Do you HAVE to change rotors and pads?

[wfc7]

A local shop that does work on BMW's told me you HAVE to change the rotors and brake pads on the '99 540i at the same time. It is a $1200 job. Am I wrong to think that is not true? I thought I had read on here that others have just changed the brake pads without changing the rotors (a much cheaper job).

[scottycs]

That is BS, however BMW rotors are pretty thin and often they do need new rotors and pads. Even for all 4 sides, 1200 is pretty steep for a brake job.

[Al's540i]

I changed mine out without replacing the rotors. No problems and car brakes perfectly.

[PJB]

You don't HAVE to change brake rotors along with pads, but that's how BMW designed the system. Due to differences in metallurgy, European steel is softer than American steel, so the rotors wear faster, and were designed with a thickness that will necessitate changing when the pads need changing, too. $1200 is about %50 too much. A good shop will do it for about $800 parts and labor. You can DIY for about $400 in parts and it's a lot easier than you think. Do yourself two favors:

1. Get the hell away from that shop and post their name in the local section of the forums so others know to avoid them

2. Do the pads and rotors yourself and save $800, or just the pads for about $200

[ezbmr]

yes.....lol, you can get crossed drilled rotors and pads for 200 and then either diy or send them out, shouldn't be more than $100 for the install, this is front only, What you should look for is Zimmerman Rotors and Akebono Euro Pads, or Pagids are nice. The Akebonos will not dust much. If your rotors are warped, you need to get them trued, the thinner they are, the quicker they will warp, they should be good for one turning. Crossed drilled rotors will keep the brakes much more happy



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Drill...spagenameZWDVW


They might be good, but who knows, you can always call my peps 949-582-0621

[Mad Dog 20/20]

1200?! Wow. Hope they use high-temp synthetic grease!

[Ellicit]

I paid 450, and kicked myself after because I could've done it myself...

[wfc7]

Thanks everybody! I thought the $1200 price was absurd. I was also starting to doubt my purchase of the '99 540iT for $8500 if the brake job was going to be that expensive. I have a few friends who are very mechanically inclined. I would think I could buy the rotars and pads and install them myself for under $400...and I would learn a new skill in the process!

[Cacatfish]

Alloeam has 540i front Brembo rotors and Pagid pads for $250 at the moment. It is an easy job to DIY or just pay a shop a couple hours labor to do it.

[Nero530i]

A local shop that does work on BMW's told me you HAVE to change the rotors and brake pads on the '99 540i at the same time. It is a $1200 job. Am I wrong to think that is not true? I thought I had read on here that others have just changed the brake pads without changing the rotors (a much cheaper job).

You don't "have to" change the rotors. Its only if they are warped or tweaked. If rotors are solid, then your right its just the pads.

[hellrot98m3]

paid 750 for my zimmerman rotors and sum kind of pads and 300 in labor, trust me if you see it done once you can change the brakes for the rest of your life. go to a local shop and watch them do it on a car, if you still dont feel confident i guess your gonna end up wit teh buttsex

[MotherSport99]

I just paid $160.00 for new rear rotors, pads, sensor & bolts at Bavarian Autosport Parts. My shop will do the labor for $150.00.

[BMW 528]

OK, I have to change rotors and pads.
I need to buy them, which are the best for braking? I don't care for dust or price, I just want good brakes.

[wfc7]

I just paid $160.00 for new rear rotors, pads, sensor & bolts at Bavarian Autosport Parts. My shop will do the labor for $150.00.

WOW! That is a GREAT price. I wish I lived closer to you. Since I don't, do you know anyone in the Nashville, TN / Western KY area who does good work for reasonable prices (that is if I don't simply learn to do the brakes and rotors myself)?

[530 Sport]

My local dealer also quoted me $1200. I ended up buying Zimmerman rotors and Akebono pads and a new sensor for $250. I stand to save $1000.00 by doing it myself. I think appx 2 hours of my time at $500 an hr is time well spent!

[VacMan]

I just bought Brembo blanks for $62/each front and $54/each from AZautohaus with free shipping. I ordered Axxis Deluxe (low dust) pads front and rear from zeckhausen for $109 shipped. For ~$350 and a couple hours of my time I'll have new brakes all around.

