I am a newbie here and have a question for all you mini owners out there!
I have a 2004 Cooper with 21,000 miles...just a few weeks ago the brake sensor light came on. So I took it to the mini dealership and they told me I had a bad sensor but I also need new back brakes. Doesn't this seem a bit hard to believe? Of course we all know how the "stealer"ships like to rip us off...and brakes are NOT cheap. I am just curious to know if any others out there have had to replace brakes with such low miles. Any information you might have would greatly appreciated.

Also, any suggestions for winter driving? I usually park the car during the winter but this year is going to be different...I will be driving it. I am in need of new tires. What is a good all season tire for the mini. I do not care if they are run flats.

Thanks so much~

 

My bet is the rear pad jammed in the dog bone and caused early wear. When the brakes sit for long things can start to act up. You should be able to fit a local shop to the brakes for much less. The OEM brakes avg 50K so the rears going out early can only be a malfunction of some kind.

I run the Fuzion (Firestone) tires 24/7/365 in Chicago and love them, also a fun tire to play on too.

If you are not running the MINI hard or AutoX or Track and don't mind the dust you can save money getting pads at NAPA. If any of the above are an issue then think about www.buycarbotechpads.com

 

Brake pads are not that expensive. You can buy a set of pads for $65 or less or more depending on your requirements (low dusting, performance, or OEM)

As far as the sensor goes, once the light is on inside the car, that means the sensor needs to be replaced. It's got a plastic cover over a contact, and once the pads wear that cover off, the contact is exposed and trips the light.




Replacing that is under $20.

If you're comfortable working on your own car, I've got a writeup that shows you how to replace your own brake pads. You shouldn't have to replace the rotors for awhile--usually 2 or 3 pad changes.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...345#post550345

Richard

 

Thanks for all your help and quick responses!