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Thread: Uh-Oh! The "Check Brake Pads" Light Just Came On

  1. #1
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    Uh-Oh! The "Check Brake Pads" Light Just Came On

    I've got a 2003 330i with just over 80k miles. The "check brake pads" light just came on. I've never had any brake work done, so I have a feeling I'm due. I also have a feeling that "check brake pads" will turn into "replace brake pads". With this economy, I shudder at what the cost of that might be. Can anyone tell me what replacing the pads could cost, whether this is something that really should be done at a dealer (versus an independent shop), and what my options are regarding OEM vs. non-OEM parts?

    I love the car, but hate its ridiculously high cost of maintenance. My local dealer charges ~$125 for an oil change; even buying the oil and filter and doing it myself still runs about $75 a pop (for the supplies). So I'm getting tense just thinking about what replacing my brake pads is going to cost me. And I know that's not something I can just ignore.

    Thanks in advance...

  2. #2
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    If you have a basic set of tools do the work yourself. The only thing that makes the maintenance on a BMW rediculous is the cost of the labor.

    Prices vary wildly between OEM, cheap, and good aftermarket parts. Turner Motorsports has great prices on brake kits: "Complete brake package for E46 330i/ci/xi. Front and rear rotors, pads, sensors, retaining screws and fluid! This is everything you will need to complete a brake service on your 330. Metal Master pads come standard are a small upgrade from stock. The Axxis/PBR Ultimate pads are a big upgrade from the stock pads. Choose from stock rotors or cross-drilled rotors for daily driving or choose the slotted rotors and stainless lines for track use."
    - $341. Upgrades of course raise the price some... http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...&subcat_id=134
    Last edited by Tangent; 04-07-2009 at 11:26 AM.

  3. #3
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    Chill out dude, it's not the end of the world. Every car needs brakes.
    Buy some pads, borrow some tools if you don't have them, short out the sensor and $50 later you are back on the road.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by sbrenner View Post
    I've got a 2003 330i with just over 80k miles. The "check brake pads" light just came on. I've never had any brake work done, so I have a feeling I'm due. I also have a feeling that "check brake pads" will turn into "replace brake pads". With this economy, I shudder at what the cost of that might be. Can anyone tell me what replacing the pads could cost, whether this is something that really should be done at a dealer (versus an independent shop), and what my options are regarding OEM vs. non-OEM parts?

    I love the car, but hate its ridiculously high cost of maintenance. My local dealer charges ~$125 for an oil change; even buying the oil and filter and doing it myself still runs about $75 a pop (for the supplies). So I'm getting tense just thinking about what replacing my brake pads is going to cost me. And I know that's not something I can just ignore.

    Thanks in advance...
    Brake pads can be done by an indy shop or in your driveway/garage. There is nothing special about the BMW brakes compared to every other car on the road. The only thing is you have to get a new pad sensor now that it has been triggered.

    Where are you buying your supplies? I can do an oil change for about $55.

    Check some of the sponsor vendors, like RM European, and Tischer for good prices on OEM stuff. Tischer is pretty close to you. If DIY you might want to pop your wheels off and check the width of your rotors to see if you need to replace those as well as the pads. That will affect total cost.

  5. #5
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    If a break job is making you as worried as a missed mortgage payment then you need to put some money aside for when things go wrong with your car. A good rule of thumb is $1000 a year for maintenance. If you do preventative maintenance it will save you money in the long run as well. For example, replacing a thermostat before it breaks doesn't cost much money. But if you wait until after it goes, the pressure can blow a hole in your hoses and you'll need a tow, making the job 3x as expensive.

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  6. #6
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    Oil changes -- $7/qt. for oil (x 7 qts = $49), plus $5 for the filter kit on line. Piece o' cake. Ramps -- $35, or if you want to make it really easy, get an oil extractor for $55. Either way (ramps or extractor), you'll use them multiple times and save lotsa money each time you change the oil. Brake jobs are easy, too. Takes less than 2 hours even the first time. C'mon Mon -- get yur hands dirty.

  7. #7
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by kbok View Post
    Brake pads can be done by an indy shop or in your driveway/garage. There is nothing special about the BMW brakes compared to every other car on the road. The only thing is you have to get a new pad sensor now that it has been triggered.

    Where are you buying your supplies? I can do an oil change for about $55.

    Check some of the sponsor vendors, like RM European, and Tischer for good prices on OEM stuff. Tischer is pretty close to you. If DIY you might want to pop your wheels off and check the width of your rotors to see if you need to replace those as well as the pads. That will affect total cost.
    All good advice. The dealership will likely want to charge $700ish PER AXLE, and of course they'll want to do both fronts and rears, so you're quickly into the four digits. If you don't mind getting a bit messy - brakes are intrinsically a dirty job - definitely do it yourself.

