Brake Job
 

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!

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.

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.

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.

:iagree:
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!!

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.

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

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.

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.

Centric is a great brake rotor, and actually makes Stoptech rotors (or other way around). Anyhow, tey get rave reviews on the 8 series forum

http://www.stoptech.com/about/about-us

FWIW, Im currently using the stop tech/centric drilled rotors with the black "e-coating" and Akebono ceramic pads all around. I prefer the softer initial bite of the Akes to the oem pads, and nearly zero brake dust.

The black coating on the rotors covers the hat as well the veins inside....it's holding up much better than my OEM rotors did.

What they look like:
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ND/photo31.jpg

I wanted to let everyone know the brake job is completed - Centric rotors, acebono pads and sensors. Everything went smoothly and no issues during the install. I have driven for the past day and I won't say the stopping power is exactly the same as oem, but it ain't far off. This definitely justifies the almost $500 difference in parts cost.

Thanks to everyone that contributed.

The new pads will take a few hundred miles to bed in so won't feel to great initially but will improve with the miles.

Which axle did you replace? All 4 or were only the front or rear pads & rotors worn? I ask because I didn't see it mentioned reading through the thread...and just because the CHECK BRAKE LINING warning light illuminated, doesn't mean that all 4 rotors need to be replaced...you have to determine which of the sensors (front axle or rear axle) set off the warning.

Just curious. :)

I did my brakes this past summer with aftermaket with very good results but when I flushed the fluid later that September THAT made a noticeable improvement. Since I wasn't the orginal owner and the old brake fluid was pretty yucky who knows when the last time it was changed.

I use zimmerman rotors and jurid pads. I have also used Brembo rotors! All work great and I would highly recommend.

I have been running the Powerstop Revolution Ceramic pads for about 3 years now, with excellent results. Almost no visible dust, and braking performance to me feels just like the OE. You can usually get some really good buys on Ebay or Amazon on these.

I try to use these on all my vehicles now. I installed a set of "top of the line" ceramics purchased locally from one of the big chains, on my Pontiac van a couple of years ago. They were advertised as low dust. Very disappointing, though, as they generate considerable ugly dust!

Tradeoff for buying online is that I can't simply run down to the local big chain store for free lifetime warranty replacements when I wear a set out.

Generally, yes.

You can visually check the pads to see how much brake pad material remains. If the pads are good, check the sensor wire, the connection at the pads and the connection at the other end of the sensor wire.

OK. I first checked the fluid level and its fine. Did the 2 minute key on brake reset to see if it might have been a momentary glitch in the sensors. But alas I will have to check the pads and sensors sometime soon. I think maybe I can use my BMW Scanner to tell me which sensor is showing up as bad. I hope that the rotors are still in good shape and not needing replacement also. On my E46 I had an issue with the rear sensor collecting dust and debris enought to make it appear the brakes were low. I blew it out twice with air and it work well for about two weeks or so each time. Then I took the brakes apart and cleaned the sensor well and it has worked fine for about 2 years now. :) Thanks for the info.


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You need to physically inspect the brakes, front and rear.

Good practice is to replace the rotors and maintain full braking performance. You may be able to reuse them but many of us won't typically do so.

ps: Can you turn bold off?

How to measure brake pad thickness
 

Baum Tools - brake thickness measurement tool. No need to remove the wheel, just insert the tip into the back of the brake pad and see the measument in MM. Yes, it is pricy but it beats the heck out of pulling multiple wheels on my stable of of BMWs. 5 mins of effort beats pulling wheels each quarter. Those of you who do this for a living already own one. After seeing one in action, I added it to my Christmas list and ordered it!
Multiple tool vendors sell it, all at the same $$$. Welcome to special tools...
For gauging brake lining thickness w/o wheel removal, PN: 341260
Tool Listing
http://www.baumtools.com/search/_bb_...ges/341260.jpg

Yes, but not all aftermarket pads accommodate this tool. And remember that the inner pad may be 1-2mm thinner than the outer pad sometimes (and vice-versa). Unless you have a lift, I recommend taking the extra time to pull your wheels off anyway. This allows you to see more and possibly identify issues you wouldn't otherwise have known about by leaving the wheel on. If you have a lift, then yes, definitely don't take the wheels off to check brake pads. Take the extra couple minutes to instead snoop around under the car while up in the air.

