danielgetsthis

Trying to figure out the easiest way to get access to the brake bleeders. I have jack stands, a floor jack, car ramps, but no special jack stand pads for the inset side jack points. So, I can jack from the front center or rear center jack points, but I can't support the car on the sides without the tires on the vehicle.

1. Does the vehicle need to be jacked up to get to the bleeders? The job would be cake if the answer is "no", but looking for opinions from those that have gone before me.
2. Do the wheels need to be removed?
3. Do all four corners need to be up at the same time?
   1. Followup, what is the order of the bleeding via Star/Xentry? Rear passenger > Rear Driver > Front Passenger > Front Driver?

If my above order is correct, my initial plan is:
jack the rear > remove rear wheels > bleed the rear > install rear wheels > set the rear down
jack the front > remove front wheels > bleed the front > install front wheels > set the front down

Is this the easiest way to do it with the equipment I have?

Thanks all

bbirdwell

Just put the jack stands under the jack points. Nothing will be damaged.

1. Yes because you have to remove the wheels.
2. See #1.
3. Yes if only because it is so much faster and easier. STAR will instruct you on what to do; just follow the instructions on the screen. You want someone to sit in the car and push the computer buttons while you attend to the calipers; after each cycle you can go around to the computer and read the instructions. If you do not have the MB locking device (expensive!) you will need to manually hold the hose onto the bleed valve; pressures are not ridiculous but it is possible for the hose to pop off if you fail to hold it on to the bleed valve. Don't forget to add brake fluid after each bleed cycle (you'll need two quarts and don't forget an empty container into which to put the used brake fluid). Don't overthink it; just follow the instructions. There is one point at the right rear caliper where you might think the bleed cycle is finished and you should move on to the left rear caliper. Don't(!) until the DAS instructions tell you to do so.

danielgetsthis

Thanks @bbirdwell
First off, thanks for the right rear "Don't(!)" I was so close to moving on to the left side and remembered your warning.

I performed this job this weekend. I ended up using a floor jack on the rear to get both rear wheels off the ground. Once the procedure got to the front, I put the rear wheels back on, lowered the car and did the front wheels one at a time. Everything went fine, except for my battery charger. It could not keep up with the draw. Maybe I took too long and that caused more drain... The procedure failed halfway through because the voltage was too low. This forced me to restart the procedure and I ended up using about 1L extra of brake fluid. Glad I had a 5L bottle to start with. So, for anybody else, make sure your battery charger is strong enough to do this job.