Best practice procedure for brake pad replacement

Charles Figgins, Technical Marketing Manager at Blue Print, presents the best practice procedure for replacing the rear brake pads and discs on a Hyundai i40.

The Hyundai i40 saloon and tourer estate is a clear measure of how serious a player Hyundai is these days. Designed specifically for the European market, the i40, with its keen pricing, good looks, great quality and spot-on selection of engines and trim levels, aims to take on the Ford Mondeo at its own game and win.

The i40 uses an electromechanical parking brake (EPB) system similar to other manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Renault, Volvo, Ford and BMW. The following procedure is for changing rear brake pads and discs:

• Carry out a braking system health check with regards to fluid level and condition, leaks, and check the operation of the parking and foot brakes. Note: It is advisable to connect a battery support unit as the parking brake motors draw a lot of current (approximately 14 to 20A) when in use. With the ignition on, plug a diagnostic tool into the 16-pin diagnostic socket and check for fault codes in the EPB and ABS systems (Fig 1/main image)
• With the vehicle raised, remove the rear wheels and check the condition of the brake hoses, parking brake motor cable and connections, and the rear brake pads and discs. The minimum disc thickness is 8.4mm, and the minimum rear brake pad thickness is 2.0mm
• Perform the EPB motor wind back procedure using a suitable diagnostic tool (Figs 2 & 3)

• Remove the two 12mm headed bolts on the brake caliper and remove the caliper, carefully putting it to one side; do this without putting excessive stress on the brake hose and motor wiring
• There is no need to wind back the piston; it can just be pushed back
• Remove the old rear brake pads and retaining plates (Fig 4)

• To remove the caliper carrier (A) (Fig 5), first, remove a suspension link bolt (B). This will enable you to remove the two caliper carrier bolts (C)

• Remove the rear brake disc retaining screws and then the old brake disc. Clean the mating surfaces and degrease (where necessary) the new brake disc before fitting (Figs 6 & 7)

• Refit the caliper carrier bolts, the suspension link bolt, and then fit the new brake pads and retaining plates – once this is done refit the brake caliper (Fig 8)

• Finally, rewind the EPB motors and check the operation of the parking and foot brakes, which includes checking for fluid leaks. Then, recheck for fault codes in the EPB and ABS systems, refit the wheels and torque wheel nuts to 88-108Nm and road test