Mini Cooper 2007-2013: How to Replace Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is a maintenance item that should be replaced every 25,000 to 40,000 miles, or at least once every two years. The longer you wait, the worse your brake system will operate. Read on to learn how to replace it in the Mini Cooper.
This article applies to the Mini Cooper (2007-2013).
The brake fluid plays an integral part in the stopping of your Mini Cooper. The longer you wait on replacing it, the lower the boiling point gets, which means that the fluid is more prone to boiling over and inducing moisture into the system. Air or water in the brake system is bad, and will result in a squishy, soft brake pedal, and reduced stopping power. If left unchecked, your Mini's braking performance could degrade so substantially that when you need to make an emergency stop, you may need be able to build enough brake pressure, leading to an accident. Mini says that the brake fluid should be replaced once every two years; however, doing it annually is a wise idea.
The reason most people take their Mini Cooper to the dealership to perform such a procedure is because they feel intimidated by having to bleed the brake system. This guide will simplify the process and teach you how to replace the brake fluid and bleed the brake system in your Mini Cooper.
Materials Needed
- 9mm flare nut wrench
- 17mm socket and breaker bar
- Hose
- Bottle
- Turkey baster
- Jack and jack stands
- Brake fluid
Step 1 – Jack up the car and remove the wheels
Use your 17mm deep socket and breaker bar to loosen the lug nuts of all four wheels while it's still on the ground. Then, jack up the car and set it on jack stands on all four corners. After the car is secured, finish pulling the wheels off the car and set them aside.
Figure 1. Break the lugs loose. 
Figure 2. Jack up the car. 
Figure 3. Set on jack stands. 
Figure 4. Pull the wheels off.
Step 2 – Remove old brake fluid
Use your turkey baster to siphon the old brake fluid from the brake fluid reservoir. The goal is just to remove the old fluid, so that when you're flushing the system, only fresh stuff is being pushed through. Be careful not to let any brake fluid contact your vehicle's paint, it will seriously mar or damage it.
Step 3 – Fill reservoir with fluid
Fill the brake fluid reservoir with brake fluid until you reach the max line.
Step 4 – Bleed the brake system
Our goal now is to extricate the brake fluid from the calipers into our catch can. However, we need to do so in a specific order, starting at the caliper furthest from the master cylinder and working our way towards it. That means going in this order: passenger-rear, driver-rear, passenger-front and finally, the driver's front caliper.
Connect the clear hose to the back of the brake caliper, onto the bleeder's screw. Connect the other end of the hose to the empty bottle. Ask a friend to pump the brake pedal a few times, then keep it pressed down. Use your wrench to loosen the bleeder screw, then watch the fluid coming out. After a second or so close the bleeder, and your assistant can now let go of the brake pedal. Repeat this process several times until only clean fluid, free of bubbles, is coming out of the caliper. After that, move to the next caliper in the order above.
Refill the brake fluid reservoir between each caliper, and repeat the process for the rest of the calipers. After all four calipers are done, top off the brake fluid to just below the "MAX" line.
From there, reinstall all four wheels and drop the car down on the ground. Set the lug bolt torque to 90 ft./lbs. Job done.
Related Discussions
- Brake Fluid How-to - NorthAmericanMotoring.com
- Brake Fluid Flush - NorthAmericanMotoring.com
- Brake Fluid Maintenance - NorthAmericanMotoring.com
