Any GOTCHAs with Brake Fluid Flush on the E70?
 

Time to flush the brakes, been two years I guess, service indicator yelling at me each time I start the car.

I'm assuming it is straight forward, but wanted to make sure there were no Gotcha's involved, like needing to 'plug in' and cycle the ABS pump or anything?

Was figuring on Traditional or Pressure bleed method similar to this article, unless there is something I am missing..

Asked the dealer for a quote, thinking it would be something like $100-$150, but they think $300 is a reasonable cost for this service :wow:

Think I'd rather spend $50 to invest in a pressure bleeder..

^Yikes. Had the wife's 35d done at the local dealer for ~$125 a couple of years ago. Sorry, no help on the procedure.

Mine was $109 plus an $8 miscellaneous shop fee. The pressure plus cycling that they do seems to do rhe trick vs. my pressure and pedal pressing alone. I'm happy to have them do the flushing alternating with mine but probably not at $300.

Don't use excess pressure, if you have the caliper removed make sure the piston is restrained or it will pop out and don't let the cylinder get uncovered/reservoir empty.

Shouldn't be any reason to run the ABS solenoids if you don't let the master go dry and get air in the system.

No Indy shops near you? Mine charged about $120. One hour labor plus fluid.


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The local BMW dealer had a coupon $100 for brake bleeding. The BMW tech said they will not run ABS bleed procedure.

I've bled the brakes on the X5M with a pressure bleeder. It was straight forward. The only thing that was different was each caliper had two bleed screws. This may only apply for the X5M calipers.

Get a Motive branded power bleeder to flush & properly bleed the brake system... Makes it an easy, one person job without the potential risk of causing seal damage to your master cylinder... & it actually does a good job at bleeding the brakes, unlike pressing the pedal...

DO NOT get the ECS Tuning branded power bleeder, as the fricken top does not unscrew, so you can not clean out the tank & pump assembly properly... Stupidest design I've ever seen, I cuss every time I use it when changing differential fluid... Have been tempted to just throw it in the trash due to how pissed off I get that I can't take the stupid top off, because they glued the threads...

To get ALL the old fluid out, you really should cycle the ABS pump. The Foxwell NT520 Pro w/ BMW software on it can do this & more. Can be found for around $150. I've always had good results bleeding brakes just pressure bleeding the system; however, I've gotten AWESOME results by cycling the ABS pump, where the result is a pedal that feels like it's on a brand new car.

I always recommend against having someone press on the brake pedal to bleed the brakes. If you don't time things right, & know what it is that you're trying to achieve, you'll just introduce air into the brake caliper. When the person pressing on the brake pedal inevitably stomps the pedal all the way to the floor, you're asking for master cylinder damage... When the pedal goes to the floor suddenly, they'll also pump the brakes which will introduce air into the system...

Using a pressure bleeder, I find it get more bubbles out if I tap on the caliper with a rubber mallet. Also, air will get sucked into the bleed ports via the threads if you loosen them too much, where you'll see a constant stream of bubbles & think your caliper is full of air... Crack open the bleed ports just enough to get a decent stream, tap with a rubber mallet, close the bleed port before you run out of pressure from the power bleeder. Also, use a clear tube to put on the bleed port nipple, as it makes seeing fine bubbles much easier; however, don't use a really long piece of hose, as this increases the suction on the bleed nipple that can draw air in via the threads & make it appear you have air in the calipers.

The official BMW procedure involves using a pressurized power bleeder and cycling the ABS pump at the same time. ISTA+ can cycle the pump and talk you through the procedure.

If you’re regular with brake fluid flushes (every 2 years), cycling the ABS solenoids is unnecessary.

I second this ^. I spent hours and 2 full bottles of fluid thinking i had air bubbles but it was in fact sneaking in through the threads.


I never pump the brakes or activate the ABS electronically. I do wait until the next rain and find an empty parking lot to activate them a couple times.


I also live in an extremely high humidity enviro - Alabama