Hi,

I replaced my rear pads and rotors with the parking brake up (was that a problem?) at first and then I released it midway when I couldn't get the caliper removed.

Either way, I replaced both rotors and both sets of pads and I go to pull the handbrake/e-brake and its like its completely disconnected, no resistance at all, and it no longer holds the car in place whatsoever.

Any ideas?

 

did you turn the piston as you pushed it in or just used a lot of pressure and forced it in ......

due to the e-brake system the piston must be turned to retract and if you did not do this quite possible you broke something internal .....

this system is quite common today .... NOT a MINI unique thing. I have a special tool (set) just for this purpose. Has several adapter plates to fit calipers from different manufacturer ....
I have not worked on an F series but this is the case with GEN1&2 and I doubt things changed . . .


https://www.harborfreight.com/disc-b...-pc-63264.html

The tools rotate pistons back into the caliper without damage to the piston and boot. Constructed of high quality carbon steel for added durability, this caliper tool kit can be used with most makes of vehicles.

• High quality carbon steel designed for flawless performance and superior damage prevention
• Rotates pistons back into the caliper for pad clearance
• Includes magnetic side spindle adapters
• Designed for use with many vehicles, including Audi, Chrysler Corporation, Ford, GM, Honda, Jaguar, Mazda, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Saturn, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo
• Prevents damage to the piston and boot

ALSO after getting new rear pads in, I usually need to 'play' with the e-brake a bit .... pull up full ..... let go, pull up full .... you need to retreive slack introduced to the system ....

 

Hi,
Thanks for your reply!!
I lifted the car back up and immediately saw what happened (and yes, I used the tool you recommended as I had watched some videos beforehand that mentioned it). So, somehow during the process of replacing the rear pads and rotors on both sides, the end of the e-brake cable that connects to the caliper popped out of its perch. I have no idea how it did that but it did so on both sides.
So, I tried to pull it back into where it should be but there was no way I could. The cable simply wouldn't extend far enough. This has me believe that when the pads were out and the piston was fully extended (before pushing back in), there was enough slack in the e-brake line to come loose at the ends where they connect to the caliper on the right & left sides.
Now I have no idea how to get them back on so its time to see the mechanic I suppose.

 

If you replaced rotors, the caliper has the be removed. It’s possible the brake cable popped off when the caliper was removed. I would get back under then, remove the caliper, and see if there is enough slack to reconnect the brake cable.

 

In theory, if you were to remove the calipers and use the piston compression tools to push the pistons in again, you should be able to move the lever that actuates the pistons to move in with the parking brake cable, which should then give you enough slack to place the cables back in the slots on the levers. Worth a shot, at least.

 

So I gave up and went back to my local BMW mechanic.
I saw him simply get under the car with some big pliers and yank hard as hell until he managed to stretch the cable to reconnect to the caliper.
Quite inelegant but effective as the e-brake works again and I can feel any slop when pulling the handle, feels tight as ever.
He told me that when fully compressing the rear caliper its quite easy to knock off the e-brake ends off of it and the only easy way to place it back on is to once again remove the pads and fully compress the caliper. Clearly he chose to go a different route. lol

Many huge thanks to you all!!

Personal note:
This is my first Mini Cooper S after many fun cars (2014 911 manual, 2014 Cayman PDK, 2010 335 coupe manual, 2016 M2 DCT) and Im shocked at just how much of a real sports car it it. I honestly didnt expect it to hold up well at the limit as a "cute" car unlike my other more serious machinery. Im happy to say, its an absolute blast and a very well engineered FWD sports car.
The only regrets I have are two:
1. that I didnt spring for the JCW given how good the S is!! I can only imagine the JCW must be an epic car.
2. In my dream world this little Mini Cooper would be RWD as Im still adapting to the understeer-y nature of a FWD setup and just seem to prefer RWD in general. I imagine an aftermarket LSD and maybe a bigger front tire might help with the front end grip?