Recently replaced my back disks and pads, here is a short write up.
I would encourage all to review the following video. I did a lot of research and it was by far the most comprehensive. It should be applicable for all E90’s.
LINK
This is not a hard DIY, and can be completed with simple tools. With that said if you want to attempt this DIY, or any DIY involving a critical part (such as your brakes), do proper research and planning, make sure you have enough time, and triple check all screws and nuts before testing the result. Your steps might differ slightly if you are using a trolley jack. I only have a normal jack, so it took a bit longer.
1. Make sure the handbrake is engaged, and loosen the wheel nuts of your wheel.
2. Jack up car, place jack stands under car, and remove remainder of wheel nuts and remove wheel. Release hand brake.
WARNING: do not, under any circumstance attempt this without supporting the car just with the jack. Using jack stands is essential, and could save your life.
3. Remove anti vibration clip.
4. Remove rubber caliper guide pin covers, and using an Allan bit remove the 2 caliper guide pins.
5. Remove the caliper, and unclip the remaining pad. Compress the piston using a C-clamp. Rest the caliper on the trailing arm, do not let it hang by the brake line, as you don’t want to stretch the lines. At this point it’s also important to note that you might want to remove the brake pad sensor (depending on what wheel you are working on). If you want to re-use the old sensor, be careful not to break the sensor on this step.
6. Remove the 2x16mm caliper carrier screws at the back.
7. Using a 6mm allan bit, remove the centre screw, holding the disk on the hub
8. Take a hammer to loosen the disk from the hub. I opted to use the C-clamp and kind of hook the back of the disk, and using a jank-pulling motion, to hammer it from the back. After more than a 100 000km my disks where on there pretty good and I had to repeat this process sever times, turning the disk a quarter of a rotation between hammering to get it loose.
9. Now that the disk has been removed, inspect your hand brake shoes for wear.
10. Before placing the new disk on to the hub, you might want to remove corrosion/rust and apply an anti-corrosion lubricant to the hub.
11. Secure the new disk on the hub and tighten the 6mm centre screw.
12. As per the video, its probably a good idea to clean the caliper carrier of
brake dust and corrosion/rust before installing the 2x16mm screws again (see step 6).
13. Before installing the new pads, you might want to add some lubricant to the ears of the pads. From the research, I have conducted, there are several products that will do the trick. Just be sure whatever you are using is resistant to very high temps as the brake can get very hot (don’t just use normal grease for example). Remember to also install your brake bad wear sensor at this step.
14. Install the new pads and place the caliper to rest on the caliper carrier.
15. Tighten the 2 caliper carrier guide pins, and install the rubber plugs. Don’t forget to also secure your anti vibration clip.
16. Put the wheel back on, and torque the wheel nuts once the car is jacked down.
17. Repeat steps 1 – 16 for the other wheel!
18. Before “living your life a quarter mile at a time”, remember to pump the brakes a few times. At this point you may also want to reset your brake service light.
