UPDATE: I had my "Lemon" hearing on Friday....I won!

[Werewolf]

If 3 sets of rotors and pads went bad, wouldn't it make sense that the issue was the braking system (calipers, etc)?

If the braking system were bad, I definitely think it is a Lemon Law issue

[binhly101]

Can you please clarify your post? I'm not understanding what you mean.

The X5 has a Brake Force Display. There is an upper and a lower brake light, when you brake in normal situations, the lower light and the center light comes on, when you really keep your foot on the brake, the upper, lower, and center lights all come on.

[dragoncoach]

But this doesn't have anything to do with the op question. The only way to melt brake pad lining to the rotor is if the disc is red hot and even then it's difficult. I've seen it a few times on track cars but rarely on the street. I'm even thinking sticky calipers may be the problem. We will see. Hopefully the outcome is a fix of the problem.

[amacman]

Originally Posted by cmyX5go

Are you telling me that you use your parking brake at every traffic light? I hope you're never behind me because your eyes will be bleeding. Do you have any idea how many traffic lights there are in NYC?

Hijack over.

yes , i always shift to neutral and apply park brake at stop lights unless i think they may change to green soon , it`s the only way to ensure safety and saves transmission from wearing out .
i have driven big rigs on occasion and having to shift through 18 gears at a time does cause the left leg muscles to grow larger than the right leg muscles , i once counted 2400 gear shifts in one day so shifting to neutral for a minute is a welcome relief .
the brake lights in my eyes at stop lights is REALLY annoying , i`m sure it`s illegal in most european communities , i used to get grief from cops when on my motorcycle if they had stopped behind me but i had to hold the front brake on hills with a 600lb machine between my legs .
i suppose when modern cars are made so easy to drive then drivers will make their journey as easy as possible , c`est la vie i suppose .

[amacman]

Originally Posted by dragoncoach

But this doesn't have anything to do with the op question. The only way to melt brake pad lining to the rotor is if the disc is red hot and even then it's difficult. I've seen it a few times on track cars but rarely on the street. I'm even thinking sticky calipers may be the problem. We will see. Hopefully the outcome is a fix of the problem.

sticky calipers are very likely to be the cause of the problem , possibly the lack of pressure relief when the footbrake is released .

[JCL]

Originally Posted by amacman

sticky calipers are very likely to be the cause of the problem , possibly the lack of pressure relief when the footbrake is released .

Sticking calipers are easy to diagnose, and it isn't likely to apply equally to both sides. I've got to assume that after three brake jobs, using OEM parts, that the dealer has looked at the calipers.

I would be looking to the ABS controller, which has the ability to apply the brakes and therefore could be causing them to hang up.

[powers1]

Excellent advice JCL!...I would also tend to suspect the Abs controller!

I know this is obvious and most people know not to do this but since no one has mentioned it yet,I will.....Do not wash your car wheels straight after a drive ,as the water may reach the discs and will warp them....
I hope this isnt the case here.....

[Weasel]

Oh and amacman, I'm sure people in Scotland can do that, and I agree that it would be easier on the eyes at night. But keep in mind we are in the USA where we can't even have remote closing of the windows... if someone is sitting at a red light day or night with no brake lights they are asking to get plowed over by someone who will just say "the brake lights weren't on, I didn't know they were stopping/stopped". Society here is too quick to pass the blame and sue someone because of their own mishaps...

But to the OP, good luck with the case. If the tech in question at the dealer knew better diagnosis techniques you should have been fixed already, but not knowing how to diagnose a hydrolic system for residual pressure may be costing them to buy back a car under lemon law.

[amacman]

weasel , are you saying that a lot of USA residents are descended from Mr Magoo and cant see what is in front of them unless it is lit up , i remember a friend buying a big american station wagon (gave it the nickname - THE COO . ) with huge rear lights with lots of bulbs and loads of folk gave him grief because of the dazzling . do keep your foot on the brake for safety . when another vehicle is behind you they can keep their foot on the brake so there is no need to dazzle that driver behind you . this was the decorum until recent years at stop lights but nowadays a lot of drivers just keep their brakes on , possibly they get the habit by driving in jerkoff traffic situations ( speed up slow down traffic ) .
we regularly have vids on tv showing the consequences of USA drivers not watching ahead of them , really sad , put them on a motorcycle and see how long they live .

my suggestion on pressure relief could point to various problems and as you will know , that wont be easy to ascertain the specific fault .

[Weasel]

If I suspect the system is holding residual pressure the first thing I do is test drive to get the braking system to operating pressure then simply crack the bleeder screws at the calipers to see if there is any pressure present... quick easy check to see if that is indeed the case. (other than putting a pressure gauge in the system of course)

As for the American drivers, you'd be amazed how inattentive some are... driving with their knees while text messaging or arguing on the cell phone not even looking at the road.... or weaving through the lanes in 5:00 traffic on the interstate trying to get there one or two cars ahead. Definitely gotta be a defensive driver around here. (just look at all the threads with people getting rear ended lately)