A question on brakes

[dewitts]

I need to replace my pads as 1 has gone down to the metal and the brake warning light did not come on, however I thought I would face the task of changing them myself instead of paying garage prices and as I had no intention of using my car this week I thought I would get them cheap on Ebay. the problem is, when I searched e39 front brake pads there were various prices so obviously clicked the cheaper options but some of the sellers say there are different variations of the brakes on that model.:mad The brake pads look different to each other in the photo's. is there a way to check what pads I need before ordering them without removing the old ones??
Thanks
Please bear in mind i'm in the uk.
1999 E39 523i SE saloon

[SamMinor72]

Sometimes they use a generic photo in EBAY ads. I wldn't worry too much about those pics. I would email the sellers and ask year/model specific fitments. They would be able to tell you what you need. You can also go to the local parts store and ask to see a set. You will probably find that with shipping and wait times you probably will save yourself some hassle by getting them there. I would aslo suggset staying away from the cheapest pads as they wear faster, tend to be noisier, and create more dust which sucks to clean. Ceramic pads are what I use. They are more expensive but, save me on the back end in cleaning and maintenance. Hope this helps!!

[FP5241]

If you are still not sure, you can always contact Jared or Mark @ EACTuning... they have great brake packages and will help you with making the best decision for your car/budget.

Good luck and congrats on doin it yourself.
:thumbup:

[dewitts]

well by the time I finished inspecting all my brakes today most of the parts suppliers were closed, but I have looked on ebc's website and looked but they only list 2 types and the difference between them is the compound, so I looked at a set of mintex discs and pads for £65 inc delivery and they seem to be the same as the ones on ebc's website. But i am going to attempt to make some calls tomorrow, though they'll probably charge more than that for a non-named brand

[mattmartindrift]

if only one pad went down to metal you've got a stuck caliper or other braking issue.

[jamesdc4]

if only one pad went down to metal you've got a stuck caliper or other braking issue.
+1

If I were you, I would not cheap out on brake pads. The 5 is heavy and needs good brake pads to bring her to a stop. As to the dust, that is the price you pay for stopping power.

[macrojunkie]

I just had my rotors / pads / brake fluid / sensors replaced at my local indie shop. Expensive? Fark yeah! But the car now handles and brakes 1000% better than before. Seriously, my rotors were shaped like tacos and caused the whole wheel to shudder under heavy braking. I also had a crazy amount of air in my rear passenger side brake line, and the brake fluid had the consistancy of rancid jello.

So I guess my point is maybe have someone take a look at the existing brakes and see if you might need more than a simple pad swap. :D

[Aintfirsturlast]

Jared at WWW.eactuning.com will set up a package for you including discs, pads, and sensors. They have remanned calipers too, for about $100.

Do the work yourself(self explanatory, or check a DIY), purchase a liter of Ate super blue, and follow the brake bleeding, and pad bedding procedures on WWW.zeckhausen.com. Good luck! Its easy money.:)

[jamesdc4]

pad bedding procedures on WWW.zeckhausen.com (http://WWW.zeckhausen.com).
I did the bedding in procedure to get rid of sqealing, but the squeal has come back. One more time...:eek:!
I couldn't do it in the morning hours so I did it after rush hour in the evening (still light out - it doesn't get dark until 10:00pm here). Peeps thought I was crazy! :D

[Aintfirsturlast]

^^ I here(more jokes) you man... I was just waiting to get pulled over going from 60 to 5, 10 ten times in a row on 71N, at 3am. Did it again on 71S ten minutes later...

What are you running to get the squeal? I used to run pagid pads, and brembo rotors.. squealed like hell, but stopped like a feather. I run balo discs, and akebonos.

No squealing, but nowhere near as good as OEM.

[dewitts]

Jared at WWW.eactuning.com (http://WWW.eactuning.com) will set up a package for you including discs, pads, and sensors. They have remanned calipers too, for about $100.

