I had my tires replaced today and the mechanic said he could not spin the front wheels. He thought either the brake line pinched closed or the caliper was bad. The bleeder valve was tight, however some brake fluid was leaking out.

Given the leaking fluid, I suspect the caliper is locked up and needs replaced, but the mechanic felt the first thing to do was replace the brake line. Any help would be appreciated.

If I do need to replace the calipers, then is there an aftermarket caliper that is worth upgrading to from the OEM?

 

I replaced my '07's front calipers at about 32k, the left completely frozen, the right on its way. Not sure about aftermarket ones as mine were replaced under warranty along with the rotors and front hubs. Not an uncommon problem you're having. I would doubt that the brake line has anything to do with it.

 

My 08 4x4 calipers were starting to drag...I replaced with OEM and also replaced the flex hoses just in case....Hoses cost almost as much as the calipers!!!!! I have 140,000mi on mine.

 

Thanks guys. When I opened the bleeder valve, fluid came squirting out, so I figured it wasn't the flex line. I ended up replacing rotors, pads and calipers. The ceramic piston in one of the calipers actually broke apart into one large and a couple small pieces, which may have been more of the culprit than anything.

I forgot to put the spring/wire on the back of the pads. Is this gonna cause problems?

112,000 miles and going strong!

 

The spring/wire holds the pads away from rotor when brakes are not in use, might glaze the rotor and or pads.