Today, a warning came up on my 2019 Mini Cooper S that my front brake pads need changing. I'm at like 2300 miles or something. It says to change it within 1600 miles meaning that it'll be under 5k miles and I'll need new pads?
I understand that I drive pretty aggressively, but this seems crazy. I'm fine changing my own pads (can't imagine the rotors need changing this fast) but was wondering if people have had issues with the sensor.

How does this sensor work and could it just have gotten messed up? (I read that it breaks and sends the warning.)
And is the only difference that I'll need to add this sensor when I replace the pads?

 

2300 miles over 3.5 years? O⁠_⁠o

The sensor clips into the brake pad and wears away once the pads are low. I'd take a peek with a flashlight and see how much pad is left. Sensors are on the front left and right rear.

Swapping the sensor isn't too bad, you just have to follow the wire back a little ways and unhook it. Let us know what you find. I don't know why they would need replacing that early.

 

Sorry, meant 23000 and 25k; zeros are important. But I'd still say that is fast, but not as crazy as I originally thought.

 

Oh, I'd say that's pretty normal then. I just did our Clubman's brakes at about 23-24k miles.

 

That mileage sounds about right. If you are going to keep the car a while then get a brake kit set from FCPEURO with akebono pads, Zimmerman rotors, sensors and clips and it is lifetime replacement warranty so you will never buy again. I was on my second set of pads and rotors at 40000 for the front here in NJ and only did rear pads then under factory maintenance plan but now doing rear pads and rotors at 60,000 myself.

 

@chrunck Thanks! Seems fast, but it's good to know that it's normal.
@Smizrahi I heard about FCPEURO's lifetime warranty and will be looking into it, especially if you need to replace them more than I originally thought. Thanks!

 

Finally did my brakes (all 4 pads + rotors + sensors + tire rotation). I went with FCP Euro's Zimmermann/Akebono kit which pretty much came with everything. And it's super pretty after it was installed (silver and black).

I did notice that the inside of the rotors had some deep grooves which probably contributed to the uneven wear. So the outer pads were still thick, but the inner ones were getting close to changing time. I made a DIY for the How To section, but it's awaiting approval. Detailed the job with pictures and instructions.

 

I always walk around car with flashlight & view disc pad thickness, I trust nothing.

 

Did you make sure to lubricate the slider pins? If the inside was worn more than the outside, the pins could be sticking.

Also, with brakes, driving style has more to do with replacement frequency. Mileage doesn’t really apply to brakes, cause they only wear down when used, not necessarily while driving. I can get 50k miles out of a set of pads, but I drive a LOT on the highways.

 

My own routine is to inspect pad and rotor thickness (and rotor surface condition) every time I rotate the tires (every 5K miles in my case).

Agreed on lubricating the slide pins, despite my personal "if you touch it you may break it" worry I've found that the only way you really know you need to lubricate them is after you've achieved badly uneven wear (or worse). So now I lubricate the slide pins anytime I do a pad change (or when I have reason otherwise to pop the calipers off the pads).

 

@njaremka I made sure to lubricate my pins. They looked well lubed when I changed the pads too. But it was good to change.
@cjv2 When the original warning came on, I did check my pads. But I was waiting to rotate my tires so I only saw the other pads, which looked fine. I don't think it was too worn yet, but it was good to change. So I guess I won't make fun of the sensor.

Edit: And my DIY was approved! https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hange-diy.html

 

Nice DIY. Man your old rotors were definitely mad at you