New brakes and rotors after 8 months?

[mckenz007]

Hi all,

First off I admit I am nearly clueless when it comes to cars. I’m also a 20-something girl and I don’t know if because of that, I’m being taken advantage of by the mechanic. I have an 07 328xi. I brought it in for an inspection in October and was told I needed new brake pads and rotors in the front in order for it to pass so had them do the work. I recently started having issues with my steering so I brought it back to the same gargage. They said that I needed a new steering shaft, but I also needed new shocks, and brake pads and rotors all the way around. He described it as “metal on metal” Is it possible for the front pads/rotors to have gone so soon?? I never looked at the new rotors after they were initially installed, but looking now, the front and back look about the same in terms of condition - if anything the back ones look a little bit better then the front. I’m not sure how/if you can post pics here? Or if that would help you help me figure this out.

I assume what they originally put in was good quality parts - the rotors were described as “ultra premium polymer coat” @ $65 each and the brake pads “premium OE semi-metallic” @ $46 each in the invoice.

Can I visually check myself if my rotors are actually bad??

[02Pilot]

Rotor and pad condition are determined by thickness; you need a caliper to measure them. Minimum thickness is printed on the rotor; for pads, if there's at least a millimeter or two left, they're OK. Pad wear on BMWs is indicated to the driver by a light that illuminates when a sensor is tripped, so if the pads were bad you should have gotten this indication.

You don't indicate how many miles you drove in the eight months. Assuming the car is an automatic, which always wear brakes faster than manuals. Do you ride the brake pedal with your left foot? That's a sure way to burn up your brakes. Basically, it's possible you wore out the brakes in that time, but there isn't enough information here to say how likely it is.

Judging by the part descriptions and costs, you went to a generic shop, not one that specializes in BMWs. While the former can certainly do the work, they rarely use high quality parts that match the originals. Better to find a specialist shop and develop a relationship with them. You'll get the right parts and hopefully establish trust that if they say something's wrong you believe them.

Finally, you can ask for your old parts back from the shop when you agree to the work (it's too late now for this job). This allows you to inspect them and see if their claims were accurate, and also makes the shady shop aware that you aren't just going to take their word for it.

[mckenz007]

Thank you for the response!

It is automatic and I’ve put on 8,500 miles since October. I would say about 90% of this is on open highway, not a lot of stop and start traffic around here. I haven’t had any warning lights at all.

Certainly not a specialist shop - since moving the closest one is over 30 mins away... but I can see it being worth it if it means not getting screwed over... will definitely be asking for the old parts next time otherwise! Thanks for the suggestions!

[shadowpuck]

i agree, i'd say its definitely not normal to go through pads/rotors in 8 months, unless there was some issue or subpar parts, etc.

my very first thought when i read this was the same as yours 02, is this a BMW shop or a generic repair place?

also, shouldn't this car have a pad wear indicator? is it saying the front brakes are due?

at the very least, i'd want a second opinion from a qualified BMW shop.

[bmwdirtracer]

This car absolutely has computers to tell you when the brakes are worn out. That said, MY customers usually know before the sensor triggers, because I tell them what's coming, and when they'll need it.

Like the two guys above, I agree that you're going to the wrong shop, sorry. That's just NOT how a BMW shop describes brake pads and rotors. A BMW shop will have the 11 digit part numbers....and they won't describe the pads as "semi metallic"....that's not printed on any OEM brake pad box.

Most likely, the generic shop ordered generic pads and rotors from Autozone or somewhere similar.

Now, that said: That shop should guarantee their work, AND their parts. If you bought a brake job from the shop where I work, the pads and rotors would be guaranteed for 2 years.

Now, you should know that your style of driving can kill a set of pads and rotors in a couple of weeks, if you use the brakes incorrectly....like keeping your foot lightly on the brake pedal all the time.

(For instance: I can kill a set of brand new $1200 tires in three days. I'm not proud of that....AND, yes, it requires a racetrack, but consumable items such as brakes and tires wear out fast if they are abused.)

My gut feeling is that the shop is abusing you. You need to take your car to a BMW specialist anyway, not a generic shop, but before you do, I'd recommend getting this shop to honor a warranty repair on the defective parts they installed.

[mckenz007]

Ugh well now I’m just mad because they definitely did this whole song and dance about how everything cost more because it’s for a bmw, but it sounds like even that might not be the case. I’m definitely not driving it like a race car lol and my left foot doesn’t go anywhere near the brake while driving..

So I guess two things.

A) Should I not even be worried about this until a warning light actually comes on?

B) I found a BMW dealer with a service center that’s closer to where I live than the nearest Euro car garage. Would I be better off going to a dealer or specialty shop in terms of service, honesty, and cost?

[MarcoZandrini]

First thing is to find a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers. Try www.bimrs.org. Next, google “BMWCCA #####” where “#####” is your zip code. That’ll give you the link to the local chapter of the BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA). Check the website for shop recommendations. A reputable indie shop will have all of the BMW-specific software and special tools to properly work on BMWs.

Next, go back to the shop that performed the work and have the shop manager explain to you why the car needs pads and rotors again. Have the manager SHOW you the worn front pads.

It’s too bad that in this day and age shops try to rip off customers because the customers aren’t knowledgeable.