Brake pad replacement advice?

[Stupidmia]

Hi there,

 

Looking for a bit of advice re. replacing of brake pads.

My car is a F31 330d Xdrive and at the last service in Dec 2017, I recall the guy at the BMW dealer service reception mentioning that I would need to replace the pads soon….he mentioned something about them having around 3k left on them! Fast forward to this week and I remembered that I had not replaced them yet and have done @ 5k more miles! So far, there’s no rumbling, grinding or screeching when braking, and I haven’t had any indication/warning lights?? Yesterday, I checked the vehicle info on the iDrive and there is something in there about brake pad service! It says to replace the fronts before 3200 miles and the rears before 6300 miles….am I correct in assuming that these figures will have been entered at the last service and not a ‘real time’ countdown to when they will likely need replaced?

I am going away for a couple of days on Thurs morning(200 mile round journey), so it’s unlikely I will be able to get them replaced before then….but do you think I am dicing with death? Or is it more a case of the BMW dealer erring well on the side of caution (and  looking for ££s)?

 

When I replace them, I would prefer to take it to a very good independent garage (owned by a friend, who is very honest, reliable and reasonable)…..but would this affect my BMW Extended warranty in any way?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated….Cheers

[Bimmer Owners Club]

Hi Patrick

The pad replacement period is calculated from when it is reset (if it is done properly) and then the miles count down.

The wear rate obviously depends on how the car is driven so the replacement period is only an estimate but I would err on the side of caution and look to get them replaced as soon as possible, along with the discs (if required).

I also would recommend a good independent repairer as should be cheaper than the dealership. Ensure they reset the interval on the dash and it should not affect the warranty as long as parts of equal quality have been fitted inline with correct fitting procedures.

However, spend as much as you can afford on decent pads as I find I am replacing cheap pads at an alarming rate due to poor performance so as the old saying goes 'you get what you pay for'

Let us know how you get on with it all

Cheers,  Trevor

[Stupidmia]

7 minutes ago, Bimmer Owners Club said:

Hi Patrick

The pad replacement period is calculated from when it is reset (if it is done properly) and then the miles count down.

The wear rate obviously depends on how the car is driven so the replacement period is only an estimate but I would err on the side of caution and look to get them replaced as soon as possible, along with the discs (if required).

I also would recommend a good independent repairer as should be cheaper than the dealership. Ensure they reset the interval on the dash and it should not affect the warranty as long as parts of equal quality have been fitted inline with correct fitting procedures.

However, spend as much as you can afford on decent pads as I find I am replacing cheap pads at an alarming rate due to poor performance so as the old saying goes 'you get what you pay for'

Let us know how you get on with it all

Cheers,  Trevor

Thanks for the reply Trevor...will pop to the garage when I’m off next week! I wouldn’t put cheap pads in anyways...but I wasn’t even going to consider changing the discs, based on what I had read on a google search on the matter! 😔 My car is still on original pads and discs...however, it is still a little under 25k, so I would have hoped the discs had a bit more life (maybe until next pad change?). Of course, I will ask for advice when I take it in (the guy, as I said, is trustworthy and really experienced).

 

[Greydog]

Estimating brake wear and replacement schedules is as Trevor has said virtually impossible due to driving style and journey type. As an example last month I had to make a trip from Sussex to Bishop Auckland left home at silly o'clock and we were on cruise control until stopping for breakfast in Wetherby  same for the last 100 odd miles. The return journey was similar until we reached the M25 then I used the brakes more in 30 miles than I had in 600 !! My big fat heavy X5 which also tows a horse trailer in the summer months has had 3 pad changes and 1 disc change in 130k plus the normal brake service fluid changes. 

You also have pad wear indicators which will normally give warning if things are getting critical, when replacing I would go OEM or equivalent use www.realoem.com to get the part number and do a search Euro car parts are a good source as are some BMW dealers (Cotswold BMW often give discounts) 

Hope this helps and enjoy your Beemer