Quote:
Originally Posted by PatInANutshell
Hi!
New to the forum, hope my post doesn't violate rules and apologies if this has been asked/answered before! (I did try to search)
I love my '09 Z4 and have been doing some minor repairs on it recently given its age. In deciding what repairs to do or leave for a shop, I am trying to balance cost with complexity and safety. I have no issues paying for something that is complex or might be unsafe, I hate having to pay someone to unscrew a few bolts and follow procedure.
One issue that I was hoping to address was to replace the front pads and rotor. I am aware that the rear are more complicated, but the front didn't seem that crazy. That is, until I got my hands on the service manual (if only to get the right torque values) and went through the procedure in detail.
I searched through the forum but couldn't find a clear answer on a few questions:
- Do you actually need to electronically disable the break system? The service manual seems to imply that you do by putting it in a 'service' mode, but all the videos I've seen of it being done on BMWs use a C-Clamp instead.
- Would only a BMW shop be able to do a break test? The manual references various pressure levels and testing conditions, but that's clearly something I can't do myself.
- Do you need to bleed the breaks afterwards? That was brought up a couple of times, but it's not clear to me why you would need to do this since you're presumably not introducing air or spilling break fluid out of the system.
- The service manual talks about various "BMW approved" cleaning products you should use for the calipers and surfaces. Is that overkill? I've yet to see a single video that used any of these. I did plan on using BG 860 for the pads to avoid squeaking, but so far haven't purchased other products.
Thanks! |
I just did my rear rotor and pads. Used INPA to deal with the parking brake service mode, no problem at all. The freeking sensor cable took more time to replace than all of the other work. Routing and access to the junction box was a real pain.
If you don't need to change the sensor the job is a snap. Fronts don't have the electronic parking break.
Consider flushing your break fluid while you are there.