2006 X5 M54 138K with RED Brake Light---SOLVED (LF Sensor)

[andrewwynn]

My wear sensor tripped in January. Brakes are still grabbing fine. I will post the final pad thickness when i change them likely next week.

There's a neat tool to measure the pad thickness in place i want to get that tool.

[X5chemist]

Amazon has that tool. I have one in my tool box.
Cheap tool.

[andrewwynn]

Thanks for the link! Been wanting to get for a while.

[cn90]

I have an "academic" question...

What if a person is frugal (or is environmentally conscious and wants to reduce waste in this world)...can one swap the inner vs outer pads to extend life so at the end, both are equally down to 1-2 mm?

Just remove the metal prongs that came with the inner pad.

Just a thought...

[andrewwynn]

I'd be concerned without the guide bars the inner pad might push back on the piston unevenly. Now that i think about it, i think it may be to help pull the pad off the rotor as the piston retracts.

I don't think it would be harmful and if you swapped sides (if symmetry allowed), the wear direction would even be the same.). I'd be a little concerned about the pad not coming back with the piston though they are designed to be pushed off from airflow. I'd be willing to try that experiment.

[cn90]

Another curious thought...

If the piston retracts and supposedly pulls the inner pad away from the rotor, there should be less wear on the inner pad?

I own many Volvos, BMWs etc, it always wears more on the piston side.

[andrewwynn]

Other way to read that is how much worse will it be without. I of course thought of that but i think that the moving cage that holds the outer pad somehow ties into the inner pad wearing faster. The inner pad gets pushed into the rotor first then the outer pad gets pulled into the rotor after the piston pushes the cage away from the rim.

[cn90]

OK,

This is not BMW, but rather a 2006 Volvo S60 that I inherited from an irresponsible P.O.
The brake still worked fine with good stopping power, but I knew I had to replace the rear pads.

This tells me that if you really want to push the pads to 1-2 mm, you can, but you need to inspect frequently...

PS: OTOH, throwing away pads with thickness of 6 mm is wasteful, imho...

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[andrewwynn]

Evenly worn under 3 mm makes me happy. I change some pads and they were all like 6 mm or more they didn't need to be changed.

[cn90]

Related topic of brake pad lifespan...

This weekend I was working on the CV boots for the FRONT axles on the 2006 Volvo S60 with 106K miles.
The pads might be original or maybe the 2nd set, idk.
Well, the FRONT INNER pads (where they contact the piston) basically fell off in my hands!
OUTER pads did not fall off.

So, if you ever lose the pad material, don't panic, press the brake pedal a few times, this will allow the metal
plate to contact the rotor, allowing you to stop the car.

Questions for the brake gurus:

1. Age...like tires, do brake pads have a lifespan in terms of age?
Let's say you don't drive much, is there an age when you just replace the pads after ___ years bc of fear of delimination?

2. Does anyone know how they attach the pad to the plate at the factory?
Was it heated really hot so it baked into the metal plate?

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