2011 RAV4 Brakes

Changed the brakes and rotors on my nieces RAV4 yesterday and what a nightmare compared to my Tacoma. The wheels were all frozen on requiring a good kick to free them then each rotor was so rusted on I had to beat the shit out of them to get them free. I sprayed PB Blaster on them and used a 5# sledge and they finally broke free. Those bolt holes were useless by the way!!

I figured they’d be as easy as my Tacoma brakes but Toyota dropped the ball on this truck. The front brakes also come in two sizes so you need to make sure you buy the correct ones. It took me seven hours to complete an easy job like brakes. What a nightmare!!

 

^These symptoms may appear on the Taco, too, if the brakes aren't serviced regularly (like every two years). I've experienced it on my used 4Runner, which has the same brakes. In my case, no amount of hammering or back kicks could dislodge the wheel. I had to loosen the lugnuts and drive slowly around the block.

 

If you can't get the wheel off, the lug nuts might have been over torqued. I used to have to coax my wheels off with a board or rubber mallet at every tire change. That all stopped as soon as I started using a torque wrench set to the manufacturer's recommendation instead of just giving them as many ugga duggas as possible.

 

Had to do that on my Ex-Fiancé's car about 25 years ago, no amount of hammering or kicking would break the damn wheels free so ended up having to drive around the block with slightly loosened lugs.

 

^Don't hear the phrase "ex-fiance" very often...

 

Sounds like a rust problem not a toyota problem. When the wheels don't want to come off you're in for a tedious job, doesn't matter if it's a Chevy, Honda or otherwise

In the future put a block of wood against the inside of the rim to beat on, then you're not pounding directly on the wheel with the hammer. Also if you have a propane/butane torch you can use it right on the hub center and help break the bond of rust between the two metals

 

Echoing here.

I'd rather to a rusty rav4 brake job than a rusty tacoma.

The rears on rav4 are a bit stupid and you have to grind a lot to get the pads to sit in right again.

 

Subarus are the absolute worst when they get rusty. I have to sell calipers all the time because the pads and clips will never fit in the bracket correctly. You can grind and clean for an hour and they still won't fit sometimes

 

People give subarus far too much credit, they are a car with a goal and minimal spending on equipment to achieve that goal.

I honestly believe if you can't DIY, you shouldnt bother with a subaru out of warranty.

 

Agreed, for some reason they have a reputation for being rugged and reliable, and I have no idea why. They're always in the shop

 

I had a 1990-something Forester. It was a great "truck" until it started needing rel work. Couldn't get a Haynes for it, and had to make tools to do jobs because they don't sell them to the public. Great vehicle... until you need to work on it.

 

Ugh, that sounds like a real hassle! I had a similar issue with my old Corolla brakes. The rotors were so rusted on that I had to use a hammer and some serious elbow grease to get them off. It’s definitely a pain when a simple job turns into an all-day affair. For the next time, maybe give rust remover a shot before you start – it might save you some grief.