Soft brake pedal in MINI – what is the reason and how to fix it?

MINI driver question

Please give me information regarding the bleeding of the brake system in the MINI R56. In the car were replaced pads and discs front and rear, brake fluid to new and bled. The whole thing was done by one of the workshops. Currently, the brake pedal descends to the floor and there is no perceptible resistance – the car brakes, but previously the pedal did not descend, but wandered about 1/3 of the way, after which it became harder and harder and gave the feeling of confident braking.

The mechanic vented in the traditional way. I heard that in BMW you have to bleed with the computer connected to open the valves in the ABS control panel. How is such an operation performed at BM Cars?

The problem affected a 2007 MINI R56 One with a 1.4, 95 hp engine, but it occurs in other models as well.

By Jeremy from Sydney, Australia (Mini Cooper R56 Camden)[CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Response from BM Cars service

Replacement of brake discs and pads does not require bleeding the brake system. When changing the brake fluid, it is necessary to bleed the system. Professional fluid replacement is done with dedicated equipment for replacing and bleeding the system, such as from ATE (our service is a certified partner of ATE).

After replacing the fluid and bleeding properly, the brake pedal must not fall in during braking. Such a phenomenon may indicate that the system has been vented or that there is a leak – a brake fluid leak. It is also important to use the correct brake fluid. For most modern BMW and MINI models, the recommended fluid is DOT4 ESP. This is a fluid dedicated to vehicles equipped with a traction control system and provides a high boiling point. For standard brake fluid replacement, it is not necessary to control the diagnostic computer. If repair work is being carried out on the DSC module or it has been vented, it is necessary to use the venting procedure with computer control during venting.

You are welcome to use our service.

BMW 3 E46 brake disc and caliper

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