E34 525 Brake question

[Casebrius]

I recently put new brake pads on a friends 525 and when i got the new pads out, they didn't fit. I took them back to Auto Zone and matched the old ones with ones off the shelf which the guy told me were suppose to be from a 530 according to the computer. I am ordering her new rotors in the near future and was wondering which to get. I couldn't see any part numbers on the rotor hat. Did some 525's come with brakes from a 530 or is Autozone messed up on their computer entries. Also, the brakes I put on just to get by for awhile were made by ALBANY. Has anyone ever heard of them or used them? They were only $15 for fronts with lifetime warranty. Before you say it, I know most times you get what you pay for, but these were supposed to be crutches until I order the new rotors. I was going to order AXXIS Ultimates for front and rear, but if these pads are any good, I may scrap that idea and just get new rotors and Albany pads all around. For $35 for front and rear pads, I can't believe they are any good, but the stopping power seemed OK to me after putting them on the front.

[Casebrius]

Help!

[slocar]

They probably have the numbers backwards... like on a lot of other stuff.

I am using ATE pads right now... never used Albany so I cant comment on their stopping power/quality.

[Casebrius]

How could I check to make sure I am getting the right rotors then? I found a BMW part # on the caliper, but not on the rotor. It appeared that the other pads were smaller than the 2nd set I got, which would make sense if they had put smaller brakes on some 525's.

[Casebrius]

Noone Else Has Experienced This Differance In Brakes / Rotors?

[Scott528iM]

Call a BMW dealership for the part #s or you may be able to find it somewhere on www.bmwe34.net.
I would suggest that you toss the off brand pads and call BMA auto parts (www.bmaautoparts.com) and order the proper parts. Patrick will take care of you.

Good luck.

[Casebrius]

My point is it looks like there were possibly two differant sets of rotors/calipers/brakes that "may" have come with this model car. Such is the same with 95 M3's which came with differant fuel filters in differant locations (just an example). I'm just trying to verify if this is true or not.

[Bodgit]

I'd buy the pads and rotors including bolt from a reputable parts supplier. ATE pads are OEM and I've used ATE rotors and Brembo rotors with good success.
Autozone hires individuals who know nothing about BMW's and I'd avoid buying stuff there unless it's brake cleaner or fluid.
You'll save yourself a lot of hassles. I think there was only one set of pads and rotors for that year E34.

[Scott528iM]

I'd buy the pads and rotors including bolt from a reputable parts supplier. ATE pads are OEM and I've used ATE rotors and Brembo rotors with good success.
Autozone hires individuals who know nothing about BMW's and I'd avoid buying stuff there unless it's brake cleaner or fluid.
You'll save yourself a lot of hassles. I think there was only one set of pads and rotors for that year E34.

Agreed.
Autozone is good for cleaning supplies and oil, that's about it.