Changing the front brake pads on a 2019 Alpine A110
This is definitely a DIY job and a very simple job and well within anyone's skills.
Tools required:
- 17mm socket for the wheel nuts
- Wheel nut cap remover tweezers (in your car)
- Secure wheel nut key (in your car)
- Torque wrench (not required but recommended)
- Hammer
- Pin punch or similar
- I used a 12" half inch drive extension bar for gently pushing the pads/pistons back but anything will do
- Perhaps pliers if the pads are a little sticky but I just used fingers
- A thin blade if the pads are the originals, I used a 6" steel ruler, see instructions
I have a 2019 A110 Legende with the upgrade 320mm discs with 6000 miles on it. I did a track day at Knockhill 2 weeks ago and the brake pedal went soft on me after a few serious laps. It's not a fluid issue as pumping the pedal makes no difference. The next day I ordered the front brake Performance Pads from Life110 which I have just fitted. I am waiting for the rear ones to come into stock.
Interestingly it seems the pads are the same size on the normal and upgraded brakes.
I will report back in a few days as I have another track evening on Wednesday.
TO CHANGE THE PADS
- Jack up the car and remove the wheel. You will find the locking wheel nut in your black pouch. You will also find the black tweezers that your need to remove the black plastic wheel nut covers.
- Turn the steering so the calliper is as far out as possible, so for the right side fully left and the opposite for the left side. To release the steering lock you don't need to start the car just press the START/STOP button with your foot off the brake.
- The pads are held in by 2 pins which will tap out so get a pin punch or something similar to tap them with that has a smaller diameter than the hole. Make sure you don't hit the callipers as they scratch easily, from experience 🙁
- The spring clip over the pads sits in a grove (the narrower part of the pins shank) of the pin so push that down and tap out the pins and remove the clip.
- Just using your hand / body strength apply as much continuous pressure as you can to the top of each pad pushing them away from the disk therefore retracting the pistons. The gap just needs to be a millimetre or two. I use a half inch extension bar for this.
- The pads should now be loose so you need to wiggle them out. They just pull out but if they are the original pads, which is likely unless you are doing high mileages, Alpine have put some "glue" on the pistons (you can see this on the images above), so you may need to get something like a 6" steel rule (thin strong metal) and run this between the pads and the pistons to free them. If the car is high mileage or older you might need to tap them from the back to loosen them but please be careful not to damage the calliper.
- Try to fit the new pads into the space. If the old ones were heavily worn then use the half inch extension bar or similar to push in the pistons.
- NOTE: If you have to do this please find the brake fluid reservoir under the bonnet and make sure that by pushing in the pistons you don't cause a brake fluid spillage at the reservoir.
- Once the pistons are in far enough reverse the process and replace the pads.
- Make sure the securing clip sits into the grove in the pins before replacing the wheel.
- Tighten the wheel nuts up to 130Nm.
- Repeat for the other side.
- Before driving off press/gently pump the brake pedal to dress the new pads up to the disk.
- For Life110 pads follow their bedding in instructions here.
- Job done.