Agreed.:iagree:
The tool is just that, a brake pad measurement device, not a solution solver to ever pulling wheels. That would come under the heading of a BAD PRACTICE.
I pull the wheels a min of 2x a year to wash the wheels, wells and do a visual inspection of the brakes, suspension, drive axles, etc. Most of my service work is ramps and jack stands, no room for a lift in the attached garage. The X5 only sees approx 2,000 miles per year, The M5 a whole 500 miles and the 528 approx 2,500. I have another daily driver for rain and slush duty.

I use the tool to determine replacement time and to check for rapid wear. This tool and a good infared temp sensor like Fuke's, will help spot brake issues..like calipers hanging up, etc.
http://www.ipscustom.com/ProdImages/F-IR-574-CF.JPG

Now if I have a great 2014 year, I can build the stand alone 3 car garage with lift and hot/cold wash bay. Man cave included. Plans have been on hold due to the down turn in business.

A tool to check pads? You can't be serious.

Pads don't wear out that often and that is what pad sensors are for-to let you know it is time to change pads. A couple pumps of a floor jack and spin the lugnuts off with an impact gun--zip zip zip--and you can see both sides of the pad which is the correct method to check pads. If the brake pad light is on there is no need to remove other than the two wheels with the sensors to find out if it is a sensor or worn pads. I can never have to many cool tools but do you really think OP should buy one?

And yes, change the rotors when you change the pads.

Nope just bringing up a cool tool. Don't like it? No problem as I lived without one and have sucessfully played with race cars, street Hi-po, restorations and now just BMWs without a hitch.

For me, it makes it easier to record thickness when I check the vechicles on each oil change or on an annual basis as I do with the garage queens. I pull the wheels 2x a year to visually inspect and to wash and detail the wheels, wells, suspension parts, and drive axles. Cars are fun. The right tools just makes the job easier to do, faster, better, and sometimes just for the hell of it.
Why buy a 12volt test light, when a bulb, a little wire and a sodering gun will do? Homemade Test Light
http://classicbroncos.com/img/electbasics1.jpg

:bustingup

When I was a pro mechanic, that tool was very handy, as we would only see some cars once every couple of years. If it was there for an oil change, it takes 30 seconds to check the brakes to see how much pad is remaining, and if any of the brakes were at 3-4mm remaining it was good practice to let them know they would need brakes soon. Especially if they were at 3mm or less, as it looks really bad when their brake lining light comes on a week after they were just at the shop and they live 3 hours away...

I've never bothered using tools like that on my bimmers since I can just rely on the warning light telling me I have 20% pad remaining (which could be another 5-10k miles). That gives me plenty of time to check which brakes are worn, then order a new set of pads, discs, and sensor, and plan a weekend in the next month or two for replacing them.

Growing up with cars that are heavily electronic laden, I don't recommend test lights. I have a multimeter so I'm not creating a low impedance circuit and thus a high current draw on a circuit not meant for high currents. It's better to know if your 5V circuit is actually outputting 5V and not 12V, and vice versa.

When I was a pro mechanic, that tool was very handy, as we would only see some cars once every couple of years. If it was there for an oil change, it takes 30 seconds to check the brakes to see how much pad is remaining, and if any of the brakes were at 3-4mm remaining it was good practice to let them know they would need brakes soon. Especially if they were at 3mm or less, as it looks really bad when their brake lining light comes on a week after they were just at the shop and they live 3 hours away...

I've never bothered using tools like that on my bimmers since I can just rely on the warning light telling me I have 20% pad remaining (which could be another 5-10k miles). That gives me plenty of time to check which brakes are worn, then order a new set of pads, discs, and sensor, and plan a weekend in the next month or two for replacing them.

Growing up with cars that are heavily electronic laden, I don't recommend test lights. I have a multimeter so I'm not creating a low impedance circuit and thus a high current draw on a circuit not meant for high currents. It's better to know if your 5V circuit is actually outputting 5V and not 12V, and vice versa.

+1 on the multi-meter.

I was NOT endorsing the use of a light bulb for any BMW related testing. It was a JOKE. Like looking for gas flow with a candle or testing for secondary voltage (coil) with your finger.
I worked for a company many years ago that built and sold that large now obsoleted BMW Engine Diagnostic tester sitting in the corner at your local BMW dealer. So I understand all to well the advances in auto diagnotics and proper test proceedures. I follow the old adage, "Test and Measure - Don't Guess"...

