Owners of other Mazda vehicles such as the Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, CX-3, CX-5, CX-7, CX-9, and the MX-5 Miata may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools and other items needed to complete the procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet, a thin 17mm cone spanner wrench, a "C" or "F" clamp and a tube of brake caliper grease.

A few compatible sets of new front brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1711, Mazda OEM G4YA-33-28ZA, Power Stop Z23-1711 Z23, Bosch BC1711, TRW TPC1711 & Monroe Brakes GX1711.

Place wheel chocks on both sides of the rear tires to prevent the vehicle from moving.

Slightly loosen the five lug nuts on the front wheel by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron, which should be located in the trunk on top of the spare tire.

Raise the front of the car with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands.

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

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

Carefully pull off the front wheel to reveal the rotor, bracket, caliper and suspension.

Loosen the bottom caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

Then loosen the top 14mm caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the car).

Spin out the two caliper bolts by hand and set them aside in a safe place.

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

Pull the two old brake pads out of the bracket and make a mental note of where the wear indicator bars or "squeal" bars are situated.

On this 2016 Mazda 6, the wear indicator bars were situated at the top of both the inner and outer brake pads.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay (closest to the driver seat) and twist off the round black plastic brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cap aside in a safe place.

Removing the reservoir cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily track back through the lines when you compress the caliper pistons.

Placing a rag over the reservoir is a good idea. (Credit "P.R. via Email - Thank you!)

Continue compressing the piston until it is just about flush with the rubber dust boot surrounding it.

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

Replace the reservoir cap as soon as possible by twisting it on in the clockwise direction. Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it readily absorbs moisture from the air which could lead to reduced braking performance.

If your new set of front pads included replacement brake hardware, remove the old pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket.

Apply a thin layer of brake caliper grease to the parts of the new pad abutment clips where they will come in contact with the bracket or the tabs ("ears") of the new pads.

Push the new pad abutment clips in to the top and bottom of the bracket.

Pull the caliper slider pins straight out of their rubber dust boots attached to the bracket.

Apply a thin layer of high temperature synthetic brake parts lubricant grease to the smooth parts of each pin.

Push the two caliper slider pins back in to their rubber dust boots and spin them around a bit to spread the grease.

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

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

 If your Mazda 6 previously exhibited shuddering, pulsations, or vibrations in the front end during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or just replace them with brand new rotors. If this is the first front brake job on your car and the rotors appear to be in excellent condition, you should be able to just replace the pads with great results.

To remove the existing rotors and install new ones, remove the two 17mm 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.

Be sure to clean the wheel hub with a wire brush to remove any rust or debris. Credit to "P.R." via email. Thank you for the tip.

Note From A Fellow Mazda6 Owner Via Email - "The caliper bracket bolts, 17mm, need to be torqued to ~70 ft-lbs." Credit to "P.R." via email for the tip. Thank You!

Install the two new brake pads in to the bracket with the wear bars situated at the top of both the inner and outer pads.

Push the pads together until they are flush against the rotor.

Gently lower the caliper over the new pads and in to the bracket.

Line up the bolt holes in the caliper with their corresponding holes in the slider pins within the bracket.

Tighten the two caliper bolts to just past hand tight or about 23-28 lb-ft of torque by turning them counterclockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

If the caliper slider pins move as you are trying to tighten the bolts, hold them in place with a thin 17mm cone spanner wrench.

(If you replaced the rotors, the larger 17mm caliper bracket bolts should be tightened to about 68 to 81 lb-ft of torque.)

Double check that the two caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

If your brake pedal has been feeling soft or spongy, the brake fluid might be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain a few air bubbles.

It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old contaminated fluid and replace it with some fresh DOT 3 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 top caliper bolt.

Push the front wheel back in to place.

Spin the five lug nuts on a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Carefully lower the front of the car from the jack stands by using the floor jack.

Continue progressively tightening the lug nuts in the clockwise direction in a "star" or "criss cross" pattern to about 1/4 to 1/3 turn past hand tight or about 80 to 108 lb-ft of torque (per the owner's manual specifications).

I usually tighten the lug nuts to somewhere in the middle of that range or about 85 to 95 lb-ft.

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

Be sure to remove the wheel chocks from the rear tires and record the brake pad change in your car's service records.

I'd also recommend checking that the lug nuts are still tight after your first trip and every few weeks.

For more, check out my other 2014-2018 Mazda Mazda6 DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.