- 1). Place a car jack under the car, just in back of one of the front wheels, and hoist the car up. The jack must rest on a solid part of the car frame to avoid damage. Place a jack stand underneath the car, and lower it onto the jack stand. Place wheel blocks around the opposite wheel.
- 2). Pull off the wheel cover, if you have one. Some wheel covers require that you remove the lug nuts first, while others just have small clips that you push in to unlatch the cover from the wheel.
- 3). Remove the lug nuts with a lug wrench, and pull the wheel off.
- 4). Unscrew the caliper bolts, and slide the caliper out and away from the rotor. The caliper is the clamp that squeezes on the brake pads when you brake. Depending on the type of caliper, there should be two to four bolts.
- 5). Pull the brake pads off of the rotor, and set them aside.
- 6). Look closely at the rotor to see if you can see your reflection. If the rotor is not hot, run your fingernails across the rotor surface to inspect for grooves and cracks. Pull the rotor off, and check the other side. Repeat these steps for the other rotor. Some rotors have a screw that must be removed first. Spraying a lubricant on the screw should help to remove it.
- 7). Take the rotors to a local machine shop to be resurfaced if you are unable to see your reflection or if you found any small grooves. It should cost around $7 to $12 per rotor. If your rotors are cracked or have large divots in them, they will need to be replaced rather then turned.
- 8). Reassemble the vehicle in the reverse order that you took it apart, and lower the car to the ground.
- 9). Repeat the process for the rotor on the other side of the car.
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