Doing a brake job myself help please

[sorka]

Some of us don't feel the need to run to the dealer for everything service related. Brakes are probably a 3 out of 10 in complexity.

I personally know two people who've crashed cars doing their own brake jobs. One did so because they didn't properly bleed the brakes and they got air in the system and didn't know it and didn't bleed the air out. The brake fluid heated and the air expanded and the brakes failed to stop the car. The second was someone who didn't put the retaining clip for one of slider pins. The pin came out and the pad came lose at an odd angle and locked up the wheel.

If this is your first time dealing with breaks, please take the time to educate yourself. For someone who knows what they're doing, replacing pads, cleaning calipers and boots, and exchanging brake fluid is pretty easy but if you don't know what you're doing, you can kill yourself.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Even with a lot of winter driving and cold regen limit I'm not even a quarter of the way through my pads at 50k.

I wonder how often Tesla service do brake jobs other than fluid? I would think extremely few below 150-200k.

 

[Electric1]

Dot4 fluid has a shelf life of 5 years so all 2013 models should at least have their brakes bled.

That's shelf life. In use, it absorbs water and such, leading to shorter life. Frequent replacement helps protect seals, etc and changing it is cheap insurance.

BTW, my pads lasted at least 100K, they only got changed because I got new rotors.

 

[Bheuring]

So took me tesla in to bell tire.Had a tire that wouldn't hold air and the car was shaking .they said something in the tire went bad ( not sure sounded like BS ) so I need 2 back tires anyway they looked at the braks and said they were fine. I still might take the tires off for myself .I need to change brake fluid any way .

 

[allanfridstrom]

A car's braking system is one of the most important components in your driving experience, as it's the only thing keeping you from smashing into that bus full of nuns on your spirited run to the grocery store. It's a fairly simple hydraulic system that allows the force applied at the pedal to be translated to clamping force at the wheel. Here's how it works:

 

[busaman]

should be as straight forward as any other car the only ones that may pose a problem would be retracting the parking brake calipers but they should last 20 years on the ms...

 

[sandpiper]

I was wondering how long it would take, I didn't think it would be the first reply though!

ah TMC... the only car forum on the internet that is outright hostile towards car enthusiasts.

Go look at the forums for ANY other car, and most of the content is on how to modify the car. This forum? you suggest modifying anything and you're instantly told that it's illegal and it'll kill you.

The only approved topic to discuss around here is how great Elon is and whether the next version will include your desired change (because changing it yourself is "illegal", "immoral", and "kills baby seals"...)

I love this comment. It's absolutely true. But here you have predominantly green and tech enthusiasts, and not "car" enthusiasts. If I had to guess, I'd say that the first group contains a lower proportion of grease monkeys than the general population. And the second group is far more likely to gain root access and rewrite the car OS than they are to change the brake pads.

 

[Lukez]

should be as straight forward as any other car the only ones that may pose a problem would be retracting the parking brake calipers but they should last 20 years on the ms...

Just did this. You need to take out the 3 screws that attach the parking brake motor to the caliper and spin the shaft to retract. Then reattach the motor.

 

[Bheuring]

Just did this. You need to take out the 3 screws that attach the parking brake motor to the caliper and spin the shaft to retract. Then reattach the motor.

How many miles did you have on your old set.

 

[Lukez]

How many miles did you have on your old set.

70k. The pads weren't worn, they rusted and fell apart.

 

[182RG]

I love this comment. It's absolutely true. But here you have predominantly green and tech and relatively wealthy enthusiasts, and not "car" enthusiasts. If I had to guess, I'd say that the first group contains a lower proportion of grease monkeys than the general population. And the second group is far more likely to gain root access and rewrite the car OS than they are to change the brake pads.

LMFTFY

 

[acentre]

Are you upgrading or just replacing with the same or equivalent ? I ask because I am at 142k miles and my brake pads still look brand new with tons of pad left. I have a hard time believing brake pads need replacement unless you love riding your brakes for some reason...

you have 142k miles on your model S?
Fantastic!

 

[acentre]

Thanks for the info now .I just need to figure out how to bleed the brakes (not sure if I have to do something special )because off it being a tesla my leaf was no different.

I am sure the brakes on Model S are just like all other modern braking systems. I can do an axle in less than an hour....

 

[acentre]

MIght as well do your own tires also. I have a manaul changer, but you can upgrade..
Tire Changers - Ranger 21'' Capacity RimGuard | Model: R745

 

[acentre]

tire rack 19" G-Max AS-03 $119 each, take up a new hobby..

 

[jbw550313]

I plan on attempting a break job this weekend .I also am thinking about painting the brake calipers. I have yet to find any instructions or videos on how to do this if anyone knows of any please send me a link. If I do not find any I may make a video of me doing this thanks for any help.

Are your brakes really worn out? I figure mine will last at least 100k miles as I almost never use them...

 

[jelloslug]

Dot4 fluid has a shelf life of 5 years so all 2013 models should at least have their brakes bled.

I agree with your assessment but I would venture to say that 90% of the cars on the road have the same fill of brake fluid that came with the car.

 

[acentre]

Access to a service manual sure would be handy, huh?

If the parking brake is integrated with the rear caliper, one usually does not compress the piston(s) but screws them in....
Car repair can be hazardous, please the proper safety procedures....

 

[zambono]

You should put the car into service mode, in my previous vehicle with electronic parking brake if the service mode wasn't set it would detect a change in pressure and try to apply the brakes which would then push the pistons out of the calipers. A huge mess for those who had the pleasure of finding out the hard way.

 

[Lukez]

If the parking brake is integrated with the rear caliper, one usually does not compress the piston(s) but screws them in....
Car repair can be hazardous, please the proper safety procedures....

You should put the car into service mode, in my previous vehicle with electronic parking brake if the service mode wasn't set it would detect a change in pressure and try to apply the brakes which would then push the pistons out of the calipers. A huge mess for those who had the pleasure of finding out the hard way.

The parking brake is a separate small electric powered caliper. Putting it in tow mode removes the pressure and will not reactivate while in tow mode. However, it does not retract it all the way back. You should always disconnect the plug connector when working on them so there is no risk of it moving on you. You will need to remove the 3 screws like I mentioned above to retract the piston.