How to Change the Brake Pads on a BMW E30

1. Park the BMW E30 in a well-lit area on a flat, level surface. Loosen the lug nuts for the wheels. Use a floor jack to lift the car and lower it safely onto the jack stands. If you only have two jack stands, you can do the front brakes and then the rear brakes. Finish removing the wheel's lug nuts and remove the wheels, setting them out of the way.
2. Spray brake cleaner on the brake components, including the caliper, rotor and nearby parts. Wipe everything down with a clean rag.
3. On the driver's side, disconnect the brake wear indicator sensor, which comes out of the caliper between the two brake pads. Loosen the bolts that hold the brake caliper in place. Use an open-ended wrench to hold the lock nut and a socket and ratchet to loosen and remove the bolts. Slide the caliper off the rotor. Secure the caliper to the chassis or suspension with a zip-tie so the soft brake line does not get damaged. Remove the old brake pads from the caliper.
4. Install the brake pad wear sensor on the new brake pad. Install the pads by placing them in the caliper retaining bracket. Place one pad of a C-clamp on the caliper piston and the other pad on the caliper itself. Tighten the clamp to compress the piston in the caliper to make room for the new, thicker brake pads.
5. Slide the caliper over the rotor and the brake pads. Tighten the caliper bolts with a socket and an open-ended wrench. Repeat the above steps for the remaining corners of the BMW. The rear brakes are performed with the same procedure. Replace the wheels and lower the car to the ground.