolts. Rotor size differs - 262 mm rear on standard 2.0 and 1.5T cars, larger rears on the Si and Type R - so order by trim. Type R (FK8) rear calipers are a different casting but use the same bolt sizes; its EPB always needs service mode.
| Rear caliper guide-pin (slide) bolts, 12 mm head | 17 ft-lb (23 Nm) |
| Rear caliper bracket-to-knuckle bolts, 17 mm head | 41 ft-lb (55 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Wheel lug nuts | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Rotor retaining screw (if fitted) | verify in the service manual |
Guide-pin bolts (12 mm), bracket bolts (17 mm) and 19 mm lug nuts are consistent across the 10th gen; the bracket bolt torque and any rotor screw spec should be confirmed against the Honda service manual for your exact trim.
Only some trims. Touring sedans and Sport Touring hatchbacks (and the Si/Type R) use the electronic parking brake with brake hold, while LX, EX and Sport trims use a conventional hand lever. Look at the center console: a small switch means EPB, a lever means cable.
On hand-lever cars, yes - you just need a wind-back tool. On EPB cars you need a scan tool that supports Honda EPB maintenance mode; cheap code readers will not do it. A few owners retract the motors by applying 12 V directly to the actuator connector, but that risks the module and is not the factory procedure.
The caliper guide-pin bolts take a 12 mm socket and torque to 17 ft-lb. The caliper bracket bolts into the knuckle take a 17 mm socket at roughly 41 ft-lb - confirm in the manual. Lug nuts are 19 mm at 80 ft-lb.
Rust builds up between the rotor hat and hub flange. Thread two M8x1.25 bolts into the rotor's service holes and tighten them alternately to push it off, or hit the rotor face between the studs with a hammer. Apply a thin film of anti-seize to the hub center before fitting the new rotor.