2012 Honda Fit drum brake help needed

Joined
Nov 24, 2020
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9
Hello Everyone,

I need to change drum brakes on my 2012 Honda Fit Sport. Is there a good brand out there that can give me at least 50k miles usage. The vehicle has 140k and is on original drum brakes but I know it does need replacement from the inspection while changing fluid 4 years ago.

I have Amazon and see that ACDelco 17913B Professional Bonded fits and is $35, which is almost twice as expensive as some other brands, but this ACDelco unit doesn’t have many reviews and rating is low. Any good recommendation? Driving habit is easy going as evidenece by the ability to get 140k on original set that still have some life in it.

Also, is Mobil 1 synthetic brake fluid good? I don’t have a lot of tools to work on things anymore so my friend is helping me so I rather lay extra for parts that last long so I wouldn’t have to replace them often purely from convenience and overall cost. As we all work from home now, I may not need to replace them again in 10+ years and likely 15 years so somethin that cost $40 that can last that long is better than $30 and only last 5 years. The next time these will get replace we all be having flying cars so drum brakes will likely be expensive then.

And covers look good so do I need to replace them or just continue to use the OEM covers? If one can provide link to either Amazon or RockAuto of good drum brake for this vehicle, I would really appreciate it.

Attached is the two I found on Amazon and the much cheaper ones has much better rating.
 
Yeah I believe AC Delco is reboxed parts. Also never knew Mobil 1 made brake fluid so it would be cool if you tried it and let us know how you like it.
 
Drums don't build up the heat or have the stresses like a rotor and is not an issue as far as brands go. I get my stuff from Rockauto and buy the brand which all ship from the same warehouse. I buy either Bendix, Wagner or Raybestos for all my braking needs. ANY major brand fluid will do, I don't get any more excited with Mobil One versus anything else.
 
Welcome to BITOG :)

Brembo makes some good ceramic shoes for your Fit

Another set of shoes to consider is MK Kashiyama K5547. They are made in Japan.

Honda sells their shoes individually, and buying a set of 4 of them will end up being over $80 :censored:

For the drum itself, get Powerstop or Wagner coated drums.

Honda wants you to change the brake fluid every 3 years regardless of mileage. If you do, even the cheapest brake fluid at Walmart will be fine for those three years. If you desire premium brake fluid, Bosch ESI6 is a good price on Amazon.
 
Make sure that you really need to change the shoe and the drum.
Drum brake should last a long time for long mileage.
So inspect it and if it is still good, all you need is to clean the inside of the drum.

You probably need to change the fluid regardless but that does not require you to change the drum or the shoe.
 
To the OP how aggressive are you braking? On my 97 civic I've never changed drums, only cleaned them with brake cleaner. I've only changed the shoes once. Unless your shoes are right down to the rivets, and your shoes have made deep groves into the drum surface, you should only need the shoes replaced.

I wouldn't worry about getting the most expensive shoes for your fit unless you are racing this car.
 
Ratings are pretty useless for this type of thing. What is the reference, the old worn brakes? a new condition Honda Fit? Ratings are only usefull for fit and finish, how the order and delivery process went and how complaints are handled.
 
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I forgot to mention that every year to 18 months I remove the rear drums and clean them and the shoes with brake cleaner and inspect everything.

I think removal of the dust that accumulates at the bottom of the drum helps with longevity of components. We always use the emergency brakes as well. This past summer I had to change the rear lines, wheel cylinders, hoses and emergency brakes after owning the car for 24 years. Should be good for another 10+ years. I flush brake fluid every 3-4 years max.
 
OP Here. Thank you all.

I put 80k miles since the last fluid change but driving conditions were mostly highway and limited urban and some suburban. I check the fluid every two or three weeks when I top of windshield fluid and clean the window. it still looks good in term of color and braking action is still solid. I was going to chan it last June but my buddy saw that the shoes should be replaced and we planned to do the tasks together.

I’ll get the Raybesto for $17 then since it has good review. I was hoping to pay more for something known for long life. It looks like telew is a new norm now so driving will be drastically reduce as I have 3 cars and haven’t seen my office in a yea.

The last three times I bought brake pads from Honda dealership, they did last that long. i think one rear set lasted 1/3 the mileage as the factor. Therefore, I stopped buying anything from dealership beside the cars themselves and the ATF.

I’ll read up on other brands to see which ones have long life, which is most important to me as the front brakes do most of the work so I just want good durable rear brakes since I can’t inspect barke shoes by myself like I can with brake pads.

Thank you again.
 
