Mini Brake Job DIY ????

[onrails318]

I'm gonna help my friend replace his front brakes before we go to Gingerman next month. Could someone tell me what tools are required for this besides a 7 mm allen socket, 17mm socket for the lugs and a channel lock for squeezing the piston back in? Thanks.

[rpob5t]

Are you doing fronts, rears or both? The fronts are pretty easy, take the dust caps off take out the slider pins with the allen key, the push the piston back in I prefer a c-clamp but channel locks will do. The bear is the rears, the come apart about the same as the fronts, but the parking brake is integral with the caliper so it has to be pushed in while twisted to retract the caliper. A lot of rear brakes are done this way and the tool manufactures make kits for them but the detents for the mini brakes are smaller than most kits go. That leaves you with a few options you can finds someone who has one and see if you can borrow it (some bmwcca chapters have club tools boxes, I'd look here first). You can buy the mini specific tool which is around a $150 online, if you have an existing rear brake tool kit and a drill and a tap you can make the tool (the OTC kit I have had one die with a blank face, we measured the spread, aprox 1" if memory serves me correct, on the detents drilled and tapped it and put in 2 set screws now I have my own mini brake tool. The only other option I can come up with is you might be able to get them in with a pair of needle nose pliers (put the heads in the holes and push and twist), I've never tried this but it should work as long as the handle of the pliers don't interfere with the other side of the caliper. Either way I'd see if you can procure the tool it will make life a ton easier

[onrails318]

sounds good for the fronts. I've never had a problem with my rear oe pad compound on track days so I wasn't planning on touching them! Thanks for the reply.

[StickSeven]

you're gonna need a T45 torx plus bit to remove the front rotor hold down bolts. a regular torx 45 will work, but it may round out the fastener. also those hold downs have a triangular shaped bolt which gets all rusted and stuck in the hub. sometimes its a real chore to remove them.
yeah, besides that and the special tool for the rear calipers like mentioned before, you should be ok.