simonlpearce Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Ok so i got hold of a pair of EBC Redstuff brake pads from Ebay for about £60, here is my DIY on how to fit. This will work for most brakes regardless of model/engine size etc! Now before you start please remember that your brakes are a crucial part of your driving and although it is fairly straight forward to fit new pads, it is also easy to make mistakes and it could potentially lead to a very bad outcome! You will need 1) Set of decent spanners or socket set 2) Allen Key Set 3) Jack and Stands 4) New pads 5) Some copper grease 6) Flat head screwdriver and or pliers 7) Large G-Clamp (Very Large) So to start you will need to loosen the nuts on the wheel as it will not be possible whilst the wheel is in the air as it will just spin when you try to undo them. Next you need to raise the front of the car and place on Jackstands, this may not be as easy as you think as there are only certain places you can support the vehicle. I also only did one side as i needed the other Jackstand as you will see. Once you have removed the wheel in question and placed out the way, the first thing you need to do is remove the Caliper Spring. To do this simply place the flat head behind and lever it out, you can also use the pliers to help. It is a little tricky and can ping off so keep eyes etc turned away or you could be hurt. The next thing you need to do is remove the caliper allen bolts which are found on the rear of the caliper and are covered by a piece of rubber with a cap on, see pic below. As i didnt have the correct size allen key i decided to simply remove the carrier with the caliper attached. To do this there are simply two bolts holding the whole assembly to the hub, these took a little persuasion to actually undo. Now to actually remove the assembly from the hub you will need to wind back the piston as it is likely there will be a lip around the edge of the disc stopping you from taking everthing apart. To do this you will need your large G-Clamp - place one side on the back of the caliper (there is a flat part to rest it on) and the other on the pad which is facing you. Simply do it up and watch the piston crawl back into its hole . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Now you should be able to remove the whole assembly including the caliper carrier from the hub and disc, this is where the second Jackstand comes in, use this to take the weight of the calliper as it is one heavy mo fo to keep hold of. Now before you go any further make sure you remove the brake pad wear sensor (only founf on the left side for front and right side for rears), it simply pulls out. Now you can remove the old pads so simply pull the buggers out, again i found the flat head came in good use here. The next picture shows the old and new pads side by side, what a massive difference you will see! Now fitting is pretty much a reversal of removal, grab your new pads and insert the one with metal prongs into the piston. If you have some put some copper greas on the side of the pad that has the metal prongs, this help to eliminate brake squeal. It may be a tight fit but it will go, just make sure you dont get your dirty finger all over the surface of the pad. The outer pad again needs copper grease on the side facing you, NOT the braking surface, but should be an easy fit. Replace you brake pad wear sensor, again it simply clips into place on the top of the pad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Now you should be able to refit the caliper and the carrier around the disc, then replace the 2 carrier bolts you removed earlier, or the allen key bolts if you went down that route. Lastly remember to replace the spring that you removed from the start of the proceedure. Now at this stage it is well worth checking you have tightened everything correctly and that you have actually reaplced everything as it should be, i cannot stress how important this is as it could potentially be your life in your hands, and more importantly the lives of others!!! Lastly refit the wheel and do up the bolts as tight as you can, lower the car off the stands, then finish off tightening the wheel once on the ground. Here is a pic of the end result.... Now before you get over confident and move onto the other side, go and check the level of the fluid in the reservior as it will be higher than it was as the pads are thicker then what you had on. You will need to have plenty of room in the reservior as you will also be winding back the piston on the other side so it will raise again. Just keep an eye on this and remove with a turkey baster if needed. Once the other side is complete before you go for a spin make sure all fluids are at the correct level after depressing the brake a few times. You should notice it bottom out the first few presses but it should go solid after a while. Now all you need to do is bed the pads in so around 500-1000 miles should suffice. I can honestly say im well chuffed so far with the redstuff pads, people say they do not work from cold but this is not true. They work equally as good as OEM pads when cold so no worries about not being able to stop when driving normally. I have not yet had a chance to get them up to heat but will report back on the performance when i have. Oh BTW i forgot to mention i went for redstuff instead of greenstuff as i have a track day coming up at Oulton, so should see how good they are then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
///Marty Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Good DIY mate. Glad to see you were busy at work today! The only thing i would add and i don't know whether you did this or not is when i change out pads, i also remove any build up of rust/crap from the inside edges of the carrier and put a bit of copper slip in there too (making sure not to get any on the discs and wiping off any excess). This allows the pad to move more freely against the carrier and reduces the possibility of the pad binding itself the the carrier which will make the wheel shake violently under braking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Cheers fella. I knew there was something i missed, I havent done this yet, although they are all coming off again next week to be painted and so i can fit my braided brake lines so i will do it then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
