Brake Service Checklist

2016 Civic EX-T Coupe · FC3 · 1.5T CVT
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MEMORY ITEMS

Six rules. Memorize before touching the car. Not a checklist — a reflex.
  1. NEVER hold the car stopped with the brake pedal after a hard stop. Hot pads + stationary rotor = pad imprinting = permanent judder. Roll to a stop, or stop with the pads cold.
  2. NEVER press an EPB rear piston before retracting the screw. The ball screw takes a permanent brinell dent, and the parking-brake motor dies with it.
  3. NEVER turn the EPB piston. Only the shaft turns (E11 socket). The piston travels straight in.
  4. NEVER use an angle grinder on a rotor. 10,000+ RPM of free-hand cutting = thickness variation = judder that cannot be undone.
  5. NEVER let oil touch a friction surface. Backing plates and ears only. Bare hands off the pad face and rotor face.
  6. NEVER put anti-seize on caliper bracket threads. Dry torque spec — lubricant makes 80 ft-lb into a stretched or snapped bolt.

Mission Brief

Two projects, one lift session. Front rotors stay on the car — this changes the whole procedure.

Vehicle2016 Honda Civic EX-T CoupeFC3 · 1.5T · CVT · ~115,000 mi
VIN2HGFC3B32GH353356
Front Brakes282 × 23 mm ventedMin thickness 21.0 mm · Akebono 57 mm
Rear Brakes260 × 9 mm solidMin thickness 8.0 mm · ATE 38 mm · EPB
Project 1Front — rotor prep + Bluestuff + beddingDP51655NDX · 0.52μ · to 550°C
Project 2Rear — EPB retract + R1 Ceramic2600-1878-00 · daily/street
Rotor PolicyRotors stay on the carFront screws seized flush — left alone by design
Estimated Time4–6 hoursPlus bedding drive ~45 min

Go / No-Go Gates

Run these BEFORE buying anything, BEFORE lifting the car. Any NO-GO stops the job.

G

Pre-Job GatesDo this first — at the car, wheels on

Caliper jaws on the middle of the friction band, ~1 cm in from the outer edge — avoid the wear lip. Spec: new 23.0 mm, limit 21.0 mm. Last reading: 22.6 mm (80% margin).
≥21.0mm
Solid rear disc. Spec: new 9.0 mm, limit 8.0 mm. Never measured — do it this session.
≥8.0mm
On an empty road, 60 mph, medium-hard pedal. Steering-wheel or pedal pulsation = disc thickness variation. Judder = stop, rotors must be turned or replaced. Do not proceed to pad install.
Look for radial cracks, heat-checking, blue spots, grooves deep enough to catch a fingernail. Glazing (mirror sheen) is not a failure — that is what Phase 3 removes.
The JIS #3 screws are seized in the counterbores and stay untouched. Only a proud or lifted head would need cutting down. Verified from photos: head sits flush or below the rotor-hat surface. No action.
NOTE — why the rotors stay on

The retaining screws carry zero load — they only located the rotor on the assembly line. With the wheel torqued to 80 ft-lb, the rotor is clamped by the hub and cannot move. Leaving them alone keeps the existing rotor-to-hub seating intact, which is safer than disturbing a rusted interface that could trap debris and induce runout.

GO CRITERIA

All four GATES green + screw head flush → proceed to Project 1 and Project 2.

Any gate red → stop. Thickness or judder failures mean new rotors, and the whole front procedure changes (see Reference tab).

Tools & Consumables

Every tool this job touches, grouped by what you are doing with it. Green rows = you probably already own it. The shopping list at the bottom is what to actually go buy.

Where to Buy → Store-by-store guide

1 · Lifting & Safety NON-NEGOTIABLE

Never work under a car held only by a jack. This corner is where the job can kill you.

