Service on the brake is of course particularly important. In order not to move too far away from the picture above, we start right away with the pad change. Perhaps you already suspect it, we take ourselves the more complicated electric parking brake. For this purpose it is absolutely necessary to intervene in the brake control of the vehicle.

We use the easycheck device from ZF TRW for this purpose. We select the Fast Check of the Electronic Parking Brake and the corresponding vehicle. Then this challenges us to switch on the ignition. It connects to the vehicle, detects it and now allows for maintenance and replacement of the brake pads.

Consequently, it is now requested to release the brake, which is accompanied by a wild flickering of the parking brake indicator light. It is therefore advisable to wait until the easycheck has reported the complete release of the brakes. Depending on the vehicle type, you can now either loosen one screw and fold away the brake calliper, or remove both and hang them from a wire.

Then remove the pads and any spring plates and check the brake disks. Special attention must be paid to the sliding bushes for the calipers, the must be smooth-running and their seal must be intact. The shafts must be cleaned before new linings and any springs are inserted.

Now, of course, the calipers no longer fit. So there follows a procedure you should inform yourself about beforehand. Is it possible with this vehicle, the piston(s) in each case only with force to push it back. A simultaneous rotation may also be necessary because of the electric parking brakes or the normal readjusting of it. In any case, electrical resistance is not to be expected, easycheck has taken care of this.

Here is a universal tool for resetting front and rear brakes, floating or tilting calipers or fixed calipers. By means of a certain spring preload, pistons are also reset, which can require left- or right-handed turn.

The thing with the two fixing screws on the guides of the brake calliper should also not be taken lightly. After all, there is usually a screw lock and may have to be reactivated, if necessary with new screws. What you save on repairs can be spent on safety in some cases.

Torque wrench is a matter of course. Also, do not forget to close the brake with the help of the computer (Close Brakes) and then recalibrate the brake. (Calibrate Brakes). If you could already see how the brake shoes are compressed during the first step, you can now see the search for new positions for a released brake.

As a rule, not only does the easycheck signal satisfaction when the fault memory is read out again, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the vehicle's own control system for the brake system.

The brake disc is examined here. The permissible wear is specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The two nubs on the caliper gauge allow you to measure beyond the edge that is always forming. Of course, the surface must also be considered. Discoloration due to excessive heat and possible fine cracks are criteria for replacement.

In general, it is changed quite often here, whereby the material price is normally kept within limits. After all, no ventilation is necessary. It might also make sense to drain some brake fluid at the wheels (and not from the brake fluid reservoir) and check it for water content. Customers usually find it good if, for example, a reason can be given for changing the brake fluid.

Hard to understand why e.g. Tesla no longer prescribes service intervals. After all, the braking system in pure electric cars is almost unchanged. That the water content is not even controlled in the above described form, is not really responsible.

By the way, did you know that in racing one changes the brakes as complete components? To make it faster, they are pre-bled and then connected to the system via special couplings. Thereby, no air gets in.