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So I'm trying to replace the rotors/pads on my 04 S55, and have hit trouble every step of the way.
One of my front caliper crossover tubes sprung a leak which got me started on the job I'd had parts laying around for while I waited on brake line to repair that leak.
I stripped the rotor retention bolt, then after rethreading that, installed the new front rotors, and reinstalled the caliper bolts so it's secured to the bracket again.
Now I'm trying to get the pads swapped out, and after getting the old ones out (which were falling apart and separating from their shims), I go to install the new pads, and they don't fit...
It's not the pistons sticking out, it's the width of the opening getting into the caliper. The pads are rubbing both the sides and can't wedge between to get in.
Every video I've watched and every other car I've changed pads on, they just slide right back in.
I've wire brushed the corners to make sure that they aren't gunked up, and applied lubricant there, but it's so tight that the shims on the new pads are getting caught/bent if I try to force them in.
Am I missing something stupid? I tried to take off the small hex bolts at the ends, but they aren't moving freely and I don't want to break them if I don't need to. Do I need to remove that "brace" across the middle?
Yellow points are making contact and the pads won't fit between
First: forget about the rotor retention bolt. It doesn’t do anything except keep the rotor pushed against the wheel hub. You don’t need it. That’s very BMW.
Second: Do not loosen the bolts that join the two halves of the caliper together. Leave those alone. Not sure how the bridging tube comes into play, aside from a leak you had to deal with.. But you don’t need to separate the caliper into its two halves. That’s asking for disaster.
Third: If the rotors and pads u bought are correct and the pistons are fully retracted, you should be able to pop the new pads into place with the calipers mounted. If u didn’t need rotors, the pad swap is as easy as pie. Just poke out the retaining pin that keeps each pair of pads in place.
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