How To Replace Subaru Brake Rotors

The brake rotors play a big role in your Subaru’s braking system. Without a healthy set of brake rotors, you won’t be able to stop your car very well. That’s why it’s always important to replace the rotors as soon as you determine that they’ve gone bad.

You can replace your rotors right at home if you have the right tools. Not only will you save a lot of money on labor, but you’ll also save money on the rotors themselves. You’ll save about 30% by ordering genuine OEM Subaru rotors from us at wholesale pricing.

If you decide to tackle this project instead of bringing your Subaru to a shop, we’ve got you covered with this tutorial.

DIY Costs Vs. Shop Costs

New Subaru Brake Rotors

It's no secret that replacing your rotors at home is a whole lot cheaper than having a shop do it for you. For one, you don't have to pay for labor. Shops usually charge about $100 per hour for labor, give or take. Even if the job takes less than an hour, they'll still charge you for a whole hour's worth of work.

Not only that, but also shops charge a lot for replacement parts. It's common for them to mark up the prices by about 30%. Replacement rotors are much cheaper online. In fact, we're an authorized seller of genuine OEM Subaru parts, and we offer wholesale pricing for rotors. You would be hard-pressed to find better prices elsewhere.

Even though you'll be doing the work yourself, you'll be saving a ton of money in the end.

Tools You Will Need

Once you have the replacement rotors ready, gather together the following tools:

  • Floor jack and jack stands
  • Breaker bar
  • Ratchet
  • Socket set (the size of the sockets you will use depends on your Subaru model)
  • Large flat screwdriver
  • Hammer
  • C-clamp
  • Brake cleaner
  • Torque wrench
  • Clean rag

Replacing Your Rotors

Image Credit: Cool Guys Stuff Like

Here are the steps to take:

  1. Park your Subaru on a hard and level surface.
  2. Apply the parking brake and then place a block or wheel chock behind one of the rear wheels.
  3. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheels you'll be removing. You can just turn them by a quarter of a turn.
  4. Lift the car with the floor jack and then rest it on jack stands. Make sure that there's no movement when you gently rock the car while on jack stands. If there's movement, then the jack stands need to be repositioned.
  5. At one wheel, remove the lug nuts, and then the wheel.
  6. There are two caliper guide pins mounting the caliper. Remove them both.
  7. Gently pry the caliper off the rotor. When the caliper is off, make sure not to let it dangle by the brake hose. Most people just put the caliper on either a box or hang it from the upper control arm.
  8. Pry the brake pads out of the caliper.
  9. On the back of the wheel hub, there are caliper bracket bolts. Remove all of them. If you have trouble removing the bolts, you can use the breaker bar to loosen them.
  10. Remove the rotor. You might need to use the hammer to get it to come loose.
  11. Clean the new rotor with brake cleaner, and wipe it completely dry with the rag.
  12. Push the new rotor into place.
  13. Install the caliper bracket.
  14. With the C-clamp, squeeze the caliper piston all the way in.
  15. Assuming you're installing new brake pads, apply a small amount of brake grease to the metal backing plate. Slide the pads back into the caliper.
  16. Install the caliper over the rotor.
  17. Clean, grease, and reinstall the guide pins.
  18. Install the wheel and lug nuts.
  19. Repeat with the rest of the rotors you want to replace.
  20. When all of the new rotors are installed, pump the brake pedal to restore the hydraulic pressure. Keep pumping until the brake pedal feels normal again.
  21. Test drive the car in a empty, low-speed area to see if the brakes are working normally again.

If you have any questions about replacing the rotors on your Subaru, you're welcome to send us a message through our contact form. We'll get back to you ASAP.