2019 Genesis G70 Brake Job Tools and Torque Specs

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2019 Genesis G70 needs a metric socket set, a torque wrench, a caliper piston tool or wide flat bars, brake cleaner and fresh DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid. The one torque value Genesis prints in the owner's manual is the wheel lug nuts: 79 to 94 lbf-ft (11 to 13 kgf-m). Caliper and bracket bolt values live in the factory service information for your exact brake package, and that is where you should take them from.

This guide covers what Genesis itself publishes for the 2019 G70, the tools that make the job go smoothly, how the standard and Brembo-equipped cars differ, how the electronic parking brake works at the rear, and the torque sequence that keeps new rotors running true.

What Genesis Publishes for the 2019 G70 Brakes

The 2019 G70 owner's manual gives a short but useful list of brake facts. These are the numbers you can trust without a service manual subscription:

The manual also lists the brake pads, discs and calipers among the items to inspect more often under severe driving conditions: rough, dusty or salt-spread roads, very cold weather, heavy dust, mountain roads, and towing or carrying a roof rack. If your G70 sees a lot of that, check the brakes more often than the normal schedule.

Tools You Need for a G70 Brake Job

Nothing on this car needs exotic tools for a pad and rotor swap, but having everything on the bench before the car is in the air saves a lot of walking back and forth.

• Floor jack and two jack stands rated for the car, plus wheel chocks. Lift only at the jacking points shown in the owner's manual.
• Breaker bar and lug nut socket to break the lugs loose while the tire is still on the ground.
• Click-type torque wrench that covers the 79 to 94 lbf-ft lug range and the caliper bolt values from the service information. An impact gun is fine for removal, never for final tightening.
• Metric sockets and wrenches for the caliper guide bolts and bracket bolts, plus a line wrench if you plan to open a hydraulic fitting.
• Piston tool to push the caliper pistons back. On the multi-piston Brembo calipers a wide, flat piston spreader works better than a C-clamp, because it pushes the opposed pistons back evenly without cocking them.
• Wire brush, brake cleaner and a rag to clean the hub face and the caliper bracket abutments where the pad clips sit.
• High-temperature brake grease for the guide pins and the pad contact points, used sparingly and never on the friction material or rotor face.
• Clear tubing, a catch bottle and sealed DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid if you are bleeding the system or replacing old fluid.
• Dial indicator (optional) to check rotor runout after installation, the same check Genesis lists in the inspection schedule.

Standard Brakes vs Brembo Brakes on the 2019 G70

The 2019 G70 was sold with two brake setups. The owner's manual describes an optional High Performance Brake package with large-diameter Brembo brakes, and it warns that these brakes can squeal, squeak or groan in normal use and can leave circular patterns on the disc surface without hurting braking performance.

That matters for the parts you order. Pads and rotors for the Brembo cars are a different size and shape from the standard-brake parts, so the first job is to confirm which calipers are on your car. The Brembo calipers carry the Brembo name cast or printed on the body and use fixed, multi-piston housings. The standard calipers are a sliding single-piston design with guide pins.

Our listings say which setup they fit. For Brembo-equipped cars, for example, there are EBC Yellowstuff front pads for the G70 with Brembo calipers and matching EBC BSD V-slot front rotors for Brembo-equipped G70s. For street driving on the standard calipers, the EBC Redstuff ceramic front pad set for the G70 2.0T is a lower-dust option. Read the fitment line on each listing against your calipers before you order.

The Rear Brakes and the Electronic Parking Brake

The 2019 G70 uses an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) worked by a switch on the console. The owner's manual says the EPB can apply itself automatically, for example when the engine is turned off while Auto Hold is active, and it warns against driving with the EPB applied because that causes excessive pad and rotor wear.

Two practical points come out of that for a rear brake job:

• Turn Auto Hold off and make sure the EPB is released before you start, and keep the car in Park with the wheels chocked instead of relying on the parking brake.
• Do not force the rear rotor off. A columnist who looked at the Genesis repair information for a reader with a 2019 G70 reported that the electric parking brake works brake shoes inside the rear rotor hat rather than a motor on the caliper, and that the repair manual calls for a parking brake reset only when those shoes are replaced, not for a rear pad change. If the rotor hangs up on the shoes, back the shoe adjustment off through the access provision instead of prying or hammering the rotor.

Because the parking brake has its own shoes, the rear service pistons push back like a normal caliper. The same columnist notes the Genesis manual shows a special tool for pushing the pistons back. If the EPB warning light stays on after the job, the owner's manual says to have the system checked by a Genesis retailer.