ItemSpecWhy / note
Floor jack≥2 tonStock ride height — an ordinary trolley jack clears it. Low-profile is not required.
Jack stands ×23 tonHard requirement. The car goes down on stands before any wheel comes off. 4 stands if you are doing front and rear in one session.
Wheel chocks ×2—Chock the axle you are not lifting.
Secondary catch—Slide each removed wheel flat under the rocker panel. Free insurance.
Nitrile gloves—Brake dust + solvent. Change them when they get loaded.
Eye protection—Spinning surface-conditioning disc + brake cleaner spray.
Respirator / N95—Brake dust contains metal particulate. Never dry-brush it into the air.

2 · Fasteners & Torque

ItemSpecWhy / note
Breaker bar1/2″ drive, 18″+Cracks the lug nuts loose before you lift.
Torque wrenchcovers 20–80 ft-lbRead the range before buying. A 50–250 ft-lb wrench cannot measure the 25 ft-lb guide-pin spec. A 1/2″ 10–150 or a 3/8″ 5–80 is the useful window here.
Lug nut socket19 mm, 6-point, thin-wallHonda factory lugs are 12×1.5 with a 19 mm hex. 6-point only — a 12-point rounds the corners.
Socket set6-point, 10–19 mmYou will actually use: 19 mm (lug nuts · rear bracket 55 ft-lb), 17 mm (front bracket — do not touch), and the guide-pin size (have 12 & 14 mm in the tray).
Extensions3″ + 6″Reach into the wheel arch without knuckle contact.
Hex keys5 mmRear EPB actuator housing, 2× cap screws.
E-Torx socketE11 (have E12 too)Rear EPB shaft retract. This is the one tool people get stuck on. Field fallback reported on CivicX: a 9 mm 6-point socket fits well enough. Buy the E11 if you can.
Piston compressor / C-clamp—Rear piston is a straight push. An old pad between the clamp and the new pad protects the face.
Vernier caliper0.1 mm resolutionRotor thickness — the Go/No-Go gate. Front ≥21.0 mm, rear ≥8.0 mm.
NOTE — the socket you must not reach for

The 17 mm front caliper bracket bolts are not part of this job. The rotors stay on, so the bracket stays on. They are also the single most expensive fastener on the car to break: Honda sells no replacement bracket — only a whole caliper.

3 · Rotor Surface Prep

ItemSpecWhy / note
Drillvariable speed, 3/8–1/2″ chuckMust be variable speed. Single-speed is unusable — you need a slow spin, not a sander's pace.
2″ surface-conditioning kitRYOBI A911602Backer pad with a ¼″ shank + fine / medium / coarse discs. $27.22 at Home Depot. The ¼″ shank is what lets it go in a drill.
Hand pad (alternative)3M 7447, maroon / Very FineNo power tools needed. Slower but cannot gouge — and it is what track-day regulars actually use when swapping compounds on a rotor that stays on the car.
Wire brush—Hub flange rust only. Never on the caliper bracket's pad-sliding surfaces — it scores them and the pad jams.
CAUTION — not on this list for a reason

Angle grinder: never on a rotor. Free-hand cutting at 10,000+ RPM produces thickness variation, which becomes pedal pulsation that cannot be undone.
Rotor hone (three-stone brush): documented by track forums as giving uneven results. Skip it.
Woodworking sandpaper: loads up instantly on metal and sheds grit. Wrong abrasive.

4 · Cleaning

ItemSpecWhy / note
Brake cleaner ×2NON-CHLORINATEDChlorinated cleaner above 315°C decomposes into phosgene. Read the can — if it does not say Non-Chlorinated, assume it is not.
Lint-free cloths6+Spray and wipe, one direction. Change cloth as soon as it loads up.
Small detail brush—Caliper bracket pad rails.
Brake greasehigh-temp siliconeBacking plate and pad ears only. A different product from anti-seize.
Copper anti-seizePermatex 09128Rotor retaining screws — only relevant if they ever come out. Copper or nickel base; ordinary grease bakes into a hard crust on a rotor.

