2007-2009 Kia Amanti Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2007-2009 Kia Amanti means servicing a four-wheel disc system with ABS, with the front carrying most of the work on this heavy, front-wheel-drive V6 sedan. Most owners replace front pads and rotors first and the rear set later, and the classic warnings are a high-pitched squeal, a pulsing pedal or grinding. This guide covers how the system is laid out, how to tell which end needs work, what to replace together and what drives the cost.

How the 2007-2009 Amanti Brake System Is Laid Out

The later Amanti is a large front-wheel-drive sedan with a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 264 horsepower and a base curb weight of about 3,770 pounds, according to published factory specifications. Moving that much mass takes real brake capacity, and Kia fitted power-assisted discs at all four corners with a four-wheel anti-lock system.

Two things follow from that layout. First, because the engine and transaxle sit over the front wheels and weight shifts forward under braking, the front pads and rotors do most of the stopping and wear out first. Second, since the rear is also disc rather than drum, a full brake job on this car is pads and rotors on both axles, not pads up front and shoes out back. The parking brake works through the rear brakes, so check its adjustment and cable movement whenever the rear is apart.

Symptoms That Your Amanti Needs Brakes

The Amanti gives the same warnings as most disc-brake cars. Wagner's technical guidance lists the ones worth acting on:

• High-pitched squeal when braking. Most pads carry a small metal wear tab that contacts the rotor as the friction material gets thin. The squeal is the tab telling you it is time.
• Grinding. A metal-on-metal sound usually means the pad is worn through to its backing plate and is now cutting the rotor. Stop driving on it and replace the pads and rotors on that axle.
• Pulsing or vibrating pedal. Usually uneven rotor thickness or deposits on the rotor surface. On a heavy car like this one it often shows up first on highway stops.
• Pulling to one side. Can point to a sticking caliper slide or piston, a collapsed hose, or pads worn unevenly side to side.
• Thin pads on inspection. Wagner's guideline is that if you see less than a quarter inch of pad, the pads are thin and need replacing. On the Amanti you can often see the outer pad through the wheel spokes; the inner pad usually wears faster and needs the wheel off to check.

Also watch your brake lights. The 2007-2009 Amanti is included in a Kia stop lamp switch recall (NHTSA campaign 13V114000). A failing switch can keep the brake lights from coming on when you press the pedal, keep them lit when you do not, stop the shifter from leaving Park, or prevent the brake pedal from cancelling cruise control. The remedy is a free dealer replacement of the switch. Check your VIN on the NHTSA recall lookup; it is a switch issue, not a pad or rotor issue, so new brakes will not fix it.

Front vs Rear: What Wears and in What Order

Expect the front pads to go first, often by a wide margin. The fronts do the bulk of the braking on a front-heavy sedan, so they build the most heat. The rear pads last longer, but the rear calipers have their own weak point: slide pins that are not cleaned and lubricated can seize, which leaves one pad dragging and wearing much faster than its partner.

Rotors are the judgment call. Wagner notes that severely worn pads often leave deep circular grooves in the rotor, and when you see that, the rotor needs service or replacement along with the pads and hardware. A lip at the rotor's outer edge, blue heat spots or a pulsing pedal are also reasons to replace rather than reuse. Measure against the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor itself; do not guess.

What to Replace Together

• Pads in axle sets. Always both sides of an axle, never one wheel.
• Rotors in pairs. If one rotor on an axle needs replacing, do both so the car stops straight.
• Hardware. Abutment clips and shims lose tension and cause noise. A brake hardware kit is cheap insurance on every pad job.
• Calipers when needed. A torn boot, a piston that will not retract, or a caliper that keeps one pad worn far thinner than the other means the caliper should be replaced. Wagner specifically flags sticking slides and pistons as a cause of premature pad wear. Remanufactured brake calipers are the usual fix.
• Hoses and fluid. Old fluid absorbs water, which lowers its boiling point. Federal standards require DOT 3 fluid to boil no lower than 284 F once wet and DOT 4 no lower than 311 F once wet, well below their dry ratings. Flush the system if the fluid is dark or the car has never had it done, and use the fluid grade printed on the reservoir cap or in the owner's manual. Replace any cracked or bulging brake hoses at the same time.

