Brake pads & rotors replacement
 

I'm thinking of getting the following parts which I've confirmed are available at Rockauto:

Akebono ASP 1222A front pads: $49.79
Akebono ASP 1212A rear pads: $53.79

Centric front rotors 32044146F: $40.79
Centric rear rotors 32044188F: $46.79

I finished watching a YouTube video today entitled, "How to replace your Toyota brakes" (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by the Car Care Nut. Very helpful:


This video makes it clear that there are definitely some small but very important steps that can be overlooked when getting new brakes. If I'm going to use a non-dealer mechanic, which is what I intend to do, I need to make sure that he'll follow certain steps.

I'm assuming that the Rockauto parts do not come with:

Shim Kits
Rear Rotor Rubber Plugs
Fitting Kit
Pins that come with the pads
Wear indicators

So it's really important that the mechanic saves the original parts on the list above. Right? I do not mind buying these parts from the dealership but it's tricky since most mechanics want to finish the work in one shot. In other words, they wouldn't want a car hanging around in the garage for an extra day while one buys extra needed parts from the dealership. Alternatively, I could buy the parts before the work is started and return what I do not use, assuming they allow this.

What was the year of car and engine type again?

Are the current pads Toyota parts or aftermarket?

2016 Camry SE, 2.5 L4

Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks.

On most brake jobs the important thing is whatever pads are used come with its own shim and pad retaining hardware. The reason is the old pad shim and hardware may not fit the new pad if its not the same brand as the old.

The pads you list appears to come with the shim and retaining hardware. This is the stainless items. Find the part numbers you list at rockauto then click on More Info to see a photo.

No wear indicator is shown. Toyota appears to use a separate indicator versus having one riveted to one of the pads.

You don't need pins unless yours are worn which is unlikely. Inspect and grease them with high temp brake grease.

Does Rockauto sell the plugs for the rear drum? Might be able to reuse the originals.

Finally got my Akebono brake pads and Centric rotors installed yesterday.

Like an idiot, when I ordered the stuff from Rockauto, I only ordered one front rotor and one rear rotor. I made this mistake because, if I recall correctly, when you order pads, one order contains two pads. Anyway, I discovered the mistake when I finally opened the box last week (it had arrived on the third week of January but I was still trying to educate myself on brakes before going to the mechanic. That's just me). Anyway, I had to make another order for a front and rear rotor).

The grand total for the 4 rotors and 4 pads (plus tax and shipping) was $320.40. The mechanic charged me $200 for the installation. So it all came to $520.40.

He was able to use the original rotor rubber plugs (this will hopefully help with preventing rust. We'll see). But he said the original Toyota shim kit plates (which are considered better quality than the aftermarket ones) could not work with the Akebono pads (I think they have a different shape). So he used whatever came with the Akebono shim kit.

I wish I can remember whether the Akebono shim kit came with the wear indicators or not. I just cannot remember. So I'll need to follow-up with the mechanic for I do not know whether he kept the originals or not. I also can't remember whether the mechanic ended up using the original fitting kit or whether the Akebono pads had their own (when I get a chance, I'll ask him).

Now I'm going to see how these Centric rotors are going to hold up to the New England salt. I hope they won't rust. Or if they do, it won't be very noticeable. They appear to have what looks like a whitish paint. We'll see.

What a learning experience but I don't regret it. I need to know as much about my car as possible. For instance, I did not realize that rotors are quite heavy!

Most importantly, I'm very thankful for all the help I got here. God bless you all!

Great job, thanks for posting!

Very expensive charges for a half an hour job.
Here in Jordan ,that service will cost me no more than$20 or may be less.

This was actually cheap because I went to a mechanic I've known for years and he let me bring my own parts.