5 · Rear EPB (Project 2 only)

ItemSpecWhy / note
Autel AP200~$69Preferred route — drives the EPB motors into service mode over OBD. Also reads every module on the car, resets oil life, and handles TPMS. Good long-term tool.
E11 E-Torx socket~$10Manual route — retract the screw by hand if you skip the scanner.
5 mm hex key—Actuator housing, 2× cap screws.
C-clamp / piston tool—Straight push on the piston, after the screw is retracted.
CAUTION — the scanner is optional, the sequence is not

You can do the rear without any OBD tool. What you cannot do is skip the retract step, or push the piston before the screw is back. Both of those damage the ball screw permanently.

Shopping List — what to actually buy

Assuming you already own the usual garage kit. Prices are as checked — verify at the store.

  • 1×RYOBI 2″ surface conditioning disc set A911602$27.22
  • 2×Non-chlorinated brake cleaner, Blaster 20-BC 14 oz$5.80 ea
  • 1×Brake grease (high-temp silicone)$8–12
  • 1×Copper anti-seize Permatex 09128$8–12
  • 1×E11 E-Torx socket~$10
  • 1×Lint-free cloths + N95 + eye protection$15–25
  • ?Drill — only if you do not already own a variable-speed one$40–100
  • ?Autel AP200 — optional, rear EPB only~$69
Consumables subtotal (excluding drill & scanner)~$65–90
Where to Buy →

Project 1 — Front Rotor Prep + Bluestuff + Bedding

The front brakes are the ones doing the track-day work. Rotor surface prep is the step that decides whether the new pads ever bite properly.

1

Rig & SecureBefore anything comes apart

The EPB must be released to service the rear calipers — and you cannot release it with the battery dead. Release it before you start, then chock the wheels.
Front of the chock against the tire, on the side you are not lifting. Rubber chock or a brick — anything that stops a roll.
Do this on the ground, before lifting — a car on stands will turn instead of cracking the nut. 5×114.3, 80 ft-lb.
80 ft-lb
The front center point sits exactly where the Type R subframe brace mounts, and a jack there blocks the brace location. Use the reinforced side pinch welds.
Lower the car onto the stands, then push the body hard sideways. If it moves at all, reset. Never work under a car held only by a jack.
Set them flat under the rocker panel as a secondary catch. Slide the removed wheel under the car as an extra safety block — a habit worth keeping.
CAUTION — rear wheels come off later

Project 2 needs all four corners up. If this is one lift session, put it on four stands now (or plan a second lift for the rear) — but never mix: front on stands while the rear is on a jack.

2

Open the Front CaliperOne bolt per side — the bracket never moves

There are two different fasteners here and confusing them is the single most expensive mistake in this job.
  • Bracket bolts = 17 mm hex, M12. These hold the caliper bracket to the knuckle. Do not touch them. Seized or rounded, Honda does not sell the bracket separately — only a whole caliper.
  • Guide-pin bolts = the ones you want. One per side is enough to swing the caliper body up off the rotor.
Typically the lower pin. The caliper body then pivots up and away, exposing the pads and the full rotor face. Support the caliper — never let it hang by the brake hose.
A bungee from the spring, or rest it on the lower control arm. The hose is not a hinge. If the caliper is left dangling for hours it will fail at the crimp.
Photograph the wear pattern first — uneven wear tells you if a guide pin was sticking. Do not reuse the old pads: the friction material has already been heat-cycled into a different compound.
The pin should slide freely by hand and the rubber boot must not be torn. A torn boot lets water in, which is how a caliper seizes. Wipe the pin and re-grease with high-temperature silicone grease — not ordinary chassis grease, which bakes into a hard crust.
WARNING — never press the brake piston back yet

Do not use a C-clamp to push the front piston in until you have checked the master-cylinder fluid level. Pushing a piston back sends fluid up the line. If the reservoir was topped up as the pads wore, it will overflow onto paint and wiring.

