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

I dunno, I guess I'm in the hater's camp on this one. I realize things change and all, but, I don't want to have to buy a scan tool just to change brakes. Maybe it was under $100 for said tool. And hit every system in the car. And maybe came with wiring diagrams and whatnot to debug vehicle issues.

I'm not impressed with fancy pedal/switch tap dances to enter into hidden menus. Seems stupid. Back in the old days when cars didn't have huge LCD's and rows of buttons maybe that made sense. Today? I'm surprised you can't plug in a USB keyboard & mouse and navigate the various things available in the ECU (and TCU and body module and whatever else). I get that OEM's don't want to make it easy for "dumb" owners/users to get in and make mistakes. But IMO this brake service thing should be as simple as going into the service menu and hitting "service rear pads" and "relearn rear pad location" on the touchscreen. Anything more involved is going backwards in this era of simplification and point&click.
 
I don't miss having two brake systems to service with the drum brake in the hat parking brake with rear disc breaks. That is a simplification there.

On top of that, as the years and miles pile on, I have not had one of the hat style systems that I havent had to completely rebuild due to corrosion and things falling apart. Usually 150,000 miles in, but still a pain.

My F150 has a service mode, no scanner required.
 
Originally Posted by blupupher
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.

Good to know.
My '18 Santa Fe has the electric parking brake. I have been looking at Hyundai scan tools for a bit and this may be what tips me over into buying one.


I think there's different style systems though. Some electronic parking brakes simply yank on a cable that actuates the shoes inside the rotor hat. Others screw the pistons out of the caliper using the pads as the P-brake. I *think* it's the later that requires some extra intervention.
 
Originally Posted by supton
I dunno, I guess I'm in the hater's camp on this one. I realize things change and all, but, I don't want to have to buy a scan tool just to change brakes. Maybe it was under $100 for said tool. And hit every system in the car. And maybe came with wiring diagrams and whatnot to debug vehicle issues.
...

If it was just a $150 tool for only brakes, I would agree, but getting an OBD tool that has multiple functions is worth $150 to me.
I have been looking at this Foxwell NT510 tool or the Foxwell NT520 tool specifically for Hyundai/Kia vehicles.
It reads/clears OBD II, ABS, Airbag, EPB, TPMS, live data scan and a host of other things.
I have seen a few cheaper brands (Launch CRP123, but has a high rate of knockoffs out there) as well.

Another thing is with the Foxwell, you can add other makes to them (for a charge), I think is it like $70.
I have debated getting Toyota and Ford software if I get one, so I can do all my vehicles (and most of my family).

_____________________________________________________

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe: Delo XLE 10W-30, OEM Filter, 3,000 mile OCI
2012 Scion xB: QSUD 5W-20, CarQuest Blue, 5,000 mile OCI
2007 Saturn Vue: Synpower 5w-30, Ecogard Synthetic, OLM
2002 Ford F150: Magnatec 5W-20, Bosch Distance +, 1 year OCI
1994 Honda VT1100c: Peak 15W-40, Bosch Distance +, 1 year OCI
 
  • Like
Reactions: hrv
Originally Posted by supton
... Today? I'm surprised you can't plug in a USB keyboard & mouse and navigate the various things available in the ECU (and TCU and body module and whatever else). ...
Actually, you can do something a lot like that with an old laptop and cheap gray-market Toyota Techstream software, as I understand. Probably similar with other brands.
 
Yep, I have one of those setups--old WinXP laptop and a $20 or so dongle from Ebay. Not sure I've seen similar for any other OEM though.
 
For all the electronics built into vehicles, you would think they would build-in a scanner type tool into the car.
 
Last edited:
Chevy seems to have done this right, in my Camaro with the electric parking brake it just actuates a cable. Basically just replacing the lever, making the brakes still fully serviceable.
 
Originally Posted by Kestas
For all the electronics built into vehicles, you would think they would build-in a scanner type tool into the car.

I've been saying that for years! I don't get why I need to buy a scanner. Fine, making scope plots might be outside of what should be reasonably expected, but c'mon already.
 
My 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL Plus at 40,000 miles needs rear brakes. Very disappointing.

It has an electric parking brake.

To retract the electric brake do I need a special scan tool, if so, what do I look for?

If not, can I un-bolt the electric brake and rebolt it back? Would there be something I would need to retract?
 
My 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL Plus at 40,000 miles needs rear brakes. Very disappointing.

It has an electric parking brake.

To retract the electric brake do I need a special scan tool, if so, what do I look for?

If not, can I un-bolt the electric brake and rebolt it back? Would there be something I would need to retract?
Take the motor off and wind it back up using a suitable 12 point box end wrench or 12 point socket (tighten it not loosen or it will pop out), then you can push the piston back in, that's what I do and never had a problem.
 
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.
I may be wrong, but cables don't stretch (or minimally). The E brake requires adjustment bc parts wear
 
For all the electronics built into vehicles, you would think they would build-in a scanner type tool into the car.
Had bidirectional scan tool built into the graphic display in my 1989 Buick Riviera. Full function that was probably better than most handheld scan tools of the day.
 
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).
Thank you for this. At some point I’ll have to do the rear brakes on my 2016 Mazda6.
 
I may be wrong, but cables don't stretch (or minimally). The E brake requires adjustment bc parts wear
Yup, I use my ebrake all the time ( never trust a parking pawl) and it never needs adjusted unless I have replaced the drum and shoes. I'd much rather a cable ebrake, if my hydraulic brakes fail I can use the ebrake lever to stop safely.
 
Blast from the past.

Thankfully our hybrid can have the parking brake easily unset so I can work on the rear calipers. So I shouldn’t hate too much on these systems.

Still have zero trust on these parking brakes, seems like they never hold well, regardless of how they work… I’ve heard our hybrid slip a bit in our driveway, and it’s basically new!
 
Blast from the past.

Thankfully our hybrid can have the parking brake easily unset so I can work on the rear calipers. So I shouldn’t hate too much on these systems.

Still have zero trust on these parking brakes, seems like they never hold well, regardless of how they work… I’ve heard our hybrid slip a bit in our driveway, and it’s basically new!
My Mazda6, 2017, has an electric e brake. 'Boy does it deploy tightly. I very soon learned that the vehicle should not be creeping at all when deploying it, as it deploys tightly, quickly. Cannot, effectively, use this as an emergency brake (unlike a hand-pull e brake) because a person can not modulate it...

Well , I suppose you could, if you were willing to let it lock up. Well, in my case, with its manual transmission, and with aggressive double-declutched downshifts, my transmission serves as my emergency "bail-out" action (though, effectively, dual-circuit brakes would make that circumstance double-jeopardy).
 
Last edited:
Back
Top