Apparently the 3 needs new front brakes

Kinja'd!!! "E90M3" (e90m3)
07/09/2019 at 11:00 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!1 Kinja'd!!! 19

Took my car to BMW this morning for an oil change and got a call saying I needed new front brakes. The car should tell me if it needs brakes or not with the wear sensor, which I know just completes a circuit. Anyways that never went off and they told me that there was no more wear material on the pads. I asked for a quote and they said ~670. Going to take a look when I get the car back today and if they’re as bad as they say they are, I’ll get some parts ordered and change them myself.

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!  So, if I do need brakes that badly, I’ll buy this kit and drive the M3 until I get around to doing them. 


DISCUSSION (19)


Kinja'd!!! merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 11:06

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Unless you’re caliper is hanging up and not letting the sensored pad wear down, you should have enough brakes until the sensor goes off.

Hell, I was driving mine for over two months with the sensor tripped. And I still had a little bit of friction material left. And I was swapping rotors anyway, so I didn’t care if I ran them to the backing plates.

That’s cheap for pads and rotors.  I think just the fronts for my S8 were $400.  Pads and rotors.  But the rotors are massive.  I wouldn’t be too concerned if I were you.  


Kinja'd!!! diplodicus forgot his password > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 11:07

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Don’t forget these, https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-brake-disc-set-screw-34211161806 .


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > diplodicus forgot his password
07/09/2019 at 11:09

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Good call, I’ll get those too. 


Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 11:11

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The front brakes on my Subaru Outback are like $450 at the dealer. Go to Napa and get the exact same pads and rotors for $150. It takes me longer to take the wheel off than change the pads and rotors. 


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/09/2019 at 11:13

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I’m not overly concerned, unless the sensor is completely messed up. Last time I checked, I could still see plenty of wear material. I have put 40k on the car since I got it, but the vast majority of that were highway miles.

Guess we’ll check it out this evening. 


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/09/2019 at 11:14

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I helped a friend change calipers on an E30 a month or so ago, he’s going to help me change these. Shouldn’t be too bad. 


Kinja'd!!! ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 11:25

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You should have those on your current discs tho. I’ve been reusing mine for a while now.

Put a lotta anti seize when you do them up aa well, they like to get stuck


Kinja'd!!! LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > diplodicus forgot his password
07/09/2019 at 11:26

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He c an’t re-use the ones currently in place?


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
07/09/2019 at 11:26

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I do, but for the price, might as well get new ones just in case. 


Kinja'd!!! diplodicus forgot his password > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 11:41

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You can, and I have, but they’re technically considered single use. I had one on my 90 e30 that could have been the original or some idiot used a standard allen key instead of a metric but it was obviously reused and then stripped on me trying to take it off and was a bitch. So when I did brakes on the 89 I just bought them because they’re cheap. When I did the wheel bearing I re-used them because they hadn’t seized and didn’t over torque or strip the heads.


Kinja'd!!! Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 12:33

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Rock has a Powerstop kit with Z26 Street pads and Drilled/Slotted Rotors for $232.

Why not upgrade?


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
07/09/2019 at 12:40

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I don’t see them on there for that price. 


Kinja'd!!! Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 12:43

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https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/bmw,2009,328i,3.0l+l6,1443051,brake+&+wheel+hub,rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,13824


Kinja'd!!! B_dol > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 13:16

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The wear sensor measures pad thickness only, no help on rotor thickness. Given the age of the car, not surprising the fronts are coming due.

Also - willing to do a pad/rotor swap but not your own oil change?


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > B_dol
07/09/2019 at 13:30

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They said there was no pad left, so I’m not 100% sure what’s true about what they’re saying. If I can still see pad thickness, I might wait on replacing them. If not, I’ll do it sooner rather than later.

The amount of money I would save doing my own oil isn’t worth my time. It’s right around $90 at the dealer. The brakes are more than worth me doing myself.


Kinja'd!!! B_dol > E90M3
07/09/2019 at 14:24

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Gotcha. Cheap dealer! The shops charge on my S54 is $130-140; oil change kit is $85 for the S54 and $50 for the N52. Not a whole lot of savings but I am trying to spread out the cost of tools acquired :D


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > B_dol
07/09/2019 at 14:26

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If I had a place to do it, I’d probably consider doing it myself. I’m still in an apartment, so the dealer is much easier. I’ve got a friend who is willing to help me do the brakes in his garage.


Kinja'd!!! NojustNo > E90M3
07/10/2019 at 02:19

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Damn my local bmw dealer wanted over $ 200 for my ‘ 11 328i !!!


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > NojustNo
07/10/2019 at 06:49

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Isn’t bad, which is why I get it changed there.