Hmm...

Rotors - those big fat ventilated JCW jobs (2) @ $268
Brake repair kit - with those big-*** pads to line up under those four pistons (2) @ 160

New JCW brakes - PRICELESS!

Application like silk, stable at any speed, nuanced for minor adjustments, and fierce if you need your eyeballs pinned to the windscreen. Thos Brembos were one reason I bought the car, and they are as impressive as ever.

I've never driven a better set.

Gollum is now at 129k, and still sweet as a spring wine.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Even I have my limits for maintenance expense - despite all evidence to the contrary. I discovered this today.... a postscript to the new brakes.

A week or so ago, when Gollum was so pitifully salt encrusted that the backup camera was no more than a smudge, I engaged reverse and was interrupted by a message.

"Parking assistance unavailable
Please park with care" - or some such.

Hmmm... So I cleaned the four rearward facing sensors/cameras, and crossed my fingers.

Nope - backup video is fine, red and green arcs are normal, but Ah! No yellow or red bars and beeps! Quelle dolereuse!

Imagine my having to be personally responsible for my parking, assisted only by video.

So my Crew Chief diagnosed the fault: right rear proximