red brake warning light

[Grantsmith82]

HI all
driving home yesterday and I hear a "chime" and the red ! warning light came on..

I think this is the brake warning light..
I have read up and apparently if its the sensor of the disc/pads are low/get broken I should see a message appear. however I didn't have any message.

I have checked the brake fluid and its at max. anything else I can check?

I do have bmw scanner software would that error be under any of the section so I could check?

[Rockit]

If a bulb goes out it only displays on the information center.

If you have a master cylinder problem the Service engine soon or check engine comes on.

The red warning light usually means the pads are low and it broke/triggered the brake pad replacement sensor. That usually means you can drive another 3-5k before the pads are metal to metal. You need new brake pads and a new brake sensor. I always replace the rotors as well.

Pull one of the front wheels off and look at the brake pad thickness.

[JCL]

The warning lights used by BMW vary by geographic market. The Canadian models are different than the US models, for instance. Not sure if the UK models are more like the Canadian ones or the US ones.

If it was brake pad thickness that should be in the warning. The red exclamation mark is to get your attention, the warning tells you what it is that is out of range.

Could be ABS, brake fluid level sensor, handbrake sensor, or what have you. You need more info, either from the check messages in the cluster or having the codes read, to figure out your next steps.

[Grantsmith82]

I had no message come up in the instrument cluster
Only a chime sound and the red ! Symbol

Would BMW scanner tell me what the red ! Is present for ?
I checked brake fluid that's ok

[JCL]

A proper scanner will. A cheap one won't.

Have you checked the handbrake?

[Gurjit]

when my rear pads wer worn out
I got a red (!) next to my parking brake light
and a "check brake lining" on my dash

I changed the brakes and it automatically went away

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Grantsmith82

HI all
driving home yesterday and I hear a "chime" and the red ( ! ) warning light came on..

I think this is the brake warning light..
I have read up and apparently if its the sensor of the disc/pads are low/get broken I should see a message appear. however I didn't have any message.

I have checked the brake fluid and its at max. anything else I can check?

I do have bmw scanner software would that error be under any of the section so I could check?

Reading thru the owners manual...that lamp can come on for multiple reasons...sometimes with a red light and sometimes with a yellow light...and sometimes when:

1. the parking brake is engaged (check to see if you've accidentally engaged it)
2. when there's an issue with the brake hydraulic system
3. when brake fluid is low
4. when brake pads need replacing (along with CHECK BRAKE LININGS in display)

BTW...when was the last time you changed the brake fluid? BMW recommends a bienniel (every 2 years) change due to its hygroscopic nature. If the fluid hasn't been changed in a while...perhaps there's too much H2O in the fluid causing less compression...or causing the level to drop below minimum. Just a thought.

[Grantsmith82]

We'll I've never had any ( CHECK BRAKE LININGS in display) come up
Just the red symbol

When u say check handbrake. I have applied and released it several times

[JCL]

Get the codes read.

[Qsilver7]

Ditto...at this point, you need to communicate with the vehicle as to why the BRAKE warning light is illuminated. If it's not the parking brake, not the brake pads, not the brake fluid level...then that leaves an issue with the hydraulic brake system...or an electrical gremlin.

This isn't an OBD II issue...so you need software/hardware that goes beyond the simple ability of that platform...for something that can communicate over the diagnostic bus and/or CAN bus: