DIY Front Brake Pad Replacement '08 4.8L - Page 2

Xtony · #1 05-22-2011, 10:40 AM

I didn't reset anything, but when I looked at the miles remaining it seemed like I either had very little wear on my old pads, or it had reset itself. Either way there is a sensor which will turn your brake light on if the pad wears too thin.

4putt · #2 02-25-2012, 03:35 PM

Thanks for the write up! I also changed the rotors on a 2007 4.8L and it took me a little bit to find out which tool is needed to take off the rotor. It's called an inverted torx size E18. I called every parts store and the biggest size they had was an E16. I got an E18 from a buddy and finished the job.

And to reset the service interval I followed the instructions in this thread.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...val-reset.html

It was pretty easy to reset it.

finagle69 · #3 03-25-2012, 06:50 PM

Just wanted to say thanks for this DIY. Changed out my front and rears with EBC Red stuff yesterday.

I need to either order a new sensor for the fronts or just bypass it to get rid of the error message.

Trollolol · #4 03-26-2012, 06:16 PM

In my opinion, I wouldn't do this unless it was overseen by a certified master technician. Just my 2¢

Xtony · #5 03-26-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollolol

In my opinion, I wouldn't do this unless it was overseen by a certified master technician. Just my 2¢

Agree about the worth of your opinion. I guarantee that I am much more meticulous with ny work than any mechanic would be. In fact, when I take my M3 to the track, I won't trust anyone else to work on the brakes.

ekimv65 · #6 03-28-2012, 08:50 AM

Anyone have suggestions for pads and rotors, I need to replace both front and back rotors and pads.

Thanks.

blue dragon · #7 03-26-2012, 07:07 PM

Great write up, I see the pad wear sensor is slightly different from the green wired ones on the E46 M3

Quote:

In my opinion, I wouldn't do this unless it was overseen by a certified master technician. Just my 2¢

Brakes are one of the easier things to do. Maybe if more people expressed an interest in working on their cars, BMW wouldn't cover everything up with plastic, and make it necessary to use all these specialty tools

Nick3753 · #8 03-27-2012, 10:54 PM

Changing brakes is not difficult as long as you take your time and make sure everything is torqued to spec. It's kind of hard to really screw it up. Worse case probably is that you drop the caliper and damage the brake line. Then get a tow to someone else to fix it.

JCL · #9 03-28-2012, 01:40 AM

I think the worst case can result in a loss of braking on one axle due to fluid loss, but the sudden pedal drop leaves the driver believing he has no brakes. Catastrophic accidents can result.

More often, people assume that replacing pads equates to doing a brake job. It doesn't. You need to inspect all parts, look for problems, and identify things before they become bigger problems. If someone hasn't done a brake job before, it should really be done together with someone properly trained, who can help the first time. Brakes are a safety system.

Funniest rework I ever got was a vehicle with one of the front pads in backwards, ie friction material away from the rotor. It made a loud grinding noise. Rotor was trashed. Person had just done his own brake job, lol. You'd be amazed at what goes on out there.

finagle69 · #10 03-28-2012, 04:04 PM

I can easily recommend EBC Red Stuff pads. I changed out all four corners to them recently and have really enjoyed the performance. The hard initial bite of the OEM isn't there and there's very easy and linear modulation of the brakes with them. Plus, after a week, the wheels don't have any noticeable dust on them.

As for rotors, I know EBC sells rotors to accompany their pads, but my rotors had enough material left and no problem areas, so I retained them.