Has Anybody changed the Brake Pads on the Front of there 07 Cooper S? i am Already out of warranty and i have about 1000 Miles left on the front Pads also not very mechanically inclined. was wondering how hard it is 2 just change the pads myself instead of paying $600 @ the dealer. i already looked for posts on this not very successful thanx in adavance for any help

 

the differences from the GEN1 DIY you can find here are minor .... primarily you don't need the hex socket as the GEN2 uses a standard metric bolt (an 11 I think it was)

I replaced my fronts with EBC as soon as the pads came on the market.

p.s. is the "1000 left" by the computer???? Eye-ball 'em. Pads should be changed when the material is less then the thickness of the backing plate.

Here's a worn pad with white on the backing plate

 

It's cake, bud. Shouldn't take any more than a couple hours or so to do all four corners.

As stated by Capt. BJ, there are two bolts behind the caliper (top and bottom). Take 'em out, remove the old pads, and put the new ones in. Before you put the caliper back on you'll need to reset the pistons. I haven't done this on my R56 yet, but if it's the same as the R50/R53 you can do the front piston with a standard C-clamp and you'll need a special piston tool that will push AND turn the piston to reset the rear. I think you can pick one of those up at Harbor Freight for about $20. I'll see if I can find a link for you.

Seriously though, it's so easy it's almost scary.

Edit: Here's the link to that caliper tool you'll need to reset the rear pistons.