Brakes
 

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,

Peabody Mass

Louies BMW LTD
260 Newbury St
Peabody Mass

978-535-3450

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

Only works on BMWs

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,

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

Thanks!

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

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

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

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.

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

Quote:

"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.You have a point there.

Quote:

"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? 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.

Quote:

"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!

Quote:

"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.

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.