Owners of other MINI models or some smaller BMW vehicles such as the Cooper S, "JCW" John Cooper Works, Convertible, Hatch, Clubman, One, One First, One D, Coupe, Roadster, Countryman, Paceman, 3 Series, 318i, 328i, 320i, 323i, 325i, 330i, 340i, 230i, M240i, M2, M3, M4, i3, 228i, 230i, 128i, 135i, Z3, Z4 and Z8 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools and other items needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench or a 17mm socket with a 1/2" drive breaker bar, a floor jack, two jack stands, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet, a 17mm wrench, a disc brake piston tool such as the Lisle 28600 or a pair of needle nose pliers and a tube of brake caliper grease.

A few compatible replacement sets of new rear brake pads with their part numbers include the following: Power Stop 17-1800, Power Stop 16-1800 Z16, EBC Brakes UD1800 and ProForce CRD1800-2017-141029.

Make sure the emergency / parking brake is not engaged.

If the parking brake is engaged, you will not be able to pull the rear calipers off the old pads and out of the bracket.

Place wheel chocks on both sides of the front tires to prevent the car from moving.

Slightly loosen the five lug bolts on the rear wheel by turning them 1/4 to 1/2 turn in the counterclockwise direction with a lug nut wrench or a 17mm socket with a 1/2" breaker bar or ratchet.

Carefully raise the rear of the car with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands.

Spin out the five lug bolts and set them aside in a safe place.

Carefully pull the rear wheel off and set it aside.

I prefer to only work on one side of the car at a time to keep three tires on the ground for extra safety.

Once the rear wheel is out of the way, you'll be able to see the caliper, bracket, rotor and the suspension.

Then remove the upper caliper bolt by turning it in the clockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

If the caliper slider pins move as you are attempting to loosen the caliper bolts, use a 17mm wrench to hold them in place.

Move to the rear of the caliper and locate the wear sensor wire.

Carefully slide the wear sensor out of the rear of the inner brake pad.

Tuck away the sensor and the wire in a safe place to prevent it from being damaged.

Pull the old outer pad out of the bracket.

If your new set of brake pads includes a bag of replacement brake hardware, remove the old pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket.

Clean off the bracket, rotor and lug stud holes with some CRC brake parts cleaner spray.

Apply a small amount of brake parts lubricant grease to the pad abutment clips and the bracket where they will come in contact with each other.

Push the new pad abutment clips into the top and bottom of the bracket.

Make sure the clips are fully seated.

If you've been experience shuddering or vibrations in the rear end of the car while braking, you may need to replace the rotors with new rotors.

To replace the rotors, remove the Torx set screw on the outer face, remove the two bolts on the back side of the bracket, remove the bracket and slide off the old rotor. If you have trouble removing the old rusted on rotor, hit it with a rubber mallet a few times to loosen it.

Pull the caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots attached to the bracket.

Apply a thin layer of brake caliper grease to the smooth parts of each pin.

Push the pins back into place in their rubber dust boots.

Spin the pins around a few times to help spread the grease.

The MINI Cooper is equipped with screw-in type rear caliper pistons.

I recommend using a disc brake piston tool such as the Lisle 28600 to retract the pistons.

If you are in a pinch, you could also use a pair of needle nose pliers.

Continue rotating the caliper piston in the clockwise direction until it is just about flush with the rubber dust boot that surrounds it.

To check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, you'll need to remove a few screws, bolts and two plastic covers in the engine bay.

Check out my MINI Cooper Brake Fluid Reservoir & 12V Battery Access Guide.

Push the two pads together until they are flush against the rotor.

Lower the caliper over the new pads and into the bracket.

Spin in the two caliper bolts a few turns by hand in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the car) to help prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

The torque specification in the service manual for the rear caliper bolts is 35 Nm (25 lb-ft) of torque.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to properly tighten the caliper bolts.

Double check that both caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

(If you don't want to replace the "microencapsulated" bolts, just apply a small amount of Loctite Blue medium strength thread locking liquid to the old bolts.)

If your brake pedal has been feeling soft or spongy, you may have a some air bubbles or water in the brake lines. It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located on the back side of the caliper just below the top caliper bolt.

Slightly tighten the lug bolts in a criss-cross or star pattern with the 17mm socket and a 1/2" breaker bar or a tire iron.

Continue tightening the lug bolts in the clockwise direction to about 1/4 turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to tighten the lug bolts to the 101 lb-ft (140 Nm) specification listed in the owner's manual.

Sit in the front seat of the car and firmly pump the brake pedal a few times to restore the brake line pressure.

Check the level in the brake fluid reservoir. If the level is low, add some fresh DOT 4 brake fluid.

Be sure to record the brake pad change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out all of my MINI Cooper DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.