Brake/rotor?
 

Has anyone tried going to brakes plus for new pads and rotors? I always see these places in Denver but not sure what kind of quality/work they do!

Can't say that I have, however I am doing my own break job soon at 55K and will replace both pads and rotors. Looking to get some cross drilled slotted rotors.

Good Luck!

Cross drilled are for ricers. OE or go home.

But seriously if you looking for performance, dont do drilled.

:iagree:

Man after my own heart!

Slotted for superior track performance, combined with longevity.

Plain if you just drive an SUV around.

What good timing, I am getting ready to replace my fronts (@65k), and I have a few questions; 1) Is my break service message based on actual wear or is it a milage based warning? Mine says I have ~600mls before replacement. 2) I am looking at mid level EBC parts, any recomendations? Thanks in advance.

Post a picture.

But, there are two, or rather three messages that will pop up.

You most likely have the "it's time" to check your break system message.
There is also an orange icon and red icon that indicate break pad ware.

A thing to know (if you are not a bmw guy, or new to bmw) is that there is one pad sensor on front axcel and one sensor on rear axle. Not like other german cars that have independent sensors for each pad.

A few thoughts
 

I have used EBC pads on several other BMWs, they were two wheelers. Having had a good experience with EBC, I bought new ATE rotors and EBC 'Red Stuff' pads, doing the fronts only at 48K. The switch to Red Stuff was to Eliminate the dusty OEM pads.

Break in procedure was my normal 'drive it using light braking' for the first few hundred miles.

I had smooth braking for about 4,000 miles and noticed in very short order, increasing juddering. The problem grew worse over the next 2,000 miles. Much worse.

My shop is well equipped and I had used very good quality digital gauging to measure lateral run-out after installing the rotors and upon measuring the rotors at 6K miles found significant wear resulting in a variation in rotor thickness. I had the local Midas shop resurface the rotors and all was good for a few thousand when the juddering returned.

I ultimately replaced the rotors with Bosch rotors and Akebono Euro pads, and 12K plus miles later no problems. A week a go I serviced the rear of the vehicle with new Zimmerman rotors and Akebono pads.

I can not state that the EBC Red Stuff was the specific cause of the accelerated wear I experienced, but there was some incompatibility between the pads and the ATE rotors.

To do the work your self, you must have an E-18 female Torx socket, and a 7MM male hex adapter for your ratchet wrench.

There is only one wear sensor on front of the vehicle, on the left hand side and they are NOT reusable, as they self destruct when prying them from the inside pad.

I have no business interest in any of the vendors mentioned.

Ciao,
DC

Great feedback
 

Thanks rcasey, I will look into the europads before I commit to buying any parts. Good heads up on the wear sensor also, I would have bought two for the front. gregg3, I wil see if I can get a picture of the service alert I am receiving, I am assuming I have about a month (600mls) before i need to do the work.

lt2mc: I failed to mention in my earlier post, the Akebono pads were essentially dust free as were the EBC Red Stuff pads, and the braking performance on both were as good as the OEM pads in normal day to day driving.

When my front brake sensor went off I was almost 2,000 miles from home, and I drove the car home.

There was still plenty of 'meat' left on the pads when I replaced them weeks later.

Please note, I am NOT RECOMMENDING that you follow in my tire tracks.

Be safe,
Dick Casey

All great information on here!

And specially LOVE the BMW purists... NO, my SUV is not a RICER nor are the mods that I choose to do. I can understand your view of drilled rotors, however I also disagree. In any case I am still shopping around and I am noticing that there aren't many options for drilled rotors. I see Zimmerman, Bosch, Brembo, & Meyle for the most part.

I have always used EBC red stuff pads and appreciate the very little brake dust... I think this time around I will going with the Akebono pads.

Just a heads up FCPEuro is having a cyber Monday sales and most these parts are on there at a discount.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/X5...&m=2126&page=1

Cheers!

It's all about Quality, not brand purity
 

A lesson learned on the Marktplatz

Late 1967 found me standing at the counter of a small laundry in the center of the darling Bavarian town of Bad Kissingen. I was a second lieutenant in the US Army and the laundry had beed doing a stellar job starching my fatigue uniforms for the last 6 months. I now wanted a white cotton terry cloth bath robe dyed dark red, the rationale, it would not readily show coffee and food stains and require washing as often.

The laundry did commercial dying, and the owner looked at the garment, looked at the label, looked at me and said "Nein!"

Suspecting some sort of language barrier, I came back with my German girlfriend. Two or three sentences later she turned to me and said "he says no, he can not guarantee color fastness and over time the garment will fade and look bad." I said, "When that happens I will throw it out and go buy a new one. I simply do not care!"

The GF looked at the owner, he rolled his eyes, shrugged his shoulders making a gesture that years later would be known as WTF, and softly repeated Nein!"

The GF looked at me smiling and said, "thats the point….He does Care!"

ka-ching! Lesson Learned,
Dick Casey

I have a set of front rotors, brake pads and sensor for sale for 2007 - 2010 e70 X5 4.8i (pre LCI). Asking $300 or BO.

Completely incorrect. There's a reason my M6 and other high performance cars use drilled rotors.

Do the pads/rotors yourself. It's an easy task. You'll get more satisfaction in ownership if you do simple things like this yourself.

Cross drilled AND slotted rotors, for car that are no SPECIFICALLY designed for such (and as I recall there is only one car made that has such rotors :thumbup:) are for ricers. Slots and holes do the same thing.

Drilled rotors (my turbo has them) look cool, and do work- but the price you pay with reduced life for track duty just make them uneconomical and unnecessary. You get the same service with slots, for 99.9% of the pop.

Taking a car with solid rotors, and putting holes in them, does NOT improve the brake performance unless you are racing. You get less mass (weight) but lose swept area and thermal mass. Those are trade OFFs....The only benefit it avoiding outgassing of the pads at super high speeds and aggressive braking. And you can get that with slots too.

Its like nitrogen in tires: people take the smallest truth (race cars use it, they go fast) and expand it into a universal truth.

Because fast cars have brake systems with holes in rotors does NOT mean putting holes in rotors improves YOUR brake system. (Lets leave out the fact that drilled rotors have become a design element that may in fact be one reason they put it on the M6)

So when I see someone with drilled rotors on an otherwise stock sedan, I dont necessarily think 'ricer'... uneducated comes to mind as well.

So back to the original question. Has anyone used brakes plus or any other corporate place for brakes and rotors? Outside of BMW of course.