Brakes

[HBSRA10]

Hello fellow BMWowners,

I have an '03 3.0 with 42K miles and my brake light came off (yellow) for the first time. I am out of warranty and would like to keep this cost as minimal as possible. I would most likely need the change the front and the rear sets.

A local mechanic (I am in Boston, MA) quoted me ~1000 and a Bristol Motors in Hartford, CT said they can do it around 800-880 in 3 hours. Since it is a safety issue do you recommend that I buy the original parts and go to a BMW dealership - just to be safe and on the record? Would anyone recommend an independent mechanic (in or around Boston) that would change my brakes for a reasonable price?

How much did you pay for yours? What would be a reasonable estimate, provided that I am not upgrading any of the original parts?

Thank you in advance,

[rpb67]

Peabody Mass

Louies BMW LTD
260 Newbury St
Peabody Mass

978-535-3450

One of the best ......in my opinion.

Only works on BMWs

[HBSRA10]

I think I am going to buy the parts and then go to a place to get it done. Can someone guide me in the right direction as to what and where to buy?

Many thanks,

[SuaveX5]

here you got !
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ns-brakes.html

[HBSRA10]

Thanks!

Does anyone know how many miles I can go without damaging anything, after the brake light turns yellow?

[motordavid]

Help me understand your situ...you need brakes, (pads & maybe/probably rotors),
and you want to go buy those parts, and then take those parts to a mechanic for
him to install?

Not sure I have run across many quality shops that encourage the customer to bring
in his their own maintenance parts.
GL,mD

[Werewolf]

Most shops won't let customers bring in part b/c the 'warranty' on the work can't / won't be offered with customer-sourced parts. The truth is that they make a profit on the parts (this is normal).

This warranty excuse is generally BS especially if you're buying / using OEM parts. Bavarian Autohaus in NH is a reputable BMW parts source.

Brakes and rotor replacement is one of the easier DIY repairs. If you don't wanna do it or lack the tools, a local shop can put them in for you.

I would avoid the chain shops (Midas, Jiffy Lube) and use a local mechanic (i.e. the shell station) someone who you trust. You don't need a BMW specialist to do this kind of work.

GL

[TwinsPoppa]

My indy mechanic is very good and lets me bring my own parts. He even tells me if I can do better on ebay or wherever. My mechanic says he makes at most 10% on parts.

[HBSRA10]

Thank you all for responding. I am learning a lot.

"Help me understand your situ...you need brakes, (pads & maybe/probably rotors), and you want to go buy those parts, and then take those parts to a mechanic for him to install? "

Yes, I was thinking about that. I figured if I can save more than $200 and buy better parts, why not? The thing is that doing this at a dealership is way too much money and I don't know a trustworthy indy around here. If an indy (that would do all 4 for 800) use cheaper parts and tell me that they used OEM parts, I wouldn't know the difference. The only way to make sure is to buy the parts myself.

"Not sure I have run across many quality shops that encourage the customer to bring in his their own maintenance parts."

You have a point there.

"Most shops won't let customers bring in part b/c the 'warranty' on the work can't / won't be offered with customer-sourced parts. The truth is that they make a profit on the parts (this is normal). This warranty excuse is generally BS especially if you're buying / using OEM parts. Bavarian Autohaus in NH is a reputable BMW parts source."

Thanks for the NH source. Would they do it if I say, just give me a warranty on the labor quality or that I don't want a warranty on parts?

"Brakes and rotor replacement is one of the easier DIY repairs. If you don't wanna do it or lack the tools, a local shop can put them in for you."

You are right, I don't have the tools or the garage space, unfortunately. Still want to save some money though. And if I can learn a little about parts, all the better - since I plan to keep this car for a while.

"I would avoid the chain shops (Midas, Jiffy Lube) and use a local mechanic (i.e. the shell station) someone who you trust. You don't need a BMW specialist to do this kind of work."

Really? Nice. Very useful info. So brakes are brakes then. Thanks!

"My indy mechanic is very good and lets me bring my own parts. He even tells me if I can do better on ebay or wherever. My mechanic says he makes at most 10% on parts."

Question: I know indys usually order the parts. When I pay, am I paying the shipping expense as well? If they don't charge me shipping, say they have it there in stock, it might be more practical to pay them to 10% mark up, since I'll pay ~$60 for shipping it seems.

FYI, the only reason I am trying to save every penny is that I need to buy all new tires very soon and also need to re-tint the entire car (they are coming off) in the next 2 months or so.

[faz]

Here is my experience with previous cars: it is nice to find a local independent shop that you can see has worked on and mainly works on BMWs and start taking your car there... it pays off in the long run to form a good relationship with such shop, even if you end up paying 10% more now.

Here is a quick search on your local craigslist that 'claim' they do only BMWs... if these are shops, you can drop by and talk with them perhaps?

http://boston.craigslist.org/search/...BMW&srchType=T

Here in SF Bay area, independent shops are advertising complete front/rear brakes with BMW/OEM parts for about $800 or so.

With brakes, I would go with genuine BMW parts myself, but that is just me.