Tim

[ezbmr]

OK, I have to change rotors and pads.
I need to buy them, which are the best for braking? I don't care for dust or price, I just want good brakes.

Zimmerman Cross Drilled Rotors, Pagid Pads or Akebonos

[Petes540i6]

WOW! That is a GREAT price. I wish I lived closer to you. Since I don't, do you know anyone in the Nashville, TN / Western KY area who does good work for reasonable prices (that is if I don't simply learn to do the brakes and rotors myself)?

That does not seem like a great price to me. That seems like a fair price: Two hours of labor for $150 from an independent. (And it can probably be done in less than an hour.)

Just because it is a BMW doesn't make doing the brakes rocket science.

We are so used to getting ripped off that we are debating whether $1,200 incl parts is too much to pay for a brake job (again). Undoubtedly, a bill like this is an outrage. It is theivery. However, the only way to put a stop to it is for enough of us to pick up a wrench.

BMW owners of the word, unite!

[Lscman]

This thread offers crazy advice all over the map.

BMW rotors are not softer or thinner than other cars. Thinner or harder than some yes, thicker or softer than some, yes. I find the quality of BMW OEM rotors to be top shelf. BMW car rotors are generally larger than USA-domestic car rotors for a car of similar weight, so they generally last LONGER because they have larger swept areas and see less heat damage.

A shop can not assume you have OEM BMW rotors anyway. There are dozens of aftermarket rotor manufacturers and they do not limit their coverage to domestic or foreign. For example, a 1979 Mustang (like mine) or 540i (like mine) may have $70 OEM-quality replacement Brembos on it or some $23 Mexican rotors from the local parts store that will crack from one spirited run down a windy road or rust off over a single winter. Rotor wear & condition varies all over the map depending upon the driver, duty and especially pad compound. Some pads eat rotors like Norm's shop grinder and other's only shine & polish them with near-zero wear.

A ripoff shop will make declarations like you got...to change both. This is because they want to maximize profit and minimize labor and downtime.

A reputable mechanic will examine each rotor for condition, check thickness, check warpage, check for cracks and then they will tell you how many rotors you need to replace or cut. In some cases, rotor surface conditon, wear or warpage can be corrected by cutting on a lathe, but not often. Generally a bad rotor should be replaced.

I have run as many as 6 or 7 sets of pads run on a single rotor with excellent results. On average, a rotor might last 2 to 4 pad changes. If you run your brakes until you hear metal-on-metal, you might need a couple rotors every time.

The only time cutting works is when the rotor is warped with no heat crack damage (unlikely) or when the prior set of pads wore all the way to their backing plates and lightly scored the rotor. In these two cases, cutting the rotor may work, if it still meets minimum thickness spec when done.

[BMW 528]

Zimmerman Cross Drilled Rotors, Pagid Pads or Akebonos

Where I can buy them?

[bmr4me]

i may try the ebay route myself. cross drilled and slotted would b nice for under $200

yes.....lol, you can get crossed drilled rotors and pads for 200 and then either diy or send them out, shouldn't be more than $100 for the install, this is front only, What you should look for is Zimmerman Rotors and Akebono Euro Pads, or Pagids are nice. The Akebonos will not dust much. If your rotors are warped, you need to get them trued, the thinner they are, the quicker they will warp, they should be good for one turning. Crossed drilled rotors will keep the brakes much more happy



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Drill...spagenameZWDVW


They might be good, but who knows, you can always call my peps 949-582-0621

[CSMBlack-540i]

i may try the ebay route myself. cross drilled and slotted would b nice for under $200

I've had good experience with these guys on ebay. Bought cross drilled Brembos from them before.

http://www.etopline.net/index.htm

[Lscman]

Be aware that standard rotors without holes are the best with stock-sized brakes. They last longer and they are more durable. Holes are for looks...they encourage heat cracks. If you want to stop quickly, try HT-10, not drilled rotors.

[Michael Star]

Depends if the holes are drilled or cast.

[GuapOh]

Truth.