Newer cars need always more maintenance, nevertheless, there are some more or less important ones. Today, we will look at a maintenance process that is needed to ensure your security at the wheel of your car. Indeed, we are gonna describe to you how to change the brake pads of your car in a Opel Astra? To do so , in a first step, we are going to see why it is important to swap the brake pads of your car, in a second step, we are going to see what is the technique to swap the brake pads of your Opel Astra, and finally, what is the price of this part.
Why changing the brake pads from my Opel Astra?
Before we see how to change the brake pads of your car, we will commence our article by describing you what the role of the brake pads is, and when they should be replaced.
Role of the brake pads on Opel Astra
The brake pads on an vehicle have a crucial purpose in the proper handling of your Opel Astra. Indeed, they are the ones that will ensure braking capability. They are a form of pairs of metal pads that will pinch the brake discs when you press the brake pedal to slow down and stop your Opel Astra. These auto parts are consumables and consist of a coating that will wear with time and use, hence the interest of replacing them on a regular basis to keep maximum braking.
When to change the brake pads of your Opel Astra?
And right now we will explain to you how to know if you have to change the brake pads of your Opel Astra. Take notice that dependant on the use you have of your car (city or highway for example), the wear of your brake pads will not be the same at all. Indeed, if you use your brakes regularly, their lifespan will inevitably be decreased. We consider that, in general, the brake pads of a vehicle have a longevity of about 10,000 to 30,000 kilometres. However, there are some signs that should notify you to the wear of your car’s brake pads:
- A squeaking sound.
- Much longer braking distance.
- Brake pedal vibration: If this is your case, but your brake pads are in good condition, check our article on brake vibration on Opel Astra, to discover the cause of your issue.
- A brake pedal that’s too hard or too soft…
If you have any of these signals, do not think twice to examine the state of your brake pads yourself, either by removing the front wheels and verifying their state, or by going directly to a service area.
How to change the brake pads of my Opel Astra?
We will now move on to the part you are most focused on, how to swap the brake pads from your Opel Astra?. Down below we will describe the simple steps to follow to change the brake pads of your car accurately:
- Purchase brake pads adapted to your Opel Astra, to perform this use your car registration to be sure of suitability with your vehicle when ordering on a specialized website or in a shop.
- Put your car on stands (being careful to lock the handbrake and engage a gear and unlock the bolts of the wheels you want to act on before you lift the car).
- Take out the wheels in question.
- Before removing the clamp from your calipers, think about using a flat screwdriver to lever between the pad and the disc to totally push the piston of your calipers, otherwise you will not be able to put the new brake pads.
- Generally, thanks to a big Torx tip, you’ll have 2 screws to remove to be able to swap the brake pads of your car and thus be able to take out the brake calipers from it.
- Once you take away the clamp from your calipers, you will be able to serenely take away the two old pads and replace them with the new brake pads.
- Be sure they are in the right spot before you re-install the brake calipers on your Opel Astra.
- Don’t forget to finish locking your wheels on the ground, otherwise your transmission will be damaged.
- To finish, take into account that brake pads need a running-in period of 500 to 1000km, so you will have to drive very cautiously the first 100km and take care until you reach 500km.
.
That’s it, now you know how to swap the brake pads on your car.
What is the price of brake pads for an Opel Astra?
Finally, last part of our article on the procedure to swap the brake pads of your Opel Astra. It’s just to give you an idea of the price of the brake pads of your car. Dependant on the finish of your car (sport or not), the pads will be different and therefore the price will also fluctuate, nevertheless, usually it will take between 20 and 40 € for a set of 4 brake pads at a specialized online site like Oscaro, you can find here their entire offer of brake pads for your car. The advantages of this type of site is the choice, the price and the after-sales service you get. Finally, if you go to a workshop or specialized shops you should be able to find the set of pads between 30 and 60€.
If you wish more tutorials on the Opel Astra, go to our Opel Astra category.