Check the level, have a rag around the reservoir cap, and open it before you retract the piston.

3

Rotor Surface PrepThe step that decides everything

NOTE — what you are removing

The first track day glazed the OEM rotors: a mirror-like transfer layer that the original pads baked on. A new pad compound bedded onto that film will not bond properly — it will slide, squeal, and glaze again. The goal is to strip the film back to bare, uniformly grey iron without changing the rotor's geometry.

Method A — drill + Roloc surface-conditioning disc
RYOBI A911602 kit: one 2″ twist-and-lock backer with a ¼″ shank, plus fine / medium / coarse discs. Start with medium. If the disc skips off the pad, the chuck is not tight.
Never squeeze the trigger wide open. These discs are rated 25,000–30,000 RPM maximum, and full drill speed with a hard disc edge is how rotors get gouged. Think slow spin, not sander speed.
Sweep diagonally, change direction, light pressure, ~1–2 minutes per face. Stopping in one place cuts a low spot, and a low spot becomes a pulse in the pedal.
The angled lip at the rotor's outer rim exists to knock debris off the pad. Rounding it over is a permanent change to how the brakes behave at the limit.
Outer face through the caliper opening, then reach behind and do the inner face. The rotor is still bolted to the hub — rotate it by hand to bring new areas into reach.
Target finish = an even, matte, light-grey iron surface everywhere. If any mirror sheen or rainbow-tinted patch remains, that is still transfer layer — keep going. If the surface starts looking like brushed metal with visible directional lines, you have gone far enough.
Method B — hand pad (no power tools)
3M 7447 or equivalent. Crosshatch diagonally, 5–10 minutes per face, on the car, turning the hub as you go. This is what track-day regulars actually use when switching pad compounds on a rotor that stays on the car — slower, but perfectly adequate, and it cannot gouge.
CAUTION — colour codes are not a universal scale

Hand pads and Roloc discs use different colour grades. Maroon on a hand pad means Very Fine; maroon on a disc means Medium. Read the grade letters, not the colour: CRS = coarse, MED = medium, VFN = very fine.

The spring-loaded ball hones marketed for rotors produce uneven results and are documented by track forums as having “limited success.” A flat disc or pad is the correct tool.
4

Clean the RotorsSpray alone does nothing — it must be wiped

Read the can. Chlorinated brake cleaner contains tetrachloroethylene — above 315°C it decomposes into phosgene, a chemical-warfare agent with delayed onset and no antidote. You are using a heat gun in this same area. Blaster 20-BC and CRC non-chlorinated are the correct products; if the label does not explicitly say Non-Chlorinated, assume it is chlorinated.
The solvent evaporates but the oil it dissolved does not. Spraying alone redistributes the oil. Wipe one direction and turn the cloth — scrubbing back and forth just smears it around.
If penetrating oil (PB Blaster / Kroil) was used anywhere on this corner, budget 3–4 rounds — that oil creeps and hides. Finish with one plain spray and let it flash off.
A shiny or iridescent rotor face means oil or transfer layer is still there. This is the last moment you can fix it without taking everything apart again.
Skin oils are enough to compromise a bedding-in. Nitrile gloves are fine; bare hands on the friction face are not.
The stainless abutment clips where the pad ears ride. Brake cleaner and a rag — never a wire brush here. A wire brush scores the sliding surface and the pad jams instead of floating.
CAUTION — what not to spray

Avoid the guide-pin boots, ABS wiring, wheel-speed sensors, and any painted rotor hat. The cleaner attacks rubber and paint. Also: do not use compressed air to blow brake dust around — it aerosolises metal particulate. Ventilation or outdoors.