You know for sure the discs should be replaced if they start to look like this:
http://www.curlyk.co.uk/S2Forum/WholeDisc.jpg

You can get away with only replacing the discs every other set of pads, but in doing so, you are reducing your potential braking performance to that of a 1960 Chevy Impala. Yes, the brakes work, but I would start doubling the distance to the car in front of you...

Good Luck and welcome to the family of X5 owners. Keep us posted on your progress and efforts.

Oh and +1 on turning off the BOLD posts.

:wow:
Love that metal to metal look. Friction material pull off the pad? I assume it was a race car based on the two piece drilled rotors.

Not mine, found it via google. From the looks of it, they had a sticking caliper on the outside (Audi forum, so fixed 4+ piston calipers), which wore that one side very quickly. And if the pad sensor is on the inboard pad, it would have never registered a wear light, but how did this person not noticing the HORRID grinding sound when the pads wore down to the backing plate?

My rear discs are pretty low. Seems like they were never changed..because compared to the front, they are extremely low.

Turned up the radio? :rofl:

I hear that tell tale noise all to frequently....
My best story on "I trashed my car but did not notice", was the customer who brought in a flat tire in the trunk with nothing left but the center section with the bolt holes left. The rest had been burned off one MM at a time, including 20% of the ball joint and lower control arm on the right front. Oh and 40% of the rotor. :wow:

etched/stamped on the rotor hat is the minimum thickness. use a caliper to measure the disc thickness at the thinnest area. generally, if there is a raised lip at the very edge of the disc, you need to replace them. My experience has shown that the front discs need to be replaced everytime with the front pads. The rear discs generally can get two sets of pads before needing to be replaced. But, that is all dependent on driving style.
Don't turn your discs as you lose even more disc material and will definitely be under the minimum thickness at that point. This also puts you at having higher chance of getting warped rotors. Cheap new rotors also have a very high risk of warping (if not a guarantee of it).
I'll bet that none of your previous vehicles could stop as fast or with as much control as a BMW either. Think of your chassis/suspension as a whole. To be at the highest level of safety (or grip/traction) you suspension, brakes, and tires all need to be in good condition. Your DSC system relies on all 3 parts to work effectively; or if driving with DSC off, You need all 3 parts for maximum control. All 3 are only as good as the worst component. If you don't care, might as well be driving a Hummer or Escalade...ok, rant over.

I didn't say they are not cool tools. I am saying they are not necessary for the toolbox in a personal garage to monitor brake pad wear properly. I don't want anyone to think they need to spend any money on pad measurement tools to get it right.

This forum is an E53 forum. Comparisons to other vehicle, even BMWs, confuse issues the vast majority of the time.

I don't know how often you change the oil but I might take a gander after a set has been on there for 30,000 miles. It would just be for grins as it is very unlikely they would be near worn out.

X5 rotors are built to last about as long as pads. They are intentionally no thicker than they need to be when new. I am not for spending on parts just because. However, on an X5, I think the rotors should be replaced every time the pads are replaced. As far as the back will last through two sets of pads?--the pads take longer to wear out on the back but when the pads do wear out there has been just about as much rotor wear as the front.

Getting away from semi-metallic pads and going with a rotor friendly carbon/ceramic/brass pad compound will allow for 3 sets of pads prior to worn out rotors.

Semi-metallics and OE/OEM eat rotors.

Just a weekend ago I had to put my son's front disc brake system back together (I won't give the name of the non-BMW vehicle here, lest we confuse someone). The steel backing plate for the left outer pad was GONE. I mean there was no trace of the pad or plate left, save for some dust. HOW do you not notice?? He only slowed down from running around having his fun when the pistons were completely ejected from the caliper, due to nothing left for them to push against, and all the fluid, pressure, and braking power was lost. Thank God that occurred in our driveway! The rotor and caliper were of course beyond hope. Adding to my misery was the fact that on that vehicle the wheel bearing hub had to be pulled in order to change out the rotor (oops -- sorry if I just confused some bimmer folks).

Life is so much easier if you don't ignore such things.

$90 worth of cleverness there. Wow. As heavy as the X5 wheels are, it is tempting though!

