Owners of other Nissan or Infiniti vehicles such as the Versa, Maxima, Juke, Rogue, Murano, Xterra, Pathfinder, Sentra, Cube, Armada, Quest, Frontier, Titan, G25, G37 and M37 may also find this guide to be helpful.

To complete this front brake job, you'll need the following items: a floor jack, jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 14mm socket with ratchet, a "C" or "F" clamp and a set of new brake pads.

New front brake pads for the 2007-2012 Nissan Altima cost anywhere from about $15 for "economy" semi-metallic pads to almost $70 for "performance" ceramic pads. I've had good luck with the Wagner ThermoQuiet QC815 ceramic pads.

Then raise the front side of the car that you plan on working on first with the floor jack and securely support it with jack stands.

(Alternatively, you could lift the entire front of the car by the center jack point and support each side with jack stands.)

Completely remove the five lug nuts and carefully pull the wheel off the wheel bearing hub. Behind the wheel, you'll find the brake rotor and the brake caliper.

Use a 14mm socket with ratcheting wrench to loosen the lower caliper bolt by turning it counter clockwise.

If you have trouble turning the bolt, use a rubber mallet or place a breaker bar over the wrench to help break it free.

To prevent the caliper from crashing down on your fingers or the brake rotor, secure it to the suspension spring using a piece of twine or rope.

If you have trouble removing them, try wiggling the brake pads while pulling or tapping the caliper assembly with the rubber mallet.

If your new brake pads didn't come with metal backing plates, save the old ones and install them on to the new pads.

You'll also need to take off the wear indicator or "squeal" bar from the top of the outer brake pad and install it in the same location on the new outer brake pad.

Next, remove the cap from the brake fluid reservoir located within the engine bay just behind the engine air box.

This will allow brake fluid from the caliper piston to easily flow back in the system when it is compressed during the next step.

Place the friction material side of one of the old brake pads evenly across the brake caliper piston and use the clamp to very slowly compress the piston back until it lies flush with the rubber boot.

Do not push the piston past where it lies even with the rubber boot.

Occasionally check the level in the brake fluid reservoir while you compress the caliper piston to make sure it doesn't overflow.

Use some brake parts cleaner spray to clean the caliper and both sides of the brake rotor. If your brakes are prone to squeaking or squealing, apply some CRC Disc Brake Quiet gel on the back plates of the new pads where they come in contact with the caliper. (Do not apply anything and avoid touching the friction material side of the new pads.)

If your vehicle exhibits shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations while braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or just replace them altogether with brand new rotors.

Be sure that the wear indicator or "squeal" bar is installed into the same location and orientation as it was on the old pads.

The wear bar was installed at the top of the outer brake pad on this particular Nissan Altima.

If the pin is not adequately lubricated, apply some brake caliper grease or "high pressure moly-grease" and re-install it into the bracket.

Carefully cut the twine to release the brake caliper from the suspension spring and slowly swing it downwards over the new brake pads. If it doesn't fit over the new pads, you may need to compress the caliper piston some more.

Tighten the two caliper bolts using a 14mm socket and ratcheting wrench to just past hand tight. The Nissan Altima service manual specifies that the front caliper bolts should be tightened to 20 ft lb using a torque wrench.

Make sure that the caliper bolts are tight enough so that they will not vibrate loose.

They should be difficult to loosen with just a small ratcheting wrench by itself.

Check that the brake fluid in the reservoir is at the cold "Max" level. If it is above it, remove a bit with a spray bottle head, a turkey baster, or soak some up with a paper towel. If the level is too low, add a bit of fresh DOT 3 brake fluid until it reaches the cold "Max" line. Then replace the brake fluid reservoir cap to complete the job.

To break in your new brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid hard or "panic" stops.