Need advice on brakes for E61, brands I've not dealt with before

[Bee M Vee]

TL/DR: Need brakes (rotor change too), never bought these brands, looking for advice.
-R1 Concepts
-Centric
-Pagid
-Brembo

The only major complaint I've had in the 7 years I've had my E61 is the brakes. I need new ones...again...which will be my 5th rotor change thus far. Coming from driving Honda's since I'm 16, that's a hell of a lot of money in brakes.

I've had everything checked and it's all perfectly sound; even had different mechanics do the work--from BMW dealerships to independent euro-specialists. But invariably, within about 12-18 months, I get the most atrocious chatter, violent even. Maybe E61's are just hard on brakes, I doubt it, but I can't afford the time or money it would take to further diagnose the problem right now.

For the short term I'm willing to switch brands and see if that might help. So far I've used genuine BMW rotors and pads, EBC slotted and Red stuff pads, and Zimmermann zinc coated rotors with OEM replacement pads. All of them have ended up with the same result. They lasted about 12-18 months. And I am NOT a spirited driver anymore!

For this purchase I'm looking into, I had a site suggested that I've never heard of before this week: R1 Concepts. Their prices seem reasonable, comparable to other places like Turner and Bav Auto, but I really know nothing about them. The other brands I've not heard of before that I've seen in the range I'm willing to pay are Centric and Pagid. Lastly there's Brembo, which is a well known brand, but I don't know for BMW.

Just wanted to inquire about these brands and ask about any other suggestions that might be out there that will give me bang for my buck considering my dilemma of not being able to afford the money or the downtime it would take to figure out why my car eats rotors!

Thanks!

[MarcoZandrini]

Going through pads AND rotors every 18 months tells me something is definitely wrong. First, rotors should last 3-5 years unless you track your car, you rest your foot on the brake pedal or you have reeeeeeelly aggressive pads.

[dworthy]

+1

Also take a look at your calipers. The slide pins should be clean and shiny, and the bushing the slide pins go in, should move with a little resistance. Also the anti-rattle clip is a 4 year replacement item, or about every time you replace the rotors. If you are not cleaning the caliper carrier, and placing a little bit of brake lube on the "ears" of the pads, that too can cause them to bind over time.

I like Pagid Pads, and ATE Rotors. Bosch offer an economical set-up as well.

[Critter7r]

How many miles per year? Does the car sit for long periods, or do you drive only frequent short distances? Are the rotors developing rust? How about the control arms and thrust arms? Bushings?

[Bee M Vee]

It's been from 40,000 miles a year when I had a different job all the way to this most recent set has lasted me only 4000 miles. No exaggeration! I have never checked any of the suspension bushings. And no, there is not rust developing on the rotors. No more than is usual.

- - - Updated - - -

really appreciate the advice. I spoke to Turner today and they essentially said the same thing, to check the calipers first. I think I'm going to go with Pagid rotors and pads because I can get the entire front job done for about $120. But I'll look into ATE.

- - - Updated - - -

Actually, this last set lasted me only 4000 miles. And that's on OEM style pads. Something is wrong for sure. But I can't afford to spend a grand at the mechanics right now diagnosing the issue. I can do some checks myself, but aside from that, I'll be getting a set of cheap brakes for now that just make the car stop safely.

[dworthy]

Easiest way to test the calipers is to use a heat detector gun or a hand held laser thermometer. After a normal drive, you shouldn't see temps higher then 100 degrees on the rotors. If the temps are more, then I would say you have a sticking/binding caliper dragging on the rotor. Another clue is excess brake dust on 1 rim.

[bmwdirtracer]

My personal experience has shown that the hoses are as often to blame as the calipers. If the hoses are internally collapsed, this will result in fluid getting through just fine, under pressure....but then it can't return, when you release the pedal.

Put the car in the air, right after driving, and see whether either wheel is difficult to spin. If so, release the bleed screw just a bit, then close it.
If the wheel now turns easily, the problem is either the hose (likely), or the master cylinder (unlikely). If the wheel Does not turn easily after releasing the bleed screw, the problem is the caliper.

[pbonsalb]

My E61 535xi with stock brakes dusts excessively in the front and always has.

The front strut rod bushings seem to be good for only about 50k miles. Buy new arms with pressed in bushing and ball joint. The other front control arm will last longer but not forever. I would assume that the shop changing the brakes would be looking at the suspension, checking the caliper sliders, observing the piston, noticing irregular rotor wear, etc. it surprises me that the cause has not been identified.

Makes me wonder about driving style and pad deposit on rotor surface.