Door brake removal problem

[bbig119]

I need to replace my driver's door brake. In the process of checking it out today I couldn't figure out how to remove the pin holding the brake to the body frame. My Bentley and other "how to" posts I've seen has this as a simple pin with a clip that needs to be removed, but unless I'm an idiot, I've got something else and I spent entirely too long trying to figure out how to get it out without success. It looks like a hollow aluminum snap in type thing. Other than poking something out in the bottom half of the thing, I wasn't really able to get a great grip or move it in any way. Take a look at the picture and maybe you can offer some advise. Thanks.


Bryan

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/1865/doorbrakeforweb2nz3.jpg

[bubba966]

Tape up the door frame underneath the pin with 4 or 5 layers of blue tape to protect the paint. Make sure the area you tape covers the entire width of the frame, and is 4"-6" high at least so as to give it good coverage against being contacted by the hammer when you beat the pin out. Then take a hammer and give the pin a few good whacks from the bottom. The pin will come out, it doesn't just slide out with ease is all.

The tape works rather well to keep the paint protected. It's too hard to give it a hard enough hit and not touch the door frame with the hammer. But with it taped up good (4"-6" high patch of tape under the pin) the hammer contacting the frame a little bit when you're hitting the pin won't damage the paint or the car.

Sorry I don't have pics of doing this. But that's how I did it on a '93 M5 so as to install the Koala door brake reinforcement kit. Worked fine once I figured out to tape the frame and beat out the pin with a hammer. Had a hell of a time trying to pull it out before I figured that trick out.

[bbig119]

Thanks...sounds straightforward. I ordered the Koala reinforcement plates which I know include a new pin, but the new door brakes from autohaus don't have the pin listed as an included item which seems kinda cheap, but I guess I'll find out when it arrives, and fortunately I don't need it. Just need to find a way not to damage my door until the parts arrive.

[bubba966]

You can re-use the pin if you want. In fact I'd done that as I found the rubber surrounds needed replacing when I installed the Koala plates. So I put the old pins back in. Then put the new pins (that came with the Koala plates) in when the rubber surrounds got replaced.