Rep Power: 188

The front brake are really easy to do. I borrowed this DIY from another site since I did not take pictures when I did mine. You can also just use a "C" clamp and your old pad for the piston compression too..

Replacement

1. Raise the front of the vehicle, and support it with safety stands in the proper locations.
2. Remove the front wheels.
3. Remove the flange bolt (A) while holding the caliper pin (B) with a wrench. Be careful not to damage the pin boot, and pivot the caliper (C) up out of the way. Check the hose and pin boots for damage and deterioration.

4. Remove the pad shims (A) and brake pads (B).

5. Remove the pad retainers (A).

6. Clean the caliper bracket (B) thoroughly; remove any rust, and check for grooves and cracks.
7. Check the brake disc for damage and cracks.
8. Apply a thin coat of M-77 assembly paste (P/N 08798-9010) to the retainers on their mating surfaces (indicated by the arrows) against the caliper bracket.
9. Install the pad retainers. Wipe excess assembly paste off the retainers. Keep any assembly paste off the discs and pads.
10. Apply a thin coat of M-77 assembly paste (P/N 08798-9010) to the pad side of the shims (A), the back of the brake pads (B) and the other areas indicated by the arrows. Wipe excess assembly paste off the pad shims and brake pads. Contaminated brake discs or brake pads reduce stopping ability. Keep grease and assembly paste off the brake discs and brake pads.

11. Install the brake pads and pad shims correctly. Install the brake pad with the wear indicator (C) on the upper inside. If you are reusing the brake pads, always reinstall the brake pads in their original positions to prevent a momentary loss of braking efficiency.
12. Mount the brake caliper piston compressor (A) on the caliper body (B).

13. Press in the piston with the brake caliper piston compressor so the caliper will fit over the brake pads. Make sure the piston boot is in position to prevent damaging it when pivoting the caliper down. NOTE: Be careful when pressing in the piston, the brake fluid might overflow from the master cylinder's reservoir.
14. Remove the brake caliper piston compressor.
15. Pivot the caliper down into position. Install the flange bolt (A), and tighten it to the specified torque while holding the caliper pin (B), with a wrench. Be careful not to damage the pin boot.

16. Press the brake pedal several times to make sure the brakes work. NOTE: Engagement may require a greater pedal stroke immediately after the brake pads have been replaced as a set. Several applications of the brake pedal will restore the normal pedal stroke.
17. After installation, check for leaks at hose and line joints or connections, and retighten if necessary. Test-drive the vehicle, then check for leaks

 
Rep Power: 285

Awesome, thanks for posting this!

+rep

 
Rep Power: 0

Do you usually machine/turn the rotors with a brake pad change? I have a 2011 LX with 30k. I think this will be its first brake job so do the rotors need to be changed too? How thick should they be?

Thanks!
Jeremy

 
Rep Power: 0

I remove both bolts from the Caliper in order to make sure both caliper pins slide in and out easy - I remove the pins and put a thin coat of 'Brake caliper lube' on each pin before reinstalling.
If you do remove the caliper hang it under car with something like a coat hanger or bungee cord, DO NOT let it hang by the brake line. Note position of rubber boots before removal and how they fit over parts to keep dust and water out.
If a rubber boot is torn replace it, if dust and water gets in the pin will stick and the pads will not work as they should.

 
Rep Power: 367

your car is completely different from the 8th/9th gen cars.

deleting your post since it does not belong to the DIY section

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for this guide!

I'm getting ready to do my front brakes my self for the first time on my 2012 Civic LX with a manual Transmission. In shopping for pads, I noticed one retailer (Napa in Canada) has pads specific to manual, and pads specific to automatic transmissions. I haven't seen that designation anywhere else I've looked.

Is there a difference in front brake pads on manual/automatic models? If it doesn't specify should I be safe?

 
Rep Power: 222

Never heard of that before, check and see if Honda lists 2 different pads, I doubt they do