Step-by-Step Torque and Assembly Order

1. Loosen the lugs on the ground, then lift the car and support it on stands.
2. Remove the caliper guide bolts (standard brakes) or the pad retaining hardware (Brembo), and hang the caliper from the suspension with wire. Never let it hang by the hose.
3. Remove the bracket bolts and the rotor if you are replacing rotors. Clean the hub face down to bare metal; a little rust there is a common cause of runout and pedal pulsation.
4. Install the new rotor and clean any protective oil from the friction faces with brake cleaner.
5. Refit the bracket and torque the bracket bolts to the value in the factory service information for your brake package. Do not reuse a bolt that the service information lists as single-use, and use a fresh thread locker only where it calls for one.
6. Clean and grease the guide pins, fit the new pad clips, push the pistons back and install the pads. Torque the guide bolts to the service information value.
7. Mount the wheel and snug the lugs in a star pattern, lower the car, then torque the lug nuts to 79 to 94 lbf-ft in the same star pattern, in two passes.
8. Pump the brake pedal several times before moving the car so the pistons come back out to the pads. The first stop after a pad change is the one that catches people out.
9. Check the fluid level and keep it between the MIN and MAX marks. Pushing the pistons back raises the level, so remove fluid rather than let it overflow onto paint.

If you do not have the factory caliper bolt values, a Genesis retailer or a shop with access to the service information can give them for your VIN. A guessed caliper torque is the one shortcut on this job that is never worth it.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Rotors: replace them with the pads if they are below minimum thickness, scored or causing a pulse in the pedal. On the Brembo cars, slotted performance rotors such as the EBC BSD V-slot rear rotors for Brembo-equipped G70s pair with the rear pads.
• Pad hardware: new abutment clips and shims keep the pads sliding freely and quiet. See our brake hardware kits.
• Brake fluid: the manual lists the brake fluid for regular inspection. Fluid absorbs moisture over time, so if it is dark or has not been changed in years, flush it with fresh DOT 3 or DOT 4 while the wheels are off.
• Both sides of the axle: Genesis is explicit that pads are replaced as full axle sets. Do both sides even if only one squeals.

Browse every fitting part in our brake pads and brake rotors collections.

Check Your G70 for Open Recalls First

NHTSA lists recall 21V161000 for 2019 through 2021 Genesis G70 sedans: the anti-lock brake (ABS) module could malfunction and short circuit, creating a fire risk. The remedy is a replacement ABS module fuse installed by a dealer free of charge, and owners were told to park outside and away from structures until it is done. This recall does not involve pads or rotors, but if your car is on the lift for a brake job it is a good time to confirm the fix has been done by running your VIN through the NHTSA recall lookup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the lug nut torque on a 2019 Genesis G70?

The 2019 G70 owner's manual specifies 79 to 94 lbf-ft (11 to 13 kgf-m). Genesis also says to re-check the lug nuts after about 30 miles when tires are replaced and again after about 600 miles.

What brake fluid does the 2019 G70 use?

The manual calls for brake fluid meeting FMVSS 116 DOT 3 or DOT 4, with a system capacity of 0.74 to 0.85 US quarts. Do not use DOT 5 silicone fluid, and do not mix in any other fluid type.

Do I need a scan tool to change the rear pads?

Repair information reviewed for a 2019 G70 shows the electric parking brake works separate shoes inside the rear rotor hat, and it does not call for a parking brake reset for a rear pad change. Make sure the EPB is released and Auto Hold is off before you start. A reset is called for when the parking brake shoes themselves are replaced.

Are Brembo pads interchangeable with the standard G70 pads?

No. The Brembo calipers on the High Performance Brake package use different pads and larger rotors than the standard brakes. Check which calipers are on your car and order parts listed for that setup.

Why do my G70 Brembo brakes squeal?

Genesis says some squeal, squeak or groan is normal on the Brembo-equipped cars, as are circular patterns on the rotor face. A continuous grinding or continuous squeal can mean the pads are worn out, and the wear indicator makes a high-pitched sound when new pads are needed.

Where do I find the caliper bolt torque values?

Genesis does not print caliper or bracket bolt torque in the owner's manual. Get them from the factory service information for your VIN, through a Genesis retailer or a repair information service, and confirm them for your exact brake package.

Sources

1. Genesis 2019 G70 Owner's Manual - lug nut torque and re-check distances, DOT 3/DOT 4 fluid and capacity, inspection schedule, axle-set pad rule, Brembo noise note, EPB and Auto Hold operation
2. NHTSA recall data for the 2019 Genesis G70 - recall 21V161000, ABS module short circuit and fuse remedy
3. NHTSA vehicle page for the 2019 Genesis G70 - recall and VIN lookup for this model
4. The Car Doctor reader Q and A on the 2019 Genesis G70 - rear parking brake shoes inside the rotor hat, no reset for rear pad replacement, special piston tool in the repair manual