I always measure the rotor thickness when I'm doing the semi-annual summer/winter wheel/tire change (or doing a track pad swap on one of the M3's). Surprising how long these rotors last with ceramic pads.

How much pad is left when the sensor activates the dash brake light and the cluster info center?
I am needing to drive my X5 due to weather conditions. Is it safe to drive it for a little while?
Have not had a chance to remove the wheels and physically check the pads yet.



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3mm remaining, which is 20-25% pad remaining. I'd at least do a visual inspection through the wheels to try to judge which brakes (front or rear) are worn by looking at the outer brake pad. Say your pads were last changed 30,000 miles ago and they are currently 80% worn out (20% remaining), you theoretically have 7000ish miles of life left in the pads. But, the lower you go with pad remaining, the more likely you are to start getting uneven wear on the pads and rotors, and possibly separation of the pad material from the backing plate. They are also more susceptible to brake fade during hard stopping from high speed.

Personally, I wouldn't go more than 1-2k miles after the light comes on. This is similar to the tread wear indicators on your tires, those show when you have 2/32" tread left. I try to replace my tires at or just before I get to that low of tread, or go waste the rest of the tread auto-crossing.

Oh OK thanks. I was just going to drive back and forth to work because of the icy roads we have here now and its AWD. My E46 isn't. Its less than 5 miles to work so I just need to make it until its a little warmer outside to check and change the brakes if needed. I'm hoping its a screwy sensor but if not I'll change them out. I'll look and see if I can view the pads thru the wheel tomorrow. Is there a difference between the dash panel brake light illuminating yellow and red? Read something about that somewhere. Mine is showing red.

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Anyone else here think it's odd the OPs X is wearing out brakes/rotors every 30k miles?

The OEM set installed on my X (by BMW, prior owner, at 100k miles) lasted 70k miles before needing replacement. The rotors were still above min thk'ness, and I tow a lot. :dunno:

Does the OP track his X?

If you haven't noticed by most of the threads about how fast some drive in the X, and how fast they go stoplight to stoplight in the 3 ton SAV racing kids, a lot of the newer E53 drivers here don't surprise me that they wear out brakes often, most are friends with this guy:

http://healthyceleb.com/wp-content/u...nd_furious.jpg

The red light along with the brake pad warning message indicate pads worn out. The amber light along with the DSC light indicate an ABS/DSC fault. Unless your wires have been damaged (offroading much?) the wear sensors are very reliable. At the minimum, go look through your spokes to see which pads/discs are worn out and make sure you don't have any absurd/abnormal wear that would prevent you from driving your car until it gets warmer out. Just noticed your comment about the cost of rotors. I wouldn't expect to be paying $400 for new rotors unless you upgraded to the 4.6 brakes or have some aftermarket BBK. Even if you did, $400 spread out over 30k miles is only 1.3 cents/mile to know that your brakes will operate at maximum performance for the next 30k miles. You won't notice the difference in regular day to day driving, but if you need to panic stop from 70mph, would that $400 justify the extra distance it takes you to stop because of overheating discs and longer brake pedal travel?

@TiAgX5 - The average I saw for front brakes on E53's in the Portland area was around 40k, and 50-60k for rears. It really depends on your driving style and environment. Looks like the geography of CrazyOneToo is more mountain vs your rolling plains, which would account for some of the wear difference. Also, more highway vs stop/go/city driving can play a major part in brake wear. Also, maybe the OP drives his 3.0 harder than you drive your 4.4 (like you said, maybe track duty)?
And towing I would expect to cause more even wear front to rear, requiring replacement of all the brakes at the same time. If you don't tow every weekend or more, I wouldn't expect a drastic shortening of the brake life (except for the rears).

:iagree:

Yeah its just the red brake light coming on. Never been offroad since I owned it. Dont know about PO. You make some good points and if I see they seem worn at all I will replace them. I just bought the vehicle a few months ago and don't know the brake history. As for the terrain I live in the city and the traveling back and forth to work is flat driving. No towing at all. I plan to buy a hitch kit someday soon tho. The reason I had hoped it was the sensor is I had issues with the rear on my E46 2 years or so back. It kept picking up metal dust and road grime thus making it say the brakes were low. Brake pads were fine. I took it off and cleaned it several times and it would stay off for a little while but would come back on after awhile. After doing that a few times I bought a new one and it hasnt came on again.

PS anyone have experience with this brand or type of rotor? Low quality??

