Brake Job

[tomsawyer]

Hi Everyone - First of all, Happy Thanksgiving.

I have a 2005 X5 4.4i w/ 62k and the check brake linings warning came on. I remember having the 1st brake service completed at about 30k, under the no-cost maintenence warranty.

I called the dealer for prices and my price (using my friend's account) came to $768 for 4 rotors/pads/sensors.

I have another friend who manages an auto parts store and he can get me the same package for $320. I believe the brakes are akebono and the rotors are centric.

My questions are :

1. I know this is a significant price difference but should I go with the aftermarket and not oem?
2. Should I anticipate any problems if I went with the aftermarket?
3. I'm going to have a friend do the job but he is not a bmw mechanic. Is there anything I should tell him, anything he needs to be aware of or any special tools he'll need when doing the brake job on the X5?

Thanks to all who answer!

[puddinboo]

he will need a brake tool for the rear brakes to turn the piston in ,its not like the front brakes where you push the piston . also would be a good idea to flush the brake system if its never been done before. and put new fluid in try to use different color fluid so you can tell that you got rid of the old fluid.

[upallnight]

Brake fluid is DOT4 not DOT3 as on many other cars/trucks. Check Pep Girl this Black Friday, I got brake disc for under 20 per axle set last year.

[JCL]

You will need two sets of pads, four rotors, and two sensors (not four). There is only one sensor per axle.

OE pads provide a good balance of performance and resistance to noise, with noticeable dust. Other reputable brands of pads will work, but you may notice some difference in pedal feel. OE rotors are generally higher quality than aftermarket. And they cost more. Your decision. Using aftermarket is common. I went back to OE rotors after using aftermarket, but like Axxis pads over OE.

Have your friend who will do the brake job review the article on this site on replacing brake pads on the E53. It isn't hard, but there is some specific BMW info that will make it faster for him. Items like leaving the slide pins dry, replacing the sensors, what sizes wrenches are required, and how to get the light off after changing the sensors (no programming required). The article also includes the torque specs.

No need for a special tool for the rear pads. The E53 doesn't use an electronic parking brake, it has a separate set of shoes inside the rotor for the parking brake.

[RFaber]

rotor hex bolt is a 6mm allen key.
front caliper carrier bolts are 16mm (5/8 fits too) they need to come off to remove the rotor, the issues with cheap off shore rotors, are that they are inferior metal composition and could wear / warp faster than the oe or a performance one. FYI
leave an the old pad in place over the piston, and use a large C-clamp to carefully and slowly push the pistons back in. also, carefully monitor the brake fluid reservoir to make sure it doesn't over flow etc. use a syringe or something to draw off some of the excess.
as suggested before, this is a good time to bleed off the old brake fluid and add some fresh stuff (with no moisture in it! as moisture is the killer of brake calipers and lines.)
Read the article about the brake change, its good! has the torque specs in it too.
also have a look if you need rear brakes as well?? usually the fronts wear faster than the rears. but if you are in there... also, check the park brake pads under the rotor of the rear, they may be worn also!!

[admranger]

Centric blanks are fine. Akebono ceramic pads are ok, but don't expect the stopping feel of the stock brake pads. Side benefit is barely visible brake dust, but the initial 'bite' is less pronounced than stock pads.

There's no need to "twist" or otherwise manipulate the rear caliper pistons. They squeeze right back in like the fronts. Lisle sells a tool for $10 or so to do this and it is usually at the parts store. My preference is to open the bleeder screw when you push the piston back so any crud doesn't go backwards through the system (or worse yet, someone has topped off the reservoir and now you have brake fluid all over your engine compartment…). Remember to get some new fluid to flush the system with (suck out the old from the reservoir and replace with new) and bleed the system appropriately.

It's an easy job, with the possible exception of a stuck rotor or rotor set screw. Then you get to swear and stuff, but there are answers to how to get those problems solved in xoutpost threads so not to worry!

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by admranger

Centric blanks are fine. Akebono ceramic pads are ok, but don't expect the stopping feel of the stock brake pads. Side benefit is barely visible brake dust, but the initial 'bite' is less pronounced than stock pads.

There's no need to "twist" or otherwise manipulate the rear caliper pistons. They squeeze right back in like the fronts. Lisle sells a tool for $10 or so to do this and it is usually at the parts store. My preference is to open the bleeder screw when you push the piston back so any crud doesn't go backwards through the system (or worse yet, someone has topped off the reservoir and now you have brake fluid all over your engine compartment…). Remember to get some new fluid to flush the system with (suck out the old from the reservoir and replace with new) and bleed the system appropriately.

It's an easy job, with the possible exception of a stuck rotor or rotor set screw. Then you get to swear and stuff, but there are answers to how to get those problems solved in xoutpost threads so not to worry!

Ever since I got my Ryobi impact driver stuck bolts and screws are a thing of the past.

[tomsawyer]

Thanks to all who answered.

As an fyi, I have always changed the brake fluid every 2 years. At this point in time, the fluid wouldn't need to be changed; however, do you recommend changing it with the brake job?

Also, I'd like to hear more about the quality of the aftermarket parts I proposed using. Would I be ok? As JCL stated, there'll probably be a noticeable difference but does that justify spending another $400 for oem?

Thanks

[racingbmwm3]

I think its worth the money getting OEM discs, but not pads, just like JCL says. But, that doesn't mean you have to go through the dealer to get OEM. You can get the same parts from online resellers like ECS, Pelican, Bavauto, etc. Reason for the OEM discs is they are less prone to vibration and warping. Plus they don't immediately get rusty/ugly like many of the aftermarket discs.

I don't think another flush is required outside your normal interval, but definitely check to make sure your reservoir isn't full before you start otherwise you will overflow the reservoir and spill into your engine compartment when you compress the calipers. You can always remove some fluid a little bit before you do each caliper. or remove enough down to the min line before doing anything. then once you're done, fill it back to the max line.

[JCL]

No need to change the brake fluid when you are in there if it has been done within two years, but if it is getting close, it is certainly easier to do it while the wheels are off. It is a convenience issue.

The brands you listed are fine for quality, but there can be trade offs in functionality. It is up to you, only you can decide what each feature is worth to you. My personal decision was to go back to OE rotors. But I also decided to use aftermarket pads (not necessarily cheaper) because I wanted less dust with comparable performance. Everything is a trade off. Lots of people use Akebono pads, so if that is what you want to use, you aren't risking anything except possibly not being happy with minor details of the functionality, whether that be pad noise or initial cold bite. They will certainly stop your vehicle.