///Marty Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Yeah, definately worth doing, my OE pads got stuck to the caliper with the rusty/crappy build up and i was worried i thought i'd warped a disk and thought i was gonna have to replace the discs and pads. Cleaned them up with a wire brush, slapped on some copper slip and it sorted it right out. As it turned out i changed all the pads and disks a year later anyway but thats the world of modding for ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne'o Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 nice work mate, i'm changing my pads and discs next week and was gonna do a DIY for it as i never noticed one, but you have saved me the time mate thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 nice work mate, i'm changing my pads and discs next week and was gonna do a DIY for it as i never noticed one, but you have saved me the time mate thank you Glad i could help mate, although if there is anything you can think that i missed make sure you add it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Good how to fella, im sure it will help alot of members out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay631 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Nice DIY... I have the Greenstuff and for the first week or so I thought oh S#!T as it was not bedding in to quick after about a week I loved it much better than OEM pads and less dust.... I bet the Red stuff are even better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Nice DIY... I have the Greenstuff and for the first week or so I thought oh S#!T as it was not bedding in to quick after about a week I loved it much better than OEM pads and less dust.... I bet the Red stuff are even better... So far so good, only got them on the front and only have about 150 miles on them at the mo so a feww hundred more and i will report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne'o Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 used to use red stuff pads on my type-r, and what a difference they were alond with the grooved discs, and hardlly any brake dust going for the greenstuff on the bmw to see what they are like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePhee Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 This isn't the correct way of doing it - especially the photo where the (very large) g-clamp is being used to push against the disk and the caliper. The caliper-slide pins need to be undone first, using a 7mm hex key (allen key, in plain english). To access the slide pins, pull off the black plastic caps at the back of the caliper, there you will see (or feel with your fingers, as it's out of view) where to insert the 7mm hex key. Undo the two bolts using the hex key, this makes the slide pins come out part-way, and then you can just pull them out. Once the slide pins are withdrawn, you can pull off the caliper and the pads with it. Withdraw the pads from the inside of the caliper. NOW you can push back the piston, but you can (and should) use a much smaller g-clamp than the above write-up. Make sure you've loosened the cap on the brake fluid reservoir in the engine bay first, so that when you push the caliper piston back in, the fluid has somewhere to go. Prepare the new pads by smearing copper grease on the back and also on the side "wings" or "ears", as these bits slide along the caliper and the metal-to-metal contact will cause squealing if not greased. Insert the pads into the caliper, making sure on the piston side the clip goes into the piston. Put the caliper back onto the hub and reinsert the slide pins (once you've smeared the smooth sides of the pins with some more copper grease). Tighten the slide pins with the 7mm hex key and reinsert the plastic caps over the slide pin access point. All done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Thats very Anal for a first post Dude , and those few points were covered in the posts that followed Simons quality write up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob- Posted September 14, 2010 Report Share Posted September 14, 2010 Undo the two bolts using the hex key, this makes the slide pins come out part-way, and then you can just pull them out. You dont even need to pull them out. Once theyre loose there's no need to remove them. Pulling them out just causes more work. PS. The guide is not incorrect, it's just one way of doing it. PPS. Biggest thread revival on here ever? Nearly 2 years since the last post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted September 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Very anal indeed, lol. I did it my way and have done on just about every car i have owned as anyone thats changed their brakes will know how stubborn the hex keys are to undo. I find it much quicker and easier to just whip the lot off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 The Hex bolts can be a pain ..unless you have a proper Snap On jobby for said bolts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge- Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 I'd say you have missed out the first part of Take off the cap for brake fluid. When you push the piston in, the level will rise in the reservoir. Make sure you put a cloth around to catch any spillage though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 I'd say you have missed out the first part of Take off the cap for brake fluid. When you push the piston in, the level will rise in the reservoir. Make sure you put a cloth around to catch any spillage though. Already been mentioned Dude , i could say " Open the bonnet first " And yes Rob , definitely the biggest Topic revival Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted September 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Jorge - i accept your criticsm and agree that you should remove the cap first and put a rag round it to catch any spilt fluid. The rest is horses for courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge- Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 I wasn't critising, its a DIY... even if people aren't replying doesn't mean its not getting read. Just thought people should be aware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Astrum Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) Looks pretty straightforward - what's the difference between red and greenstuff? I'm gonna be changing my pads soon-ish and less brake dust sounds great to me! *edit* okay I googled it and it says greenstuff for cars below 200bhp - I think my car (e46 330 petrol) is supposed to be about 230bhp - but I don't exactly rag the arse off it, so I don't suppose I'm using the full 230bhp (in fact, on the brakes, I imagine I'm using 0bhp!) - will greenstuff be okay for me d'you reckon? If I had the same model car with a smaller motor that didn't make 200bhp, presumably the brakes would have the same job to do, so I'm guessing it's alright? If any more technically minded bods can advise if I should get the red ones or not, I'd appreciate the explanantion! Edited May 13, 2012 by Aquila Astrum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Astrum Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well, first things first, thanks for the write-up, I just followed it all through, and have new green stuff pads all round, went totally sweetly, so thanks for such a clear and concise guide! I do have a slight problem however, which is now I've put my new pads in (and reconnected brake wear sensor) the warning light has not cleared down on the dashboard - any idea how to re-set it, or why it might still be lit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 probably a worn sensor if your pads were badly worn hence replacement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Astrum Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 the rears were only about half worn, but the fronts didn't owe me much! so I have to buy a new sensor? not just reuse the existing one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
