Brake DIY problem

You should try another brand of brake pads

 

^ That's the back brakes though. Front brake caliper piston just pushes in conventionally.

 

Just to confirm: you didn't change the rotor?

These are aftermarket pads, ie: not from a Toyota Dealership parts counter? If that's the case, per JC91006, I'd guess it's the pads. I don't quite understand how you're comparing pad thickness too: if it's aftermarket pads being compared to aftermarket pads.

 

Front brake pad replacement is so straight forward....unless the parts are wrong, there's no reason to have problems with the job. Especially after you've done 50 other cars.

 

Opps...my bad.

 

This is one of those things that if we all were there to actually look at the situation, we could probably address it better. The only thing I could think of is to remember that the shims move, and yours may be "stuck" or frozen in the old position from the old pads. Trying to fit the caliber back in with the shims in the old position will cause it not to fit. I have done this myself, and I too have changed a lot of brakes. Hopefully this helps?

 

One thing you could do is shave a bit off them, say with a belt sander. Not sure how healthy that'd be. Yeah, if it was me, I'd stuff the current pads in a corner of the garage and buy the Toyota ones. Then wait a decade, 'till I've completely forgotten how they came to be there, and then throw them out. Works.