Front Rear Kit Black Hart Drilled Slotted Disc Brake Rotors | eBay


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Sensors sometime fail and set the light off when pads are fine. Once they cause a problem it is unusual to get them to work right again. Save time and money, jack up the 2 wheels with the sensors. Start with the front and visually check the pads then you will what the cause of the light.

Look the same as mine from BrakeLabs.........just different coating. Mine are zinc plated, been on 2 months.

See "Cool Carbon Pad" thread I just bumped.

They look great on yours but I have stock wheels and plan to either dip them anthracite or powdercoat them dark. Seems like these black ones would match better when I get that done. And $200 for a set of 4 sounds like a decent price. But quality is what I care about more than looks!!!


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Looks were secondary for me too.

These are made/machined in the USA, 300 series iron. I did a 100% inspection of flatness, parallelism, runout and dynamic balance. Everything checked out.

These come with a 1 yr warranty, if they did not check out I planned on returning for a refund. If they crack I will return them.

I've done two 12 stop cycles from 50/60 mph to 5 mph near ABS activation, to bed/mat'l transfer the pads/rotors (allowed full cooldown between the two cycles). After about 5 wks of use I went out and did a series of +100 mph to 10 mph stops (early am, empty hwy).

No cracking or issues.

You say you don't drive fast so don't need the extra performance, and you are planning to have dark colored wheels, just stick with the OEM. (ATE, Jurid, Textar) You seem cost conscious, so why pay the extra money for ceramics if they won't really benefit you?

I also don't see the benefit of cross drilled rotors, else all supercars and 'tuned' factory cars would use them. They had their place when they first came out because of the outgassing from old style pad materials, but the modern ceramic pads don't have that problem anymore and the holes reduce the swept (functional) area of the rotor as well as introduce the possibility of cracking that doesn't occur on solid rotors. But, cracking typically doesn't occur until the rotors are worn and probably should have been replaced already...to me it falls in the category of cold air intakes and oversized exhausts :)

I got away from solid rotors because of pad float while driving in wet conditions. With the new rotors in wet hwy conditions the brakes are stopping the INSTANT I hit the pedal. With solid rotors I had about 1 sec of pad hydroplane in heavy rain @ 80 mph, that adds about 120 feet to stopping distance to solid rotors vs drilled/slotted. MASSIVE difference!

why are you driving 80mph in heavy rain in the first place?

The advantage of instant brake bite is there at speeds well below 80 mph too. Most hws here in TX are posted 70 mph. Even with light rain OE/OEM solid rotors hydroplane.

Drive 60 mph on TX hwys during rain and you will be rear-ended by an 18 wheeler or pickup in no time.

I like driving fast in the rain as it makes the drifting (4 wheel track style, not 2 wheel Tokyo style) threshold attainable at somewhat reasonable speeds, but all the rain we get here in the PNW is generally light, not heavy. So, driving 9 months of the year in rain, I think I've just developed a natural tendency to lightly hit the brakes a couple seconds ahead of time. And in the rare heavy rain, I'll do it every few minutes with my left foot.
For those lucky enough to have a car with Bosch DSC 8.1 or newer, the Brake Disc Wiping feature is already done automatically by the ABS/DSC system. Our E53's don't have that though :P

Yeah, the 8.1 does away with wet brake issues.

Seems like the 18 wheeler and pickup drivers speed up during rain, I guess because the cops can't use radar/laser/aircraft to check speeds.

anybody know a mechanic talented enough to do a brake retrofit with the Big Brake OEM for an e39 onto a e53?? http://data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4A...AEREAREQH/2Q==

A couple of Dallas cars and coffee supercars. Cool brakes. :thumbup:

[QUOTE=BIMMER_BLUEBLOOD;974115]anybody know a mechanic talented enough to do a brake retrofit with the Big Brake OEM for an e39 onto a e53?? [IMG]

OEM big brake kit being the M5 kit? this was on another thread here. stock 4.4 brake rotors are thicker and nearly the same diameter. You would probably have to machine a custom caliper bracket as the compatibility of the brackets is unknown between the E39 and E53, the only shared brake component is the pads and caliper. That is of course if the rotor hat is compatible with the steering knuckle of the E53. It's easier to just get a 4.6/4.8 brake setup which was larger than any other vehicle of that era (unless you count the E60 M5 or M6).