5

Install the Bluestuff PadsGrease on the back, nothing on the front

One box = two front pads = one axle. EBC Bluestuff NDX, μ 0.52, R90 road-legal, stable to 550°C / 1000°F, pre-scorched at the factory, NUCAP NRS backing.
Bluestuff ships pre-scorched, meaning the resin bake is already done. This is why bed-in is only ~100 street miles or two track laps, instead of the long ritual a raw race pad needs.
A thin film on the steel back and on the ear tabs where they sit in the bracket clips. This is what prevents squeal. Any grease on the friction face ruins the pad's ability to bed and massively reduces braking. Wash your hands after.
The pads must slide freely in the bracket clips by hand. If they need force, the clips are corroded — clean them again. A pad that cannot float will drag and overheat.
Reservoir cap open, rag around it. Piston compressor or a C-clamp with an old pad as a backing. Push it in slowly and squarely — the front piston is a straight push, not a turn.
Seat the caliper squarely over the new pads — the boots must not pinch or twist. Guide-pin bolt torque is a low-torque, floating fastener: ~25 ft-lb / 34 N·m. Do not apply the 80 ft-lb bracket figure here; over-torquing crushes the pin bushing and the caliper stops sliding.
25 ft-lb
Check the level reads between MIN and MAX. Do not top it up while the pads are new — as they wear the level will fall and the extra fluid becomes the overflow next time someone retracts a piston. Keep it at the middle.
6

Pedal & WheelTwo checks that prevent a first-corner surprise

10–15 strokes. Retracting the pistons left a gap between pads and rotors — the first pedal press closes it. If you bleed the pedal and drive off without doing this, the first press is dead and the second is a surprise. The pedal should be firm and stay firm while you hold it.
Hold firm pressure for 30 seconds. Pedal creeping to the floor, or a wet caliper or line, means a leak — stop and find it. Do not drive.
Snug all five by hand, then torque in a star, then re-check in a second pass. Torque wrench on the way up to the click, never to loosen. 5×114.3 · 19 mm hex (6-point, thin-wall) · 80 ft-lb / 108 N·m.
80 ft-lb
Re-check lug torque once the car is at ride height — the change in geometry can settle the wheel slightly.
10 mph in a parking lot. Both feet ready. Brake, confirm the pedal is where you left it, listen for scraping. Then a 30 mph stop on empty road. Only then consider bedding.
7

Bedding ProcedureDeposit management, not a break-in ritual

NOTE — what bedding actually does

Bedding transfers a thin, uniform layer of pad material onto the rotor face. That transfer layer is the friction surface — the pad-on-iron interface produces roughly 30% of the friction that pad-on-transfer-layer does. A partial or uneven layer produces vibration and green fade. This is why the rotor prep in Phase 3 matters: a clean, non-directional surface accepts the transfer layer evenly.

Bedding is not the time to discover a problem. All six checks from Phase 6 must be green.
New tires have release compound and shallow tread blocks with no heat history. Bedding generates serious brake heat with hard decelerations. Get at least a few hundred miles on tires before bedding brakes on them.
You need to accelerate hard, brake hard, and then keep rolling. Any place where you must come to a full stop mid-cycle will ruin the session. Do it in daylight, dry.
Firm, progressive pedal — not a slam, not a crawl. Between stops, accelerate back to 70 quickly. After the fifth stop, do not stop the car — drive at 40–50 mph for 10 minutes with as little braking as possible to let the pads and rotors shed heat.
This is not optional. Braking during heat-soak drives heat back into the pad and can crystallise the binder.
A little faster entry, a little harder pedal. Same rule: never a full stop.
If you must stop — traffic light, police, anything — come off the brake and let the car creep, or roll slowly. A stationary pad holding a hot rotor bakes a footprint of pad material into one spot on the disc. That is pad imprinting, it is a thickness variation, and it judders permanently. This is the one irreversible mistake in the whole job.
Then park. Transmission in P, wheels chocked. Do not set the parking brake while the rear rotors are hot — see Project 2's bedding warning.
Look at each rotor through the wheel spokes. An even dull grey film = good transfer layer. Streaky or patchy = repeat one cycle. Blue patches = the pads got too hot — back off the aggression.
Once everything is cool, the pedal should be firm, high, and consistent — and the car should stop smoothly at 60 mph with no pulsation. Record the feel in your notes; it is the baseline for spotting future problems.
CAUTION — the easy alternative

Bluestuff is factory pre-scorched, so 100 street miles of normal driving, with a handful of firm stops, is an accepted bed-in per EBC. Use the full two-cycle procedure above if you want the transfer layer maximally uniform before a track day. What is not optional: the rotor prep, and never stopping with hot brakes.

