2012-2013 Buick Regal Brake Job Tools and Torque Specs

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2012-2013 Buick Regal is not a basic bolt-off, bolt-on pad swap. The caliper bracket bolts are torque-to-yield fasteners: the front ones go to 150 Nm (111 lb-ft) plus 45 degrees plus another 15 degrees, the rear ones go to 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) plus 60 degrees, and the old bolts get replaced, not reused. Add an electronic parking brake and two different front brake packages, and the right tools matter more than usual on this car.

Which Regal brake package you have

The fifth-generation Regal came with two brake setups. Base models use a single-piston front caliper. The high-performance GS uses the J64 brake package, which Brake & Front End describes as a twin-piston front caliper with a different pad, and the ABS/stability calibration is different on that package too. The practical point: GS front pads, rotors and calipers do not interchange with the base car. Look for the Brembo name on the front calipers, or check the car's GM option (RPO) code label for J64, before you order anything.

If your Regal is a GS with Brembo front calipers, the two front-axle parts we carry for it are the Brembo OE front disc brake kit with UV-coated rotors and ceramic pads and the Hawk Talon drilled and slotted front rotor set for the Brembo-caliper Regal. For base models, start from our brake pads and brake rotors collections and filter by your exact trim.

Torque specs that matter on this car

Here is what the published service write-ups give for the caliper bracket bolts on 2011-and-newer Regals. Every value below comes from those sources; for anything not listed, use the figure in the factory service information for your VIN.

Torque-to-yield (TTY) bolts are tightened past their elastic range on purpose. They stretch permanently, which is what gives them their clamping force. A used TTY bolt has already been stretched, so torquing it again does not deliver the same clamp load, and the sources are blunt about the outcome: skip the correct procedure or reuse the old bolts and the fasteners could fail. On a caliper bracket, that is the part holding the caliper to the knuckle.

Not every brake job removes the brackets. If you are only changing pads and the bracket stays bolted on, the TTY bolts are never loosened. The moment you remove a bracket, usually to change rotors, plan on new bracket bolts for every one you loosen.

Tools for a 2012-2013 Regal brake job

• A click-type or digital torque wrench that covers at least 150 Nm for the front brackets.
• A torque angle gauge. There is no way to hit "plus 45 plus 15" or "plus 60" accurately by eye. Some digital torque wrenches measure angle themselves; otherwise a separate dial gauge between the ratchet and socket does the job.
• New caliper bracket bolts for every bracket you remove - have them in hand before you start, because the car cannot be put back together correctly without them.
• A caliper piston compressor or large C-clamp for the front pistons. Check the service information for the rear before you push on a rear piston, since the electronic parking brake works through the rear brakes.
• A scan tool with GM brake functions is helpful but not required; the parking brake can be recalibrated without one (see below).
• Basics: jack and stands rated for the car, a breaker bar, wire brush for hub faces and bracket slides, brake cleaner, high-temperature brake lubricant for slides and pad contact points, and fresh brake fluid of the type printed on the reservoir cap if you plan to bleed or flush.

If you want hardware and clips for the job, our brake hardware kits collection is the place to look.

The electronic parking brake and why it changes the job

The 2012-2013 Regal has an electric parking brake switch in the center console instead of a pedal or handle. A parking brake control module with its own motor, apply and release actuators and temperature sensor does the work, and it also adjusts the rear parking brake. With insufficient electrical power, the parking brake cannot be applied or released - so do not disconnect the battery before you release it.

To release it normally: ignition ON or RUN, hold the brake pedal, and push the switch down momentarily. A flashing red park brake light, or a "Service Park Brake" message, means the brake is only partly applied or released or there is a fault. Sort that out before you work on the rear brakes.

After rear brake work, or if you notice a low pedal, noise, or a parking brake that will not hold, the module can be recalibrated without a scan tool. The published procedure is:

1. Ignition ON, then apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Push and hold the electric parking brake switch down for 5 to 6 seconds.
3. Release the switch.
4. Momentarily push the switch down again.
5. Remove the EPB MODULE fuse and reinstall it.
6. Apply the electric parking brake.
7. Release the electric parking brake.

Things that surprise people on this Regal

Hill start assist can hold the brakes. The Regal's TRW EBC450 system includes hill start assist, which briefly holds brake pressure when the car is on an incline. The sources note that just driving the car onto a lift can trigger it, so do not assume a dragging wheel right after you lift the car is a stuck caliper.

There is no mechanical proportioning valve. Front-to-rear balance is handled electronically by the brake control module (dynamic rear proportioning), so there is nothing to adjust there during a brake job.

The wheel speed sensor tone ring lives in the hub bearing. It is mounted on the inside seal of the wheel bearing unit, so be careful with that seal when you clean the knuckle and hub area.

Check recalls while the wheels are off. NHTSA's recall list for the 2012 and 2013 Regal includes several rear suspension campaigns along with lighting and electrical ones, but none for the brake system. Run your VIN on NHTSA's lookup to see if any open campaign applies to your car.

How hard is the job?

A front pad-only job on a base Regal is within reach of a careful home mechanic. It gets harder once rotors come off and the TTY bracket bolts come into play, because you need the angle gauge and new bolts, and on a GS the parts are larger and specific to the J64 package. The rear adds the electronic parking brake. If you do not own a torque angle gauge and do not want to buy one, that is the point where a shop with GM service information is the safer call.

Whatever you replace, do both sides of an axle together, and look at the rotors any time you change pads. Our full brake parts catalog covers the rest of the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reuse the caliper bracket bolts on a 2012 Buick Regal?

No. They are torque-to-yield bolts that stretch permanently when tightened, and the published guidance is to install new ones every time a bracket is removed, then torque and angle-turn them to spec.

What is the front caliper bracket torque on a 2012-2013 Regal?

150 Nm (111 lb-ft), then turn the bolt 45 degrees, then another 15 degrees. The rear bracket bolts go to 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) plus 60 degrees.

Do I need a scan tool for the rear brakes?

Not strictly. The electronic parking brake can be released with the switch and recalibrated without a scan tool using the switch-and-fuse procedure above. A scan tool makes diagnosis easier if the parking brake light keeps flashing.

Are Regal GS brakes the same as the base model?

No. The GS uses the J64 package with a different front caliper and pad, plus a different ABS calibration. Order GS-specific parts for a GS.

Why does a wheel stay locked right after I drive the Regal onto a lift?

Hill start assist can hold brake pressure for a short time after the car detects an incline, and driving onto a lift can trigger it. Give it a moment before you diagnose a stuck caliper.

Sources

1. Brake & Front End - Brake Job: 2011-Newer Buick Regal - brake packages, TTY bracket bolt torque and angle, EBC450 functions, EPB calibration
2. Brake & Front End - Buick Regal (2011-2016) Brake Pad and Rotor Replacement - confirms bracket bolt specs, TTY hub bolts and EPB release procedure
3. Underhood Service - Brake Service On 2011-Newer Buick Regals - J64 GS package, hill start assist on a lift, tone wheel location
4. NHTSA - 2012 Buick Regal vehicle detail and recalls - recall lookup for the Regal
5. NHTSA recalls data - 2012 Buick Regal - recall components (rear suspension, lighting, electrical, seats; none brake)