What! New car I can't change rear brakes w/o scanner w brake servicing?

Originally Posted by csandste
OK, I now realize that I'm an official geezer and technology has passed me by. Why is this an improvement other than it saves space by having no handle?

#1 It engages automatically.
#2 There's no cable to get stretched thereby making the E-brake useless.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
There's no cable to get stretched thereby making the E-brake useless.


People must be abusing the crap out of the e-brake handle, as I've been driving manuals nearly exclusively for 25 years and never had a problem with a stretched E-brake cable. I know my Subarus say that full E-brake engagement should happen at around 7-8 clicks, so there's no need to go yanking the handle like a flipping idiot.

3-4" of lift should be plenty to engage the E-brake and not abuse the cable.
 
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My 2016 Mazda CX-9 has motor actuated parking brakes as well. When I changed the rear pads and rotors, I was able to unbolt the electric motors and wind in the mechanism to give enough room to fit the new pads and rotors. It really wasn't very difficult, but added a couple of minutes to the process. After completion, I actuated the electric parking brake and it worked fine after winding itself in to take up the slack I had created in the system. No need for a special tool on my car. The process might be different for other cars.
 
I'm the OP, having never owned or worked on a car with a electric parking brake, I was told I wouldn't be able to push in the piston to make room for the thickness of the new brake pads without a scan tool. Having never taken apart or seeing this type of brake system, it seems this electric brake is attached to the caliper, pushes in the pad, and is removable? And if removed, then the piston can be pushed back out? With only 2,000 miles on the vehicle, and being the rear brakes, it will be a long time before I will need rear brake servicing. At that time, I will take the rear wheel off, or at a wheel rotation, I will investigate and learn if the motor can be removed easily and will result in pushing the piston back? As mentioned, at that time, scan tools will be cheaper, better, improved.
 
Originally Posted by Kestas
Am I to understand that the emergency brake is actuated only by an electric motor? What if the motor doesn't work or the power goes out when the emergency brake is needed?

I have more faith in a cable than in an electric motor for an emergency situation.


That's exactly what people said when automobiles went from mechanical brakes to hydraulic brakes in the 1930's. Not saying I disagree with you though.....
 
Originally Posted by JLawrence08648
... With only 2,000 miles on the vehicle, and being the rear brakes, it will be a long time before I will need rear brake servicing. At that time, I will take the rear wheel off, or at a wheel rotation, I will investigate and learn if the motor can be removed easily and will result in pushing the piston back? As mentioned, at that time, scan tools will be cheaper, better, improved.

By the time you get to needing too do it, there will be 50 youtube videos on how to do it.
It the 2019 is the same as older Hyundai/Kia models, you can remove the electronic actuator from the caliper, back off the bolt mechanism that is part of the EPB system and then compress the piston.
When you put it back together, it works fine.
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
There's no cable to get stretched thereby making the E-brake useless.


People must be abusing the crap out of the e-brake handle, as I've been driving manuals nearly exclusively for 25 years and never had a problem with a stretched E-brake cable. I know my Subarus say that full E-brake engagement should happen at around 7-8 clicks, so there's no need to go yanking the handle like a flipping idiot.

3-4" of lift should be plenty to engage the E-brake and not abuse the cable.


Plenty of people yank the handle as far as they can take it. Drives me nuts but not really since it's not my car.
wink.gif
 
While cable wasn't perfect, especially in the rust belt, I'm sure these electric motors will develop issues of their own. To me, this is more of a lateral move for the customer, but for manufacturers I'm sure it is now cheaper and easier to route a harness vs a stiff cable from the console to the back of the vehicle.
 
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Originally Posted by eljefino
My 05 prius needs the dealer scan tool to bleed the rear brakes, important in a world where salt corrodes their lines.

Tried it without the scan tool, upon booting the car turned on the red warning triangle and refused to move out of park. ...
Not exactly true, if it's like the 3rd generation (2010-2015) Prius. If so, there's a procedure described in the service manual to bleed brakes without using a scan tool. You have to put it into "invalid mode" first. Then bleed rear brakes by opening bleed valve while the pump pumps fluid through, then bleed the fronts more-or-less conventionally (with an assistant pressing the brake pedal).

I don't know whether a similar routine is possible on JLawrence's Hyundai.
 
A lot of 'new automotive technology' is really just a solution in search of a problem, IMO.....and it creates customers for the dealer....
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
People must be abusing the crap out of the e-brake handle, as I've been driving manuals nearly exclusively for 25 years and never had a problem with a stretched E-brake cable. I know my Subarus say that full E-brake engagement should happen at around 7-8 clicks, so there's no need to go yanking the handle like a flipping idiot.


As someone who has the original cables on the 31 year old manual transmission BMW below, I concur.
coffee2.gif
 
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Yes, if your car has an electronic parking brake where the parking brake is engage/disengaged by an electric motor, instead of a mechanical lever connected via cable, you will need a scan tool capable of retracting the motor all the way so the brakes can be serviced.


This sounds like a bi-directional scan tool. Not your $100 one.

Auto Enginuity has one for about $500 since you need the tool and manufacturer specific option for one car brand. And a laptop.
 
Originally Posted by meep
in my F150 I believe there's a pedal/switch dance for the service procedure.

If it's like '13 and newer Fusions, yes, there probably is.

I know people like to cry that this is just another tactic to force people to dealers but isn't there almost always a manual way to operate these things ? On different Ford models, yeah, the dealers will have a scan tool that disengages the electronic parking brake and there are 3rd-party scan tools that can do it but there's also a procedure involving the pedals, key in ignition, pressing brake button, etc that does the same.
 
Originally Posted by c502cid
Originally Posted by Kestas
Am I to understand that the emergency brake is actuated only by an electric motor? What if the motor doesn't work or the power goes out when the emergency brake is needed?

I have more faith in a cable than in an electric motor for an emergency situation.

That's exactly what people said when automobiles went from mechanical brakes to hydraulic brakes in the 1930's. Not saying I disagree with you though.....

When they went from cable to hydraulic for brakes, didn't they decide they need a backup plan? They opted for cable as a backup.

I'm working from memory, but I believe many military planes use cable as backup for avionics.
 
Originally Posted by meep
in my F150 I believe there's a pedal/switch dance for the service procedure.


Originally Posted by Sluggo0018
My 2016 Mazda CX-9 has motor actuated parking brakes as well. When I changed the rear pads and rotors, I was able to unbolt the electric motors and wind in the mechanism to give enough room to fit the new pads and rotors. It really wasn't very difficult, but added a couple of minutes to the process. After completion, I actuated the electric parking brake and it worked fine after winding itself in to take up the slack I had created in the system. No need for a special tool on my car. The process might be different for other cars.


FYI on Mazda's there is a pedal/switch dance as well so that you wont have to remove the motors next time. Basically, if you turn the ignition on (dont start it), press and hold the gas pedal to the floor while holding the parking brake switch down (disengaged), then hit the start button three times rapidly, it will fully retract the motors so that you can change the pads by just pushing the pistons in like normal.

To put the parking brake out of maintenance mode, you do the same dance but instead of the holding the parking brake button down, you hold it up (engaged).
 
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