Do the work yourself(self explanatory, or check a DIY), purchase a liter of Ate super blue, and follow the brake bleeding, and pad bedding procedures on WWW.zeckhausen.com (http://WWW.zeckhausen.com). Good luck! Its easy money.:)

As much as i appreciate the recommendation that's not much use, i live in the uk lol
I was thinking of having a free brake check done at kwik fit, but have no idea how thorough they would be, would they actually check the calipers operation and stuff? or would they just see if the pads are worn?:eyecrazy

[Aintfirsturlast]

Well, I'm not in the UK, and don't know who Kwikfit is... but Jared takes care of forum members, and will probably direct you properly. Call, and ask him.. worst is he can't help You, which I would highly doubt...

[dewitts]

kwik fit are a large uk chain of car repair garages, usually expensive but they do free brake checks, tracking checks, battery checks ect ect so was thinking of just using them for the freebies :D

apparently they do a road test to see if the discs are warped, (yeah well i can feel the judder so i know i got 1 warped, doesn't bloody indicate which 1 though does it!!!) and they inspect the discs & pads for wear and check the calipers to see if they're seized. Takes around an hour

[billzcat1]

Seriously, my rotors were shaped like tacos

With flour or corn tortillas?

Escooz me mi amigo. Is verry hot plate~!

[macrojunkie]

With flour or corn tortillas?

Escooz me mi amigo. Is verry hot plate~!

Corn of course, with a fresh side of pico de gallo! ;)

[wmdcars]

I need to replace my pads as 1 has gone down to the metal and the brake warning light did not come on, however I thought I would face the task of changing them myself instead of paying garage prices and as I had no intention of using my car this week I thought I would get them cheap on Ebay. the problem is, when I searched e39 front brake pads there were various prices so obviously clicked the cheaper options but some of the sellers say there are different variations of the brakes on that model.:mad The brake pads look different to each other in the photo's. is there a way to check what pads I need before ordering them without removing the old ones??
Thanks
Please bear in mind i'm in the uk.
1999 E39 523i SE saloon

Please do NOT use cheap break pads.

Pads arent very expensive in the first place and they are worth spending the money on to get quality.

Remember brakes are safety related.

Hawk makes excellent pads for not too much cheese. If they have them for your model thats who I would go with. Akebono is also good.

[dewitts]

well the outcome was 3 discs almost down to the limit and 1 disc was solid and not vented and the calliper had come off the runner which is what they think is causing the vibration, the callipers were not seized :D the quote for these 4 discs, 2 sets of pads inc fitting was........... sitting down?..........£602.15 YEAH LIKE FCUK! I have ordered a full set of mintex discs and pads for £124 inc delivery and brake winding tool for £36 with multi fitments to fit almost every car made. i think i'll keep the other £350 thank you!!

[dewitts]

Well.... it took 11 hours between 1 thing and another.... Including not having the right tools, breaking tools, lack of knowledge and instruction and first time changing discs and pads.
First i found someone had lost some bits to my tool set when they borrowed it so spent about 40 mins trying to find another thing to hold my 7mm allen bit but eventually heard the neighbour moving about so borrowed a 3/8 extention bar from him,
On osr (no2) i had trouble getting the disc off, i spent about 40 mins hitting it and turning it to try and get it off and it eventually came.... taking the brake shoe pin with it (the on in the center of each shoe going through to the dust plate) so then had to repair that. I read the instructions here.. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=986325 and there was no mention of the adjustment for handbrake so i didn't unwind the brakes to remove the disc and also havent adjusted them so my handbrake works (need to do that another day!)
On the 3rd disc (osf) i loosened 1 of the calliper bolts and then snapped my 3/8 to 1/4 drive reducer socket... GUTTED! packed everything in the house, took a walk up the local hardware store who only sold 2 types of socket set and they were £65 :O no way! so called a mate who went to a few shops and arrived 2 hrs later with a new bit of kit that had about 60 little tool bits (allen bits, torque bits ect ect) and it had 2 adapters to hold them in both 3/8 and 1/2" so eventually managed to get the rest done.
Oh and i forgot to put the rattle clip back on the callipers 3 times. Had to remove the wheels (luckily i noticed before dropping the car down), replace the clip and put them back on.
It was 1 hell of a day and i think if i had the right tools from the start and actually had a car lift to do the work then i could do the lot in about 3 hrs! All in all.... A learning experience, sense of achievement and £425 saved by doing it myself.