Hey guys,

I was just getting ready to do my first MINI pad/rotor change, and I read somewhere that with the R56, the anti-rattle springs should be changed with each pad change. I bought EBC pads, which, unlike the OEM pads, don't come with new anti-rattle springs. Can I just use the old springs??

Also, the EBC pads come with metal "shims" that apparently clip onto the back of each pad. I'm not clear what the purpose of these are. Do I need these?

Thank you!

 

There are no "springs" in R56 brakes, and nothing needs to be replaced during pad change other than the pads themselves. You can choose to apply some brake quieting goo, but that's optional. If I recall correctly, R53 (1st gen car) had a metal anti-rattle clip, but you would not have needed to replace it either, and R56 did away with it.

The pads slide into two sets of metal "guides" (see pic below), but there is no need to replace those. Then over goes the caliper (retract the piston as new pads are thicker than old), and holds pads in place. Retracting rear calipers is tricky, as you need to both push them in and turn at the same time. There are plenty of inexpensive tools for that, or you can borrow one for free from AutoZone.

The back of some pads has an additional metal surface to mitigate some of the vibration/noise. I used pads with and w/out it, with and w/out beveled edges, with and w/out goo, and the pad material seams to have a lot more to do with the noise generated than anything else.

Here is the diagram:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...23&hg=34&fg=05

HTH,
a

 

afadeev,

Great, thank you very much Yeah, the "guides" are what I was referring to, not "springs", and OK, I will re-use them!

Thanks also for your info re: the shims and the goo... I think I'll give it a try with both--I suppose it can't hurt!

Thanks again.