@bcredliner
Mclaren must have figured out their mistake. This from the new P1 hypercar:
http://db2.stb.s-msn.com/i/D3/98AB87...98_w598_m2.jpg

[QUOTE=racingbmwm3;974186]P1 brakes are not a correction of a mistake. Carbon fiber ceramic braking is now state of the art, especially on a vehicle like the P1 that weighs less than 3000 lbs.

I don't think the structural requirements to achieve the desired performance and reliability utilizing carbon fiber rotors have any validity when discussing drilled, slotted or smooth steel rotor performance.

Anyone know if there is anything I can spray paint my brake calipers with that will not burn up and catch fire? Are the super engine enamels not super enough for the heat generated by brakes? I'd sure love to dress mine up without actually replacing calipers.

You can purchase brake caliper paint that goes on with a brush or use high temperature spray paint. You have more color choices with the spray and it is easy to touch up but you will spend more time doing the job due masking off what you don't want painted. Both are available at most auto parts stores

Thanks. I've looked before but haven't seen brake caliper paint. Wasn't sure if the high temp spray would be high temp enough.

They sell a spray paint used to paint outdoor cooking grills.
I'm guessing thats high heat enough.

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[QUOTE=racingbmwm3;974186]If you consider the addition of brake drying (similar to the Bosch 8.1 BMW now uses), that allows for wet weather intial bite with solid rotors, then yes.:dunno:

With automatic brake drying solid rotors/pads grab the instant the brakes are applied, just like drilled/slotted rotors on non brake drying equipped cars.

I use VHT header paint, no problem with the heat.

I have Akebono ceramic pads all around on my X5. Tried just the fronts since the rear pads were still pretty meaty. Mistake. Braking never felt right until I put the Ake's on the rear too.

Dust is nearly invisible on silver wheels.

I'd use something other than BBQ grill paint. It only has to deal with 500 or so degrees F. Header paint or other high temp paint made to deal with much higher temps is probably a good idea. If your X is loaded and you have to whoa it down in a hurry, you'd be surprised how hot brakes can get.

Yeah, never a good idea to mix pad compounds front/rear. As bad as mixing tires IMO.

Meh. Did it all the time when I was racing and wanted to change the brake bias (valves not allowed in my class of racing). Tight track and need the rear to rotate, use more aggressive pads on the rear and trail braking becomes real easy. Almost 70's 911 Porsche-turbo like if you get too carried away. :wow:

For the masses, you point is valid. I knew what to expect, but the release characteristics of the different pads just made it 'icky' to drive on the street. Couldn't get a smooth stop so I just put on the Ake's on the rear and all is good now.

:thumbup:

I should have said for street/DD use, mixing pad compounds is not a good idea.

Yes, you should have thought about every circumstance in the world that might be an exception. Don't you know there is a significant percentage of X owners that rotation and trail braking is a priority.

So you know for the future, I found I had to put the grippier pads on the front of my Texas mower to get around trees in my yard without missing grass that needs cutting.

I prefer to mow in a straight line.......

straight lines are boring.
2012 STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals Clippings: FXT Class - YouTube

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Quit taking pictures of all my yard implements. :cool:

I was only having a bit of fun. TiAgX5 is correct of mixing compounds of brake pads or tires on a regular vehicle.

Does that procedure need to be done on all brakes? I went with some Mayle solid rotors (via ECS Tuning) and some Genuine BMW pads I found on eBay. Hope they are not knockoffs. I'm not sure how to know for sure. I would like to seat the pads in right so I have no issues later on. Also can I re-do this to my other car if its pulsing when coming to a stop? When I changed the brakes on it I didnt bed them in. I didn't know to. :(

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When new pads/rotors are not bedded/heat cycled, you run the risk of uneven pad materal transfer onto the rotor while stationary after a hard stop (avoiding 45+ MPH roads with stoplights is a must, unless you drive it under 40 and assume every light will turn red as you approach).

Most pulsing issues post brake job are caused by this. The solution is getting the rotor surfaces re-scuffed and following a proper bed procedure.

OK how would I re-scuff them? With a wire brush, small grit sandpaper, steel wool or what?
On the car I need re-scuffed I don't do much driving. Its usually short drives in town when I drive it.

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A rotary scotch-brite pad on a hand drill or small right angle grinder does the trick.