Source
r/BmwTech•
jayknow05

Brake flush after replacing rear calipers/brakes [e90]

I have a dragging caliper that needs to be replaced, so I'm replaced the rear calipers, pads and rotors. I have done brakes before and removing the caliper seems like an easy extension of that.

After I complete this job I will be flushing the brake fluid. I can get a pressure bleeder and do it myself, but I have heard the BMW has some automatic method that a BMW shop uses that may or may not be better. My question is, is it worth paying ~$100 to have the shop flush the system in the official way or will the end result be the same thing I can do in my driveway?

If I decide to get it done at the shop, I'll finish the job and bleed the brakes without a flush and bring it in at my leisure.

Posted Jun 4, 2014, 4:03 PM UTC

24
alegitpenguin•

If you have a pressure bleeder it will work just fine.

3
israellopez•

I didnt have a pressure bleeder, its fine as long as you dont introduce air in the brake fluid tank.

Although the dealership may be able to get more "pressure" in the system to flush out fluid, therefore a firmer pedal.

You should be fine with the traditional method anyway.

1
toadkiller•

The method you're talking about uses a BMW specific program to activate the ABS module, cycling it to flush any air bubbles out. You can get decent results from a pressure bleeder (or a friend pumping the pedal). But if you're going to flush the system I would recommend running the ABS module.

HOWEVER, you can do this yourself. There are a few programs you can get on your laptop that can access the ECU and turn on abs. If you get a cheap cable this is relatively easy with some DIY sense. There are plenty of walkthroughs online to guide you through the process. I'd try this first, as its a cheap way to get the best results. Message me if you have any questions!

1
jayknow05OP•

I have a USB cable that I use to check codes. I will look into using that to do the flush in a couple weeks.

1