PHASE 7 COMPLETE → BEDDED

Project 2 — Rear Pads + EPB Retract

The rear calipers have an electric parking brake motor. They are unforgiving in exactly one way: the piston must not be pushed until the internal screw has been retracted.

PROJECT 2 HARD RULES

These three are the difference between a $60 pad change and a $600 caliper
  1. Retract the screw FIRST, push the piston SECOND. Always that order. Never the reverse.
  2. The piston never rotates. Only the shaft under the actuator turns (E11 socket, finger force, clockwise).
  3. Never apply 12 V to the actuator. Current and direction are uncontrolled. It can kill the control module.
8

Rear Caliper ReviewKnow the mechanism before touching it

TypeElectric parking brake (EPB), integrated motor on the caliper
Internal mechanismMotor → gearset → ball screw → piston
Rotation happensBetween the ball screw and its nut — not at the piston
Piston travelStraight push only. No turning, no threaded engagement.
Service modeSupported via OBD — Autel AP200 works on this car
Position feedbackSoftware-calibrated. No mechanical stop-out.
NOTE — why the sequence matters so much

The ball screw carries its load through point contacts at very high stress. If the piston is pressed while the screw is still extended, those point contacts take the full force and dent the raceway. That damage is permanent and shows up as a stiffer, notchy stroke, a C1110 code, or a dead motor.

Separately, the gearset inside the motor acts as a mechanical lock in one direction, so turning the piston cannot back the screw out — it just destroys the piston's anti-rotation feature and twists the dust boot.

9

EPB RetractPick one method — no shortcuts

Method A — OBD service mode (preferred)
The release must happen before you start, with the car powered. Keep the car powered during the procedure — if the battery browns out mid-retract you are stuck with a partially retracted screw.
Menu wording varies: EPB Maintenance, Brake Pad Replacement, or on Chinese-region tools 打开后轮刹车分泵. Select it, let the motors run to full retract, wait for the tool to report complete.
The tool retracts the screw — it does not press the piston. You still push the piston straight in during pad installation, which will now move freely.
Method B — Manual, actuator removal (no scanner)
The connector clip is fragile — do not unplug if you can avoid it. Lay the actuator aside without straining its cable. Check the O-ring seal while it is off; a damaged O-ring lets water into the motor and it rusts solid.
Clockwise, and stop as soon as it stops resisting — you are de-loading the screw, not winding it to a limit. If it fights you, you are turning the wrong direction; stop and re-check. Do not wipe the lubricant off the shaft.
It should move with modest, steady pressure. If it resists hard, the screw is not retracted far enough — do not force it. The piston is a straight-push design; there is no rotating tool interface on its face.
Actuator housing: 5.9 ft-lb / 8 N·m. Caliper bolts: 18 ft-lb / 24 N·m (community reference values for this platform). Both are light fasteners — over-torquing the actuator is a real risk.
5.9 / 18 ft-lb
CAUTION — scanner is not required, but it is better

Turning the shaft by hand leaves no position record, and you must re-learn nothing — the system re-calibrates when the parking brake is cycled. The real costs of Method B are mechanical: a fragile connector, an O-ring seal you disturb, and a blind operation with no feedback. If the Autel is available, use Method A.