Pad choice matters on a car this heavy and this quiet inside. A good ceramic pad is the usual pick for the Amanti's commuter and highway use: low dust and low noise, and kind to rotors. Akebono, for example, says its ProACT ceramic pads are built for low noise, vibration and harshness with ultra-low dust and reduced rotor wear. Browse ceramic brake pads or matching brake rotors for your Amanti.

How Hard Is the Job?

For someone comfortable with basic tools, pads and rotors on the Amanti are a moderate job. Each axle follows the same pattern: loosen the lugs, lift and support the car on jack stands, remove the caliper and bracket, pull the rotor, clean the hub face, fit the new rotor, clean and lubricate the slide pins, install new hardware and pads, then retract the piston and refit the caliper. Tighten the caliper bolts and lug nuts to the values in the factory service manual.

The rear adds two small wrinkles. Rust between the rotor and hub is common on older cars, so plan on penetrating oil and some persuasion. Check the parking brake after the job; if it feels weak or has too much travel, adjust it per the service manual before driving. Once everything is together, pump the pedal until it is firm before moving the car, then bed in the new pads with a series of moderate stops from speed, following the pad maker's procedure.

If a caliper bleeder or a line fitting has to be opened, the job becomes a brake bleed as well. That is still a driveway job with a helper or a one-person bleeder, but it adds time and needs the correct fluid.

What Drives the Cost of an Amanti Brake Job

There is no single price for this job, because a few choices move the total a lot:

• Pads only vs pads and rotors. Pads alone are the cheapest service, but only when the rotors are smooth and above minimum thickness. Adding rotors raises parts cost and adds a little labor.
• One axle vs both. Most visits are fronts only. Doing both axles at once roughly doubles parts and labor but saves a second visit.
• Calipers, hoses and fluid. A seized caliper or a fluid flush turns a basic pad job into a larger repair.
• Parts grade. Economy, OE-grade and upgraded ceramic pads with coated rotors are priced differently. Coated rotors resist rust on the hat and edges, which helps on a car that sees salt.
• Labor. Doing it yourself removes labor entirely; a shop's rate and its markup on parts set the rest.

Buying a matched front and rear pad and rotor set and doing the work yourself is usually the lowest total for a full brake job. You can find all of it in our brake parts catalog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2007-2009 Kia Amanti have rear disc brakes?

Yes. Published specifications list disc brakes at both the front and rear with four-wheel ABS, so a full brake job means pads and rotors on both axles.

Which wears out first on the Amanti, front or rear brakes?

The front brakes. This front-wheel-drive V6 sedan carries most of its weight up front and shifts more forward under braking, so the front pads and rotors do most of the work.

Do I need new rotors every time I change pads?

Not always. If the rotors are smooth, free of deep grooves and above the minimum thickness stamped on them, new pads can go on. Replace them if they are grooved, lipped, heat-spotted or causing pedal pulsation.

My brake lights stay on or will not light. Is that a pad problem?

No. The 2007-2009 Amanti is covered by a Kia stop lamp switch recall (NHTSA 13V114000) for exactly those symptoms, plus a shifter stuck in Park or cruise control not cancelling. A dealer replaces the switch free of charge; check your VIN on the NHTSA site.

What brake fluid does the Amanti use?

Use the DOT grade printed on the master cylinder reservoir cap or listed in your owner's manual, and do not mix fluid types. Flush it if it is dark or has never been changed, since fluid that has absorbed water boils at a lower temperature.

What kind of brake pads are best for an Amanti?

For daily driving, a quality ceramic pad suits this car well: quiet, low dust and easy on rotors. Replace the hardware clips at the same time to keep it quiet.

Sources

1. Autoweb - 2008 Kia Amanti specifications - four-wheel disc brakes, 4-wheel ABS, 11.9 in front and 11.2 in rear rotors, 3.8L V6 264 hp, FWD, 3,770 lb curb weight
2. NHTSA - Kia Amanti recall data - stop lamp switch recall 13V114000, symptoms and free remedy
3. Wagner Brake - Signs you need a brake job - wear indicator squeal, quarter-inch pad guideline, grooved rotors
4. Wagner Brake - Disc brake trouble - pulling, pulsation, sticking slides and pistons causing premature wear
5. Akebono - ProACT ceramic pads - low noise, ultra-low dust, reduced rotor wear
6. 49 CFR 571.116 (FMVSS 116) - DOT 3 and DOT 4 minimum wet boiling points