Inside A NAPA Brake Package

Brake jobs are necessary part of automobile ownership. Whether you take your ride to a NAPA AutoCare Center or prefer to handle the task yourself, a NAPA Brake Package is the simplest way to get all the parts you need in one purchase. Available for most makes and models, the NAPA Rotor and Pad kits come in several flavors, including OE, premium, and the Adaptive One line.

You don’t always have to replace the rotors when you do a brake job. In fact, you shouldn’t have to replace the rotors in most cases, provided you got the job done BEFORE the pads wiped out a rotor. Unfortunately, today’s vehicles are so insulated from outside noise, you may not hear the wear indicator scraping the rotor until it is too late. Eventually, your rotors will wear down to a point that they cannot be salvaged through turning. Turning is a machining process that is done to remove deep scratches and uneven wear patterns from the rotor.  

Inside a NAPA Rotor and Pad kit is everything you need to replace your vehicle’s pads and rotors, including new retainer clips where applicable. Each kit is designed for one axle, meaning two pairs of pads and two rotors for either the front or rear of the car. The pads are boxed in complete sets. Most cars only use two pads per brake caliper, but some cars have multiple pads. The pads are also usually inboard or outboard specific, so make sure you match up the new pads to the side of the rotor.

The GMC Sierra 1500 we were working on uses these spring clips to hold the pads in place, unlike the other common style of pad, which rides on a bolt that secures the caliper to the spindle. Instead, these clips grab the pad and hold it securely in the caliper. These also have tab that is slowly bent as the pads wear. Eventually this tab touches the rotor and makes them squeal. This is the wear indicator.

The rotors are packaged individually. Each box contains one rotor, wrapped in a special rust-proof paper, inside a sealed plastic bag. Nobody wants a rusty rotor!

To keep that rotor protected and looking good for years to come it gets special treatment from the factory. The entire unit is coated with a special rust-proof coating. Don’t worry, it isn’t the same as paint. The second you use your brakes for the first time, the coating vaporizes, leaving only the raw steel surface where the pads touch. The rest of the rotor stay the same color.

Brake jobs are not complicated, though they certainly can be if you find other issues such as cracked brake lines, leaky calipers, or other problems deeper in the suspension and steering systems. When in doubt, check with your local NAPA AutoCare Center for assistance.

Check out all the brake system products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for brake maintenance and repairs. For more information on NAPA brake rotor and pad kits, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.