10

Rear Pads & RotorsSame discipline as the front — smaller hardware

260 × 9 mm solid, limit 8.0 mm. If at or under limit, this project becomes rotors too — and the rear rotors come off with the retaining screws, so read the Reference tab first.
≥8.0mm
The caliper comes off with its pads; set it on the lower arm or hang it with a bungee. The hose is short on this car and will not tolerate the weight.
The rear rotors were last measured indirectly; the old pads show whether the rear has been doing its share or has been idle. Uneven inner/outer wear means the caliper needs attention.
The rear rotors have never been prepared. Same rules: medium disc or maroon hand pad, low speed, keep moving, both faces, stay off the chamfer, then clean to bare metal grey. The R1 ceramic compound is going onto whatever film is on there now — strip it.
Part 2600-1878-00 (Ceramic European, D1878 shape). Nothing on the friction face. Check the ears move freely in the bracket clips.
With the screw retracted in Phase 9, this is an easy straight push. Resistance means the retract is incomplete — go back, do not force.
Check the boot is seated properly around the piston before you slide the caliper over. A folded boot tears when the piston extends.
18 ft-lb
A connector that is not fully seated is the number one cause of a C1110 / C1111 warning after a rear brake job. Push it until it clicks, then tug it.
5.9 ft-lb
Reverse (counter-clockwise) with the E11 until the pad lightly touches the rotor — snug, not tight. Too far out and the parking brake applies with excessive force and faults.
Same spec as the front: 5×114.3, 80 ft-lb / 108 N·m.
80 ft-lb
11

EPB Function CheckDo this before you drive anywhere

Each cycle lets the system re-learn the pad position. Listen: the motor should sound the same each time, with a clean stop. Grinding or a strained note means something is binding.
On stands, car in N. If either wheel drags, the piston or the retract is wrong. Do not road-test a dragging brake — it will cook the new pads and warp the rotor.
Apply the EPB, then try to turn each rear wheel. It must not move. Then release and confirm both are free again.
Brake system, EPB, and stability-control lamps should all be off. If C1110 or C1111 is present: check the actuator connector first — it is the most common cause by a wide margin, not a mechanical fault.
Not required, but cheap insurance. A stored code you do not know about becomes a mystery warning light two weeks later.
WARNING — do not apply the parking brake on a hot rear rotor

After bedding or any hard braking, the rear rotors are hot. Apply the EPB and you clamp a hot pad against a stationary disc — the same pad-imprinting failure as the front. Park in P with the wheels chocked, and leave the parking brake off until everything has cooled down.

12

Rear Bedding & Close-OutLighter than the front — same rules

It does not need the full race-pad ritual. The rear does roughly 30% of the braking, so it will bed naturally within the first few hundred miles of normal driving. A gentle version of the front sequence — a handful of 40→10 mph stops with no full stop — is plenty.
The front procedure's decelerations also work the rear. Do not run two separate sessions back to back with hot brakes.
This is the final sign-off. A cold re-check catches thermal-related problems that a warm check hides.
PROJECT 2 COMPLETE → SIGN HERE

Reference

Data to read before, during, and after the job. Not sequential — look things up.

Torque Table

FastenerTorqueConfidence & note
Caliper bracket bolts (front, 17 mm, M12)80 ft-lb / 108 N·mHigh — five sources agree. Not touched this session.
Wheel lug nuts (all four corners)80 ft-lb / 108 N·mHigh — star pattern, two passes.
Front guide-pin bolt~25 ft-lb / 34 N·mLow — low-torque floating fastener. Do NOT use 37 ft-lb (that is the Si caliper value).
Rear caliper bolts18 ft-lb / 24 N·mMedium — community reference for this platform.
EPB actuator housing (2× 5 mm hex)5.9 ft-lb / 8 N·mMedium — light fastener, over-torque cracks the housing.
Rotor retaining screws (M6×14, JIS #3)5–7 ft-lb / 7–9 N·mMedium — not removed this session. M6: low torque or it strips.
Bleed screw~7 ft-lb / 10 N·mMedium — only if bleeding.
CAUTION — the screws the guide says never to disturb

Bracket bolts: dry torque spec. No anti-seize, no grease — lubricant makes the same 80 ft-lb produce a higher preload and can stretch or snap the bolt. Clean the threads with a wire brush first; rust eats torque. Two bolts, alternating, in stages: hand-tight → 40 → 80.

