Change calipers on both sides?

Question

Four months ago, I had a seized brake in the front left. 
The slide bearing was stuck and the outer pad was worn more than the inner (at the piston). I wasn't able to move the journals of the bearing by hand and used a tool to get it moving again.
Since cleaning the bearings didn't help, I removed any rust / oxidation from the holes with sandpaper, cleaned them,  and assembled new journals with lots of that special grease shipped with them.

However, the problem is back again, and I'm thinking about replacing the entire caliper to get rid of the problem.

Should calipers be replaced on both sides, though there's just a problem on one side, as it's done for tires, pads and rotors?

EDIT: 
Car is a small Kia Picanto (BA) 2008, just made 100,000km

The calipers seem to be a single, solid part, without exchangeable bearings (the "hole"). As said, I already changed the journals (the movable part inside the hole) with temporary success, the brake is now running hot again. Hardly noticeable at low speed, but at 130-140km/h, I sometimes can hear that noise of a hot / worn brake again and the brake is significantly hotter than the one on the other wheel after that. (Also strange: sometimes, the noise is there at 120km/h, sometimes at 140km/h, sometimes, there is none)

Finally, I don't want to mess with new journals again, and have the same problem in some months. The brake got really hot last time, and I would like to replace it. I can get it for 100€, which is not so much compared to 17€ for new journals.

Shobin P · Accepted Answer

There is no need for replacing the callipers together, as they will be heavy on your pocket, the reason why the pads and rotors are replaced together is since they work in tandem and working by rubbing against each other.

The callipers on the other hand float over the entire assembly so there is no real point of changing them.

You might need to change them both there is a contamination in the brake fluid since there are chances they might block the piston so if one is affected the definitely the other will be affected. ( if you detect this issue asap then you can just bleed the system and you will not run into issue but if its too late then you need to change both)

To put it simply if the callipers are not jammed then there is no need to change them together.

Now in your case since your car has crossed over 100,000 miles , there will be similar type of wear on the other calliper as well , have a look at them once and then decide if you want to proceed changing them.

Move More Comments Link To Top · Answer

Generally you don't replace calipers in pairs, only replace the damaged side. With that being said you may still not need to replace the caliper to solve your problem depending on the design. Their may be a kit that comes with new sleeves, o-rings, and grease. Replacing those will solve the problem, but again it depends on make, model, year.

Answered by Move More Comments Link To Top on July 10, 2021

Dan · Answer

Often the calipers are replaced in pairs for the following reasons:

If you need one the other is not far behind.
If one caliper is stronger or weaker than the other you may have a brake pull (vehicle pulls to one side when braking).
Back in the day when the phenolic piston was introduced it was said that both of your calipers needed to have a piston made from the same material (metal or phenolic) or you would get a brake pull.

That being said, I will change just one caliper sometimes and I usually have no problem. So change the one that is giving you trouble and if necessary change the other one later when you get the time, money, or ambition to do it. If the wheel still gets hot you may want to replace the brake hose too. The inner part of the hose can become damaged and hold fluid pressure to the caliper causing the wheel to get hot and smelly. Just happened on my 1994 Honda Civic with 270,000 miles on it.

Artome M. · Answer

Changing one or both must depend on the condition of the calipers. Some years ago PepBoys offered me a "deal"on one caliper because I could not afford to change both at the same time and the other side started binding almost immediately thereafter. It was a high mileage vehicle (160K) and obviously both pistons were going bad. Changing one at a time is a good idea financially, but in my experience you can't just change one and forget about the other.

Answered by Artome M. on July 10, 2021

Dan · Answer

I had a gen 6 Celica with a hot brake problem. A fellow technician suggested I replace both, knowing that I was doing the work myself and it had over 150,000 miles (241,000 KM), and I'm glad I did. In my particular situation, I replaced the side that was getting hot, and when I took the caliper off the other side, it was a little looser than it should have been. Turns out, the hot caliper on the right was a symptom of the left caliper being stuck open. A technician with air tools and a lift will have a much easier time diagnosing a problem like this and just replace what is necessary for the problem, but a DIY "home mechanic" may be safer in these situations by just doing both sides, and in some cases, and in my case, I saved myself some money because I likely would've worn another pair of pads and warped another rotor if I hadn't replaced both sides at the same time.

This is a possibility to consider, my particular circumstance doesn't usually happen, but it does happen.

Change calipers on both sides?

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