I heard there was a lack of a decent write-up for front brakes and rotors so this is my attempt. Try not to be too judgmental, this is the first time I’ve ever wrote something up.
Tools needed:
Socket wrench
7mm hex socket
C-Clamp
13/16th wrench (possibly 21mm wrench)
Flat head screw driver, medium large
Wood or rubber mallet
Something to pry with
Anti seize (optional)
Step 1:
Take center cap off, loosen lug nuts.
Step 2:
Jack up front end and take lug nuts completely out. Remove wheel.
Step 3:
Take caliper spring off and disconnect the brake pad sensor. Should now look like this:
The sensor is on the caliper. You have to disconnect it from the car, then lift the tab underneath and rotate it 90 degrees to get it to come out of the bracket. Sorry but I didn’t get a picture of this.
Step 4:
Take caliper bolts out. You have to remove some rubber caps to expose them. They are 7mm and should come out pretty easy. Make sure you are turning in the right direction; I have heard these will strip easy. I took them all the way out so that I could never anti-seize on them.
Step 5:
Take the caliper off. Chances are there will be rust and build-up making it seem like it is stuck on there. You can use the bracket to pry against.
Step 6:
Get the rotor loose. You can do this after taking the caliper bracket off, I it before. You have wack it pretty good with a wood or rubber mallet. I also used the bracket to pry against.
Step 7:
Take caliper bracket off. These bolts are hard to miss, they’re behind the rotor and pretty big. I think they’re actually supposed to be 21mm (since it is a German car everything so far has been metric). I used a 13/16th wrench and it fit beautifully. It’s actually smaller than a 21mm, so it might be a tighter fit. Once again, make sure you’re turning the right direction; you actually need quite a bit of force to get these off. Once they’re out the bracket falls right off.
Step 8:
Take the rotor off. If you didn’t get it loose before you’ll have to do so now. You could probably pry against the caliper bracket mounting bolt hole if you need more leverage.
After you get the old rotor off you can put the new one on and start reassembling. Read all directions with the parts you bought, some require you to clean before installation, some want you to keep the protective coating on there.
Step 9:
Press the caliper cylinder back. You need to do this in order fit it over the new rotor. If you like spending money you can buy a special tool for this, if not you can use a c-clamp which you can get at harbor freight for $4. If your brake fluid has recently been topped off you may want to make that it doesn’t overflow when you do this as it will push fluid back. You may also want to pop the cap to your brake fluid reservoir to relieve some pressure build up.
Step 10:
Put caliper bracket back on. Remember, you should already have your new rotor in place. I put anti seize on all the bolts I put back, I would recommend this for the next time you have to do the job, you’ll fight with less rust. I forget the torque spec on these bolts, but it’s pretty high so make sure you crank down on them. Careful not to let the wrench slip off the bolt, getting a good angle can be difficult.
Step 11:
Put pads in caliper. Make sure they’re seated right. The outside one should have a way of sticking to the caliper. Mine had a 3M sticky pad.
Step 12:
Put the caliper back on. It should fit over the rotor without too much trouble if you pushed cylinder all the way back. You can put the 7mm bolts back in now, remember not to over tighten as they will strip.
Step 13:
Put the caliper spring back on. PITA.
Step 14:
Put wheel back on.
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Originally Posted by tbosch
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