    Your first order of business will be to take the wheels off and determine if your wear sensor came on in the front or the rear. It's unlikely that both are worn EXACTLY the right amount to trigger the wear sensor at the same time; however, it is very possible that if pads on one axle are worn, pads on both are worn. Also inspect each pad's thickness - all four front pads should be about the same thickness, and all four rear pads should be about the same. If not, then you have a problem with brake balance or a sticking caliper. With a measuring caliper ($20ish or less at Harbor Freight for a "pretty good" digital one) you can measure the thickness of the pads & rotors.

    BMW rotors are soft, and generally last through 1 to 2 sets of pads. They have a minimum thickness that is stamped on the rotor "hat". If they are near/at/below this minimum thickness, they should be replaced. If not, then the shouldn't.

    While you have the wheels off, squirt some PB blaster or other penetrating oil around the hub, around the rotor retaining screw, anywhere else that looks like it might be rusty and hard to remove later when you have your new parts in hand. Don't get any on the surface of the rotor where it touches the pads, you certainly don't want that to be lubricated.

    IF you take it to a shop, and they say "We need to replace the rotors too" then your response should be, "O RLY! What was the measured thickness of the rotors, and what is the minimum thickness stamped on the rotors? What is the starting thickness of new rotors? Measurements for all four, please."

    Replacing the brake fluid is also a very good idea (every 2 years, more if you drive hard) but this can be done independently of pads and rotors.

    My preference is stock/OEM blank rotors, Akebono Euro pads, and OEM brake fluid.

    Quote Originally Posted by CRXnut View Post
    ... short out the sensor ....
    I disagree with shorting out the sensor. It's only OK to short out the sensor if you are checking your brakes yourself on a very regular basis. If you want to short it out, that's fine, but I don't think it's appropriate to recommend that others do so.
    Last edited by nathancarter; 04-07-2009 at 12:17 PM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by nathancarter View Post
    I disagree with shorting out the sensor. It's only OK to short out the sensor if you are checking your brakes yourself on a very regular basis. If you want to short it out, that's fine, but I don't think it's appropriate to recommend that others do so.
    You are right, I was only pointing out the cheapest way out as the OP made it look like he was tight for money.

  9. #9
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    Most likely you just need to do the fronts. Not that expensive depending on if you already have some decent tools in your garage. Do you own a torque wrench? If not then just pay an independent shop to do it, because the wrench alone is about $80. You probably already know that you have to replace the rotors as well as the pads, and a good time to bleed the system. Bleeding can cause problems if you let the reservoir run dry (from what I hear) with the ABS system. In summary if a brake job scared you, just let someone who knows what they are doing wrench on your car.
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  10. #10
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    $80 for a torque wrench? Where d'ya find those gold-plated torque wrenches? And hey, if you've got $80 to spend on one, I'll sell you mine (no gold plating, though) for $50 and still make $30 profit.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by GunnerNell View Post
    $80 for a torque wrench? Where d'ya find those gold-plated torque wrenches? And hey, if you've got $80 to spend on one, I'll sell you mine (no gold plating, though) for $50 and still make $30 profit.
    lol, now he wont buy it

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by GunnerNell View Post
    $80 for a torque wrench? Where d'ya find those gold-plated torque wrenches? And hey, if you've got $80 to spend on one, I'll sell you mine (no gold plating, though) for $50 and still make $30 profit.
    Craftsman torque wrench is $80, and I love mine.

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  13. #13
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    I've got Craftsmen torque wrenches that were about $80 normally (picked 'em up on Black Friday for half price) and they work great. Really nice ones cost a hell of a lot more than I want to spend, but I'm not sure I'd trust a $20 torque wrench...

  14. #14
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  15. #15
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    Craftsman are $80 now? Hmmm, well, I have to admit it was a l-o-n-g time ago that I bought mine.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by GunnerNell View Post
    $80 for a torque wrench? Where d'ya find those gold-plated torque wrenches? And hey, if you've got $80 to spend on one, I'll sell you mine (no gold plating, though) for $50 and still make $30 profit.
    Definitely not at Wal-Mart, there isn't a tool in my garage that doesn't say Craftsman, which I guess you could get at K-Mart now.
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  17. #17
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    Looks like you could get a $30 torque wrench still, but it's the beam type which I wouldn't want to use... It's better than guessing at the correct torque though. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_1...nches?sLevel=2

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