How to Replace the Rear Brake Pads on an Atenza?
3 Answers
The method for replacing the rear brake pads on an Atenza is as follows: 1. First, remove the wheel and take off the dust cover; 2. Remove the caliper fixing bolts and take off the brake caliper; 3. Then, remove one of the fixing bolts on the brake caliper, apply force to the caliper with a flat-head screwdriver to automatically retract the brake cylinder piston, and then take out the brake pads; 4. Alternatively, you can use a piston adjustment tool to retract the brake cylinder piston, then remove and insert the new brake pads. The Atenza is a mid-size sedan under Mazda, with a body length of 4870 mm, width of 1840 mm, height of 1445 mm, and a wheelbase of 2830 mm. The Atenza uses a 6AT transmission and is equipped with two engines: a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine and a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine.
Changing the rear brake pads on my 2016 Mazda6 (Atenza) by myself wasn't as difficult as I imagined. First, secure the car properly, remove the wheel to expose the brake caliper. Remember to use specialized tools to retract the electronic parking brake piston - forcing it with brute strength could damage the motor. The old brake pad retaining clips need to be pried off. Apply some anti-squeal paste to the new pads before installation, and torque the bolts to 29 Nm as specified in the manual. Don't hit the road immediately after installation - first power on the car and pump the brakes a few times to reset the caliper piston, otherwise the first brake pedal press will be terrifyingly empty. The whole process took about two hours, saving me hundreds compared to dealership service, though I ended up with grease-covered hands that took forever to wash clean.
Three pitfalls to watch when DIY replacing Mazda6 rear brakes: First, you MUST use a diagnostic tool to enter EPB mode and retract the caliper piston - prying it will destroy the unit. Second, OEM pads come with wear sensors, so when installing aftermarket pads you'll need to properly secure the dangling sensor connector away from the wheel. Third, pump the brake pedal until firm after installation, otherwise you'll hear metal scraping noises after driving - that's the caliper not fully reset. Pro tip: Keep an 8mm hex key and torque wrench handy, and always apply fresh grease to caliper slide pins.
