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Old 07-25-2017, 12:30 PM   #1
equ
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535i brakes - need advice

At 49k miles, my f10 is showing:

rear pads: 2000 miles life
front pads: 12000 miles life

Rears need doing. Additionally, perhaps due to rust, the front rotors are warped (confirmed by my tire shop who measured with some rotating tool). I'm just going to go ahead and do all 4 rotors & pads.

- Would like to do this at an indie. Research shows that the rear electro parking brake can be retracted mechanically (there are videos on this) but my first shop did not want to touch it. I don't want this to be a dealer job, have two more indies to try.

- What else do I need to order? A screw for each rotor? Two sensor wires for front & rear?

- My e39 came to me with Zimmerman rotors. I'm not sure if they soft bite, but they never rusted. The f10 rotors are shite. I'm thinking of going Zimmerman for the rotors and OEM or OEM-Equivalent (Textar?) for the pads. I'd like to keep OEM feel for the street. Any thoughts?

- I will start shopping ECS, Turner, Pelican and maybe one other place to see what the whole shebang comes out to. I need to do it this way because an indie shop quoted $1600 parts & labor some time ago and I think there is room for improvement there.
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Old 07-25-2017, 12:40 PM   #2
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The last time I priced out a brake job, the oe parts weren't really any more expensive than aftermarket.

Not sure you'll need them, but the little screws are cheap. Shouldn't need sensors unless the light tripped.

Our x3 is going to need rear brakes soon'ish too. I assume it's traction control related, but it's strange that they eat rear brakes at 2x-3x the fronts. I haven't had to mess with the electric parking brake yet myself, I can't wait to see what wtf moments that brings.
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Old 07-25-2017, 12:43 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bren View Post
The last time I priced out a brake job, the oe parts weren't really any more expensive than aftermarket.

Not sure you'll need them, but the little screws are cheap. Shouldn't need sensors unless the light tripped.
I used Zimmerman rotors on the Boxster and have been happy with them.
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Old 07-25-2017, 12:51 PM   #4
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I have used Zimmerman rotors in the past and have been happy with them. OE BMW rotors tend to be really soft and wear quickly. If you like the feel of the OEM pads I'd go with them. If they are like most BMW pads in that they generate a lot of dust and grabbiness, I'd try an aftermarket ceramic pad.

Definitely replace the little screws. They are really soft and generally get pretty chewed up when removed. They aren't strictly necessary, by the way. They only exist to hold the rotors in place as the car moves down the production line awaiting wheels. Do buy new brake pad sensors. They are easy to break as you try to remove them from the pads.
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Old 07-25-2017, 12:55 PM   #5
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Definitely replace the little screws....Do buy new brake pad sensors.
You're even starting to sound like a mechanic!

Oh, and I have a set of ceramic pads with maybe a few hundred miles of use from the m3 that I'll gladly donate to anyone who wants them (if I can find them.). Yuck.
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Old 07-25-2017, 01:17 PM   #6
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I'm a fan of the textar pads.They don't dust as badly as OE, but retain very acceptable brake feel and torque. And they are cheap.

I wouldn't pay extra for a Zimmerman rotor vs. a Centric.

Brake jobs always seem to be monstrously overpriced at shops. I have never understood why. The local MB dealer wanted $1,000 per axle to do a pad change in the freaking Brembos on my parents' cars.
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Old 07-25-2017, 01:48 PM   #7
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Brake jobs always seem to be monstrously overpriced at shops.
Rust.
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Old 07-25-2017, 03:20 PM   #8
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Awesome, thanks for the responses. Finally, on the brake sensors BOWA/off-brand or oem BMW?
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Old 07-25-2017, 04:36 PM   #9
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I used Zimmerman rotors on the Boxster and have been happy with them.
Used them from my ZHP rotors and was happy.
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Old 07-25-2017, 04:38 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Brake jobs always seem to be monstrously overpriced at shops. I have never understood why. The local MB dealer wanted $1,000 per axle to do a pad change in the freaking Brembos on my parents' cars.


A full job on an LR4 runs north of $2k. Outrageous.
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