The caliper is the clamp that squeezes the pads onto the rotor. When a caliper piston sticks or a slide pin seizes, that brake drags, overheats and wears its pad out long before the others. AutoTech Clinic diagnoses, rebuilds or replaces calipers at 24100 Michigan Ave in Dearborn and bleeds the system properly afterward.
A pull to one side under braking, a hot wheel after a short drive, or one pad worn to nothing while the other looks new are all caliper symptoms, not pad symptoms.
- How Long
- About 1.5 to 3 hours, including bleeding the system.
- Same Day
- Usually finished the same day.
- Vehicles
- Foreign and domestic, cars through trucks.
Signs You Need Brake Calipers
- The car pulls hard to one side every time you brake
- One wheel is much hotter than the others after a short drive
- A burning smell from one corner of the car
- Brake fluid wetness or a dark stain on the inside of a wheel
- The inner pad is worn to metal while the outer pad still has material
- The brake pedal feels soft and travels further than it used to
What We Do
- 01
Confirm It Is the Caliper
We check wheel temperature after a test drive, inspect pad wear on both sides and look for fluid at the piston seal and the flex hose.
- 02
Check the Slides and Hose
A seized slide pin or a collapsed flex hose can mimic a bad caliper exactly. Replacing a caliper when the hose is the problem fixes nothing, so we test both.
- 03
Replace or Rebuild
We install a new or remanufactured caliper with new hardware, or rebuild the existing unit where that is the right call for the vehicle.
- 04
Bleed the System
Air in the lines gives you a soft pedal. We bleed every corner in the correct sequence, and we use the scan tool to cycle the ABS pump where the vehicle requires it.
- 05
Road Test Under Load
We road test with hard stops from speed and recheck wheel temperatures to confirm the drag is gone and the car tracks straight.
Why Calipers Seize in Michigan
Salt and moisture work into the slide pin boots and the piston dust boot. Once water reaches bare metal, rust builds up and the piston or pin can no longer move freely. The brake then stays partly applied, which is why the wheel gets hot and the pad burns up.
Catching a seized caliper early usually saves the rotor. Left alone, the heat cooks the rotor surface and often the wheel bearing grease as well.
Calipers and the Flex Hose
The rubber flex hose between the hard line and the caliper can collapse internally as it ages. It then lets fluid in but not out, which holds pressure on the caliper and drags the brake even though the caliper itself is fine.
We test for this before condemning a caliper. It takes a few minutes and it stops you paying for the wrong part.
What Affects the Cost
We quote your vehicle specifically after inspecting it, because these are the things that move the number up or down:
- New versus remanufactured calipers
- One corner or both sides of an axle
- Electronic parking brake calipers, which cost more and need a scan tool
- Whether the flex hose, bracket or slide hardware also needs replacing
- A fluid flush if the system has been contaminated by a leak
Call (313) 277-7200 with your year, make and model and we will tell you what to expect before you come in.
Why AutoTech Clinic
AAA Approved
An inspected facility that has to meet AAA standards for equipment and training.
Photos First
You see what we found and approve the price before anything is taken apart.
Same-Day Service
Parts on hand for the vehicles we see most, so you are not waiting on a delivery.