Replacing Disc Brake Pads

Always replace both pads on the same axle, left and right. Only pads with a General Operating Permit (German: "Allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis" – ABE) may be used.

Girling brake: loosen only the lower mounting bolt (2) of the brake caliper. Hold the guide bolt. The upper mount (1) remains untouched. When installing, use a new self-locking mounting bolt!

Ate brake: after removing the cap (3), loosen the lower bolt with an internal hex in the protective sleeves (4).

For the Girling brake, a total of two new self-locking bolts are required to replace the pads. In most cases they are included in the brake pad set, so check! If the brake is by Ate, no bolts are required.

As the pistons in the brake calipers move further out with increasing pad wear, they must be pushed back before fitting new, thicker pads. Brake fluid is forced through the line into the reservoir. If excess fluid was added in the past, the excess must now be removed. Otherwise the displaced brake fluid will spill onto the metal components in the engine compartment. Use only a clean pipette or an old medical syringe for removal. Never siphon by mouth!

PROCEDURE

Raise the front of the vehicle and secure it.

Remove the wheel.

Turn the steering wheel so that the pads can be easily accessed.

Ate brake: remove the cap on the inner side of the caliper. Insert a socket wrench into the now-exposed inner hex of the bolt and loosen it.

Loosen only the lower bolt.

Pull out the bolt and swing the caliper bracket of the disc brake caliper upward or, if both bolts have been removed, remove it.

Hang the removed caliper bracket on a wire from the shock absorber strut.

Girling brake: Unscrew only the lower mounting bolt of the disc brake caliper body while holding the guide bolt by the hex head.

Swing the bracket upward.

Both versions: remove the pads from the guide rails on the right and left.

Using a C-clamp, press the piston inward. To prevent the piston from tilting or being damaged, place a small wooden block on the retaining ring.

On a two-piston brake caliper, press both brake pistons in the same way, either together or separately.

Make sure the heat shield is correctly seated in the brake piston bore.

Install new brake pads.

Reinstall the caliper.

ATE brake: Tighten the guide bolt to 25 N·m and reinstall the cap.

Girling brake: Tighten the lower (new!) mounting bolt to 35 N·m. Do not overtighten the upper bolt, otherwise the self-locking effect will be lost. Hold the guide bolt with a thin open-end wrench, otherwise it will seize and the tightening torque will be incorrect.

After assembly, depress the brake pedal several times until the pads contact the brake discs. Otherwise there will be no braking effect!

Note: During the first 500 km with new brake pads, brake as gently as possible.