Where'd be the fun in leaving it with a mechanic?

I gave this another try this afternoon, however pressing back the piston given the limited space will require more force than I can muster with the tools I have. The disks also look like they're worn pretty good and need to be replaced as well. I have to wait for the disks to come in. Aborting this attempt and try back when I have the disks.

 

I haven't tried this on my BMW yet, but this procedure worked on every other car I have replaced pads/rotors.

Prior to replacing the pads, remove the brake fluid reservoir cover and note the fluid level. If you are strong you should be able to press the piston back in with your bare hands, otherwise use a C-clamp. When you are finished replace the reservoir cover - the fluid level should be slightly higher. Start the car and pump the brake pedal 2-3 times to build up pressure. No need to bleed the brake lines if you do it this way.

 

I am interested to hear your opinion on Bav Auto's pagid brake pad. It claims that it offers equal or better performance with less brake dust. How does it compare to OEM? Is it better to stick to OEM brake pad despite the excessive brake dust?

 

Finally, I got the job done this weekend. It took me some time to understand the way the floating caliper design worked, so the first one took about 2.5 hours, the second less than 1. I measured the disk thickness and they are still over 30mm, so I have stuck with the old ones for the time being. The jury is still out on whether the pagid pads work better than the oem, they are still breaking in. Just by feel I don't think I've lost anything as far as braking distance goes. After about a week I'll try some panic stops from higher speeds. My wheels are still shiny after a couple of days, that's a good sign as far as dust goes. It still produces some dust, but quite notably less. Going to try these for a while, then switch to Akebono euro ceramic pads.

I replaced the brake sensor, but so far I haven't got the mileage indicator to reset. I have an extra, I'm going to try replacing it when I have some time.

 

Rizbel,

I am curious why you suggest to open the bleed valve before resetting the piston. The BMW guide doesn't say to do that as far as I saw. I've done a lot of brake jobs on a lot of different cars over the years and I've never done that and never seen any ill affects. You do end up pushing fluid back towards the master cylinder, but I don't think the amount pushed is significant. You just need to siphon some out of the master cylinder to make sure it doesn't overflow. And, if you follow the guidelines and change the fluid every 2 years, it shouldn't contain anything significant in the way of possible contaminants.

Thanks,
Tom

 

You are correct. I just followed some advice I read from other BMW forums. It was easier for me and I always bleed the system after, regardless of what repair or maintenance performed. I want to avoid old fluid going back to the ABS system (or other brake system controlled by DTS) more than the master cylinder. It could be insignificant but I want to be safe and not messy.

 

Agreed. I've never heard of taking off the valve and bleeding the brake system just from changing the brakes - unless you're changing the brake lines or unhooking the caliper. It is, however, a good time to bleed the brakes if it hasn't been for some time.

 

They say to open the bleeder when pushing the piston in because the fluid is not designed to be pushed that hard in the opposite directions, and could damage the hydraulic system. However, ive done LOTS of brake jobs and have never had a problem with not opening the bleeder.

OP, i suggest replacing your rotors. Your rotors are "mated" so to speak to your old pad, unless you resurface them. The pads will not wear properly, and braking distance *could* be affected.

I'm in the automotive field and see this stuff every day, so please at least listen to my advice. FIRTFT = Fix It Right The First Time.