Front and Rear Brakes?

Tiny
TALONLUVSWIFI
  • MEMBER
  • 2018 BMW 330
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 103,000 MILES
Hi, I'm trying to do front and rear brakes on the vehicle listed above 330e hybrid. My mk808 Autel scanner can't retract the parking brake and I didn't see a motor on the caliper that I could remove to manually retract the e brake, thus I'm stuck. Please let me know what caliper piston compressor tools I need along with how to safely retract the e brake without damaging the caliper.
Thursday, March 27th, 2025 AT 9:17 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 54,137 POSTS
This car has parking brake shoes, so there is no parking brake to deal with when doing the rear brake pads. Just compress the caliper normally, I would remove the brake master cap to be safe and put shop towels around it so if brake fluid overflows it will be caught. Let us know how it goes.
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 10:38 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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The park brake on them is a drum system mounted under the rear rotors. No special tools needed for either end. Just be careful to route the wear sensor wiring the correct way.
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 10:41 AM
Tiny
TALON LUVS WIFI
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Just to be sure because it has an electric parking button on the center console. You're sure that compressing the caliper piston won't damage the caliper like other electric parking brake motors?
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 11:37 AM
Tiny
TALON LUVS WIFI
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Also, can I use a brake pad to compress the piston or do I need a special compression tool with an indent on it or something?
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 11:43 AM
Tiny
TALON LUVS WIFI
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This is for an electric parking brake system, right? The car has the EPB button on the center console so I'm nervous about compressing the piston.
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 11:58 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Okay, if it has the EPB button then either the service info is wrong, or you have a unique car. Could you post your VIN please. 2019 they went to the electronic park brake caliper that looks like the attached, those cannot be turned back by removing the motor though, you have to use a scan tool to put them in workshop mode. I suppose you could have a very late 2018 build that has the newer system. The VIN might help with that.
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 12:45 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,233 POSTS
Looking at the VIN here shows the same. Hat style park brake with a set of shoes under the rotor actuated by a lever inside the car. As such you shouldn't need anything special, just a way to compress the pistons, basically this same process on both ends.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-front-brake-pads-and-rotors-fwd

If you want to take a picture of the console and that button and post it, we might be able to tell what it is. Being you have cable actuated parking brakes it's possible that someone added one of the powered units like GM used to replace the lever.
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Friday, March 28th, 2025 AT 6:04 PM

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