Parts & Consumables

ItemPart / specNotes
Front padsEBC DP51655NDXBluestuff NDX, μ 0.52, R90 legal, pre-scorched, stable to 550°C. One box = both front wheels.
Rear padsR1 2600-1878-00Ceramic European, D1878 shape. Already owned.
Brake cleanerNon-chlorinated ×2Blaster 20-BC ($5.80 at Home Depot) or CRC non-chlorinated. Never chlorinated.
Brake greaseHigh-temp siliconeBacking plates and pad ears only. A different product from anti-seize.
Anti-seizeCopper or nickelOnly for rotor retaining screws if they ever come out. Never on bracket threads.
Surface conditioning discsRYOBI A9116022″ backer with ¼″ shank + fine/medium/coarse discs. $27.22 at Home Depot.
Lint-free clothsSeveralChange cloth the moment it is loaded — a dirty cloth just moves the oil.
Gloves, eye protection, respiratorNitrile + N95Brake dust contains metal particulate. Do not dry-brush it into the air.

Troubleshooting

SymptomLikely causeAction
Pedal goes to the floorPistons not seated / leakPump pedal 10–15×. If it does not firm up, or fluid disappears: do not drive. Find the leak.
Pulsation when brakingDisc thickness variation (front) or uneven transfer layerIf it appeared after bedding, the transfer layer is uneven — re-run the rotor prep and re-bed. If it persists, have the rotors measured for parallelity. It is not always an emergency.
Squeal at low speed, light brakingPad ears dry, or missing grease on backing plateRemove the pads, clean the bracket clips, re-grease backing plates and ears. Normal break-in squeal fades within a few hundred miles.
Grinding noisePad worn to backing plate, or a foreign objectStop driving. Jack up, inspect. Grinding is metal-on-metal.
EPB warning light / C1110 / C1111Actuator connector not fully seated (most common), or a retract that went wrongFirst, check the connector under the car at the rear calipers — push until it clicks. Then cycle the EPB. If the code persists, read all modules with the AP200.
Brake pulls to one sideOne caliper dragging / pads not free in the bracketFeel the wheels after a short drive — a dragging brake runs hot. Clean the bracket clips, verify pad float.
Soft/spongy pedal that fadesOld brake fluid boilingNot caused by this job — but this is the trigger for a fluid change before the next track day. See below.

What Comes Next

At 100 milesRe-torque all lug nuts to 80 ft-lb. Re-check pedal feel and watch for new noise.
At 200–300 milesInspect rotor faces — the transfer layer should be uniform grey. Note the wear pattern on the pads if you have the wheels off.
Before the next track dayBrake fluid upgrade. Current fluid is standard DOT 4 (dry boiling point ~260°C). Motul RBF600 is 312°C dry / 205°C wet. Two to three 500 ml bottles. Do not buy it early — an opened bottle absorbs moisture.
Every track dayCheck front pad thickness — Bluestuff wears faster than a street pad. Check the fluid level after each session.
Track-day habitCool-down lap, then park in P with the parking brake off. Never let the pads bake onto a hot rotor.

Session Log

Fill in and keep. This is your baseline for the next inspection.

Date_______________________
Odometer_______________________
Front rotor L / R_______ mm / _______ mm
Rear rotor L / R_______ mm / _______ mm
Front pads installedDP51655NDX   Lot: ______________
Rear pads installedR1 2600-1878-00
Bedding method☐ Full 2-cycle   ☐ Street 100 mi
Notes_______________________
Brake Service Checklist · 2016 Civic EX-T Coupe (FC3) · 2HGFC3B32GH353356
Built for the driveway, not the dealership. Verify every torque value against your own judgment.