'06 Avalon XL - New Front Brake Pads Installed

[Mike Murrell]

Ordered parts from toyotapartszone.com - Southern California Toyota Dealer.

New front pads
New shims
New pad guide hardware - upper/lower pieces.
New pad wear indicators

Technique - about the same as for any front-wheel drive car with disc brakes.

Only thing different for me in this case was the rotors on this brake design do not stay affixed. They slipped off the studs in places. Had to repositioned them during pad reassembly so everything was once again parallel between pads and rotor. Not a problem.

New pads - 7/16" thick - orig. I removed were worn down to 2/16". - not bad for 115,000 miles. Mostly highway driving.

[CISA93]

For the driving that you do (highway) that's great. Same for me when I did alot of highway driving...where an engine is most happy! DY resurface your rotors?

I installed TRD pads (available only on front for the Avalon) and I do alot of city/highway driving, so far, great pad.

Go light on your breaking for the next 500-1000 miles, to help break-in those new pads. FYI: Consider flushing your brake system at all four calipers every 24-3000 miles.

[Mike Murrell]

Did not resurface rotors. While that may be the ultimate way to go - I did this on a Sat. afternoon. All local machine/repair shops closed. I've done many pad changes w/o turning rotors.

Break in will be up to the driver - my better half. She's the primary driver.

[grandpapa]

I guess it will be OK not to resurface the rotor (BTW where can you have rotor resurface?)

Maybe by the 2nd set of pad, you will just replace the rotor as well