Hi all my rears are in need of replacement and when I came here to look sadly see that most of the pictures have died. Used the front brake write up to do my fronts last year. I found these links thought I would share

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm
and a video



I also have a question anyone know the minimum thickness of the rear disks? I think I recall 10mm a validation would be greatly appreciated before I order parts

does anyone know at what level of pad the brake sensors get activated? I have 5mm of pad left on my rears and it seems like a lot of pad to be left for the sensor to have broken.

Disks are between 8 and 9 mm

fronts brakes were done last year and look fantastic regarding pad and rotor wear.

Thanks

Not sure as my sensor was never activated even though the inside pads got down to 3.6mm before I changed them. Outside pads were 4.7mm.

thank you this is helpful It was hard to spy the inside pad so I am not 100% sure of its thickness.

OctaneGuy's how to WITH the pics is still on another mini enthusiast web site. Interestingly this one wipes out the name if you try to post it.

squeak AFTER releasing the brake?
 

Ok, I don't remember this occurring the last time I did the brakes. After I take my foot off the brake, i'm getting a squeak/squeal up until about 25mph, then it goes away.

What would cause this? Did I not apply enough lube in the correct locations?

Anyone have issues with squeaking with light brake application after changing rotors and pads? I'm not sure where I went wrong. Greased the pins that blog the calipers, greases the ears of all the pads (ebc green stuff) made sure the rear inner pads were properly clipped around the piston and I made sure I torqued the calipers down. Any thoughts?

Hello Friends,
Bringing this thread back from some inactivity. I am trying to replace the rear brake pads, but there is not enough clearance to put the harbor freight caliper wind back tool to compress the piston. Am I doing something wrong or is there a trick to it ? btw, this is an 05 R53. Thanks

I used really long needle nose pliers (about 12 inches long) and turned the piston clockwise while applying lots of pressure.

you are the man! I have been struggling with this crap since Sunday. rented wind back tool from the local chain stores. didn't work, then I thought the HFT tool is the one. guess it only introduces more problem. The simple long needle nose pliers trick did it in in less than 30 seconds!! Thanks a Bunch!

That is how I did mine too. Some will jump in and said it is a waste of time because they got lucky in buying the right tool. Problem is there is no telling which tool works and which doesn't. I used the needle nose for I careless to run to the store and take my chances.:grin:

I used a small long nose vice grip in conjunction with a wood clamp that I modified so the end that tightened would fit into one of the 4 round hole in the piston face. Small amount of pressure and then rotate the piston with the vise grip.

we think the same
 

:thumbsup:

Amazing. My method is nearly identical. By tightening my Bessy clamp gently it overcomes the hydraulic pressure. That make it very easy to turn the parking brake mechanism. Gentle and patience do it. If you tighten the clamp too much you are binding the mechanism making very hard to turn with the needle nose.

Besides long nose pliers, who has had a tool that worked? Also, how long does the needle nose need to be?

The nice thing about a long nose vise grip is that you can adjust the opening width to fit the hole in the piston and then just turn.

Look on eBay for the Laser 3940 brake caliper rewind tool. Only eBay sellers in the U.K. seem to have them but I ordered one from a seller who was willing to ship internationally and it works great. Highly recommended.

I used to have the Harbor Freight tool. The pins weren't in perfect alignment with the MINI holes, but it worked. The tool itself was a POS and I had to tape some of the punch pins in place to keep them where they were supposed to be, but for the $30 I paid for it (on sale) it was fine.