Make sure that you really need to change the shoe and the drum.
Drum brake should last a long time for long mileage.
So inspect it and if it is still good, all you need is to clean the inside of the drum.

You probably need to change the fluid regardless but that does not require you to change the drum or the shoe.

Drum brakes are original factory set with 9 years and 140k miles on them. My buddy was gling to help me change the fluid last June (136k mile mark) when he checked the wear and said they could use a new set. The drums look fine amd it is the coated drums so there is no rust issues and are likely better than aftermarket parts.
 
To the OP how aggressive are you braking? On my 97 civic I've never changed drums, only cleaned them with brake cleaner. I've only changed the shoes once. Unless your shoes are right down to the rivets, and your shoes have made deep groves into the drum surface, you should only need the shoes replaced.

I wouldn't worry about getting the most expensive shoes for your fit unless you are racing this car.
I drive gently but I can’t tell how my wife drives it. A few times she droves with me as passenger, I would say wear rate is 2X with her. I am only going to change the shoes and not the drums, which are coated so I’ll just clean them.

Since labor is via a friend and he’ll be too old 10 years from now when they need changing again, I figure maybe save on future shop labor and upsell by spending an extra $10 on quality parts now. And I don’t have problems buying premium tires and brakes since those are critical items.
 
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Drum brakes are original factory set with 9 years and 140k miles on them. My buddy was gling to help me change the fluid last June (136k mile mark) when he checked the wear and said they could use a new set. The drums look fine amd it is the coated drums so there is no rust issues and are likely better than aftermarket parts.
Just buy new shoes and horseshoe clips from Honda. The Honda shoes are sold individually, btw.
 
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ordered some raybesto shoes from Amazon two weeks ago and they’ll be here middle of March. after getting pads from Homda for my Accord and they didn’t last that long, I don’t think OEM means original parts from factory and maybe just aftermarket parts that the dealership get and mark up. It is very unfortunate be I don’t mind paying extra for parts to not have to replace as often. for example, if the new set would last as long as old set, I wouldnt mind paying $50 per axle. I am looking at $20 per axle from Amazon and it the the highest rated product with familiar name.

Thank you all.
 
ordered some raybesto shoes from Amazon two weeks ago and they’ll be here middle of March. after getting pads from Homda for my Accord and they didn’t last that long, I don’t think OEM means original parts from factory and maybe just aftermarket parts that the dealership get and mark up. It is very unfortunate be I don’t mind paying extra for parts to not have to replace as often. for example, if the new set would last as long as old set, I wouldnt mind paying $50 per axle. I am looking at $20 per axle from Amazon and it the the highest rated product with familiar name.

Thank you all.
Pad formulas have changed a lot in the last few years due to the copper regulations. What you buy today is different than what was factory-installed.
 
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ordered some raybesto shoes from Amazon two weeks ago and they’ll be here middle of March. after getting pads from Homda for my Accord and they didn’t last that long, I don’t think OEM means original parts from factory and maybe just aftermarket parts that the dealership get and mark up. It is very unfortunate be I don’t mind paying extra for parts to not have to replace as often. for example, if the new set would last as long as old set, I wouldnt mind paying $50 per axle. I am looking at $20 per axle from Amazon and it the the highest rated product with familiar name.

Thank you all.
Not unless they are counterfeit or the dealership is unethical. If it comes in a Honda box then it is a Honda part. It's very odd that rear brake shoes would have a short life on your vehicle, I have them on my two old Toyota cars and the Honda. Generally stuff rusts out or the adjuster gets jammed up before the shoes wear out. Are you certain there isn't some underlying mechanical issue?
 
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I'd check the front brakes, rears tend to last pretty long. Maybe on a Fit, Honda increased rear pressure to prevent nose dive under gentle to moderate braking? That seems somewhat common on rear brakes in recent years. I wonder if your front brakes are nice and free to do their job--or if the rears are doing more work because, well, they are.

For a plain-jane car I'm not sure there is difference between the brake fluid brands? I just use Supertech from Walmart, my rides are boring and simply don't have high "needs". Just running fluid through them every couple of years should put it well ahead of the fleet out on the roads.
 
Front brakes were replaced 20k miles ago at 120k mark. The car had a very long commute on country and small town highway roads for 5 years at 110 miles each day.
 
I'd check the fronts. Up here mine will seize up if I leave them alone for two years. Yearly I take them apart, apply some grease to the pad ears, and reassemble, after removing any rust of course.

if I redo every six months, grease is still present. 12 months, and it's basically gone--but still free. 2 years and it's all stuck together, time for the hammers.

YMMV.
 
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