Now _that's_ funny.

 

Yes, definitely get the tool. Not sure what that guy is talking about with the C-Clamp, tried it and it didn't work. Got it in a matter of seconds with the "special" tool from Autozone.

 

Can you do it with a C-clamp? Yes, but it's a lot more iffy. If turning the clamp doesn't rotate the piston, then you have to do both things at the same time. It's just a lot easier to buy the correct freaking tool. Besides, it's a NEW TOOL! Who ever argues with buying new tools?

 

I made a deal with my wife when we married.

She can buy all the shoes she wants... As long as I can buy all the tools I want!

Best deal ever!!

 

Folks...
Please BUY tools...
Don't BE the TOOL.
we all know there are work arounds if you don't have a tool...but lets face it....done right the tool does it quick and easy...
Done wrong, no tool...you can get stuck buying a new caliper down the line, or have a car stuck in the driveway, with you cussing at it....
Time is money...and spending $20-40 on a tool to save me bloody hands, an hour of cussing, and the chance to destroy a $300 part....why not? Free rental is great too...but more tools....nuf said.

 

I'm with this guy

 

Actually, what's funny is this...
You should have known long before that tool broke that the piston wasn't gonna go. After moderate force you should have just changed the caliper...unless that's how you were taught to work.

 

Sorry, I guess not everyone had the ability to learn under your master tutelage.

Yes, I broke a caliper.. once.. when I did it the first time.. and I had no idea that they could lock up that badly.

SORRY I MADE A MISTAKE ONCE TRYING TO FIX SOMETHING.

I bet that _never_ happened to you did it Super Tech?

But since you make your own custom rad-super bad *** tools out of tape and hardware store parts that never happened...

Cheers.

 

It's quite entertaining... It's just that my Mini is 20 years newer than my previous car and I don't want to mess anything up

 

Hahaha...you guys have some serious issues on this site. I heard it was bad here, but I didn't know it was this bad.

Do you sit down to pee? hahahahaha

 

I tried all kinds of things on my calipers (C-clamp, pliers, hammer handle), but the car quest around the corner had the tool shown in post #5 for about $10. Job was done in about 2 minutes.

I'm just a hot rod/muscle car guy, so this was kinda new to me. I figured that Bentley was joking when they said that a tool was required. I thought I could figure out a way around it, but after about 40 minutes and a bunch of tries, I caved in.

Like another post above said, why not buy another tool?

It is good to have different solutions to the problem. If the OP wants to buy the tool, he can. If he wants to try it with the C-clamp, he can. I was stuck at 7:30 on a saturday night unable to put my brakes together. At least he was smart enough to ask.

Have fun,
Mike

 

If you don't want to buy another tool, then RedAndBlackMiniS has your solution. Autozone (or Oreilly if you have that) has a loaner tool program and they have the tool you need, just put down ~$60 deposit and then when you return it, the deposit is fully refunded. I'll be doing this when I change my brakes at the end of the week.

 

C clamp w/ rotating head......simple simple done many time w/ many diff cars.

Harbor Freight tool works great too, sometimes you can find it on sale too.

 

 

Sorry to OP.

Thanks to everyone else for the entertainment.

I got flamed in another thread, thought it was me.... I'm starting to see I'm not the common denominator.

I would give this advice to anyone, first thing my Dad taught me as I was learning to work on cars before my teenage years.

Have the right tool for the right job.

Everything is not perfect, and I've broken things before, but 95% of the time, it's when I try to do a job without the proper tool. -maybe I finally learned what dad was saying, because these days i don't attempt things without the the right tool for the job.... Haven't broken anything for a while,... Hmmm

 

 

Ya know BMW was a tool company that decided to make cars one day... (ok, thats a joke..)

 

they take so many specialty tools and have so many quirks, you'd think they still have plenty of stock in the tool business, too

 

BMW / MINI is not the only company that uses this e-brake system design which is the basis for the 'turn and push'

to wit ..... the Harbor Freight (or Outmotoring) kit comes with a dozen adapters to mate the tool to different vehicles

the newest kits even seem to include two 'twisters' .... is one clockwise and the other counter????? Again mentioning that this is NOT MINI unique

****

oh you kids . . .

 

You "could" use just a c clamp to do it. You also "could' use a hammer and a screw driver to change a tire. You probably wouldn't like the outcome though. Im always down to buy another tool.

 

On my R50 I found that turning and pushing with the tips of a needle nose pliers inserted into the recesses worked
about as well as the Harbor Freight tool. I alternated between the two getting a stubborn rear caliper cylinder to retract fully.
I'm guessing the R56 part is basically the same design.

 

Yes one is for counter clock wise threads. And I will never do another brake job without that kit. $40 at HF well spent. No matter how many people say "This or that worked just as well for me", I've worked on cars for a long enough time and done enough brake jobs to say; I don't buy it if you are using the tool correctly. Even with pistons that do simply push in, it's a quick, simple, convenient tool.

 

Yep. Pliers work just fine, I'm not even sure any special tool will make it that much easier.

 

I guess no one ever stabbed themselves in the hand doing that..?