Owners of other Honda or Acura vehicles with similar rear brake hardware such as the Pilot, Insight, CR-Z, Accord, Civic, Fit, Crosstour, Odyssey, Ridgeline, TSX, ILX, TLX, TL, RLX, RDX and MDX may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a floor jack, two jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 12mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet or a 12mm wrench, a thin 17mm cone spanner wrench, a "C" or "F" clamp and a tube of brake parts lubricant grease.

A few compatible replacement sets of front brake pads with their part numbers include the following: Bosch BC1086, Wagner PD1086, Wearever PNAD1086, Akebono ACT1086, ACDelco 14D1086C, Monroe CX1086 and Power Stop 16-1086.

Slightly loosen the 5 lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

Then raise the rear of the vehicle with the floor jack and securely support it with the two jack stands.

(I prefer to work on one side of the car at a time to keep three wheels on the ground for extra safety.)

Spin off the 5 lug nuts and set them aside in a safe place.

Pull off the rear wheel to reveal the caliper, bracket, rotor and suspension.

Loosen the upper caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 12mm and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

If you are unable to loosen the caliper bolt because the caliper slider pin begins to spin, hold it in place with a thin 17mm cone spanner wrench or you may be able to use an adjustable crescent wrench.

Then loosen the lower 12mm caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) while holding the slider pin with the 17mm wrench.

Try to avoid stressing, bending or kinking the rubber brake fluid hose.

Pull the old outer brake pad out of the caliper bracket and set it aside.

Pull the old inner brake pad out of the caliper piston. It is held in place to the caliper piston by three metal clips or "prongs".

On this 2011 CR-V, the wear indicator bar was situated at the bottom of the inner brake pad.

In order for the caliper to fit over the thicker new brake pads, the caliper piston needs to be compressed back.

Attach the "C" or "F" clamp to the caliper using the back of an old brake pad to evenly distribute the force across the piston.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction.

Removing the reservoir cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel back through the lines when you push in the pistons.

Clean up any spilled brake fluid immediately since it can easily damage painted surfaces.

Compress the piston back until it is flush with its rubber dust boot.

Try to avoid pinching or otherwise damaging the rubber dust boot.

Replace the reservoir cap as soon as possible since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air).

If your new set of rear pads included replacement brake hardware, pull the old metal pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket before installing the new ones in their place.

Pull the upper and lower caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots, apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to each one before pushing them back in to place.

Thoroughly clean off the brake rotor, caliper bracket, brake caliper assembly and the lug nut studs with brake parts cleaner spray. Do not use compressed air or blow with your mouth to clean off the brake parts since breathing in brake dust can be harmful to your health. Brake dust can be carcinogenic (cancer causing) if inhaled.

If your CR-V previously exhibited shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations in the rear end during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or it may be easier and less expensive to just replace them with new rotors. If this is the car's first rear brake job and the rotors appear to be in good condition, you should be able to just change the pads with great results.

To remove the existing rotors and install new ones, remove the two bolts on the rear of the caliper bracket that attach it to the steering knuckle. Then loosen the old rotor with a rubber mallet, pull it off, and slide the new one in its place.

Apply a thin layer of brake caliper grease to any area where there is metal to metal contact such as the outer lip of the caliper piston and the back of the new pads. Do not apply brake parts lubricant to the friction surface of the new pads or to the face of the rotor.

Install the new inner brake pad in to the caliper by pushing the metal prongs on the back in to the center of the piston.

The wear indicator bar should be situated at the bottom of the new inner brake pad.

Carefully re-insert the caliper in to the bracket and line up the bolt holes in the caliper with their corresponding holes in the slider pins within the bracket.

Then tighten the two caliper bolts in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the car) with the 12mm socket and ratcheting wrench to just past hand tight or about 29 ft-lbs of torque.

Double check that both the upper and lower caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

If your brake pedal previously felt soft or spongy, the brake fluid may be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain some air bubbles.

It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old fluid and replace it with new DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With An Assistant DIY Guide or alternatively the Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With A Power Bleeder Guide.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located underneath a rubber cap on the back side of the caliper just below the upper caliper bolt.

Slightly tighten the 5 lug nuts in a crisscross or "star" pattern in the clockwise direction with the lug nut wrench.

Continue progressively tightening the 5 lug nuts in the clockwise direction in a crisscross or "star" pattern to about 1/4 turn past hand tight or about 80 ft-lbs of torque.

It would be best to use a torque wrench or a torque stick with an impact wrench to properly tighten the lug nuts.

Sit in the driver's seat of the vehicle and firmly press the brake pedal a few times to restore the brake line pressure. Check the brake fluid in the reservoir and verify that it is at the proper level. If it is low, pour in some fresh DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid.

To break in (or "bed-in") your new brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which may glaze over the new pads and cause them to be noisy and/or not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, and verify that the lug nuts are still tight after a short test drive.

For more, check out my other Honda CR-V Repair & Maintenance Guides.