Originally Posted by Kisu_san

Hello,

I have a dumb question. Today I took my car to local garage for winter tyre change and mechanic told me I need break pad/rotors replacement.

And also said there is a rubber boot back of the disk, close to shock absorber is also worn out.
if it's #5 in the pic below, change it ASAP, otherwise you will also change the halfshaft ($$$):

I don't have any warning signs on the dashboard. I bought the car when it was 100k kms and now it is close to 130k KMs. I don't know when the previous owner changed break pad/disks.

My breaks working ok. I did not notice any noise. a year ago another local garage guy make rotors(disks) sharpen on lathe machine, I dont know if that is good thing to do.

BMW E53 X5 3.0i 2002.12 Euro model. Miles - 130K kms

1. Is it always you get the break pad worn out warnings
Once the pads wear out to the "safety" limit, the sensor gets tripped (worn out by the disk when braking) and you get the message on the dash
2. Does anyone know if this model car equipped with these sensors?
These cars have 2 sensors: One front (driver side) and one rear (passenger side) - very easy to replace when replacing worn brakes.
3. Would it be needed to change the break pads before warning lights goes off.
I wouldn't. Once the sensor is tripped, you still have a few thousand Km before the pad compound wears to the metal. Best thing, every time you change the wheels (winter/summer) - so twice a year to thoroughly inspect every brake & suspension component. You can easily see how worn the brake pads are. Also, you can test with your fingers to see how "good" the disks are. If you feel a pronounced lip on it where the pads stop making contact with the disk, you "should" also replace the disks. You could turn them, but if they are below a certain thickness after they are turned, they are no good. Disks aren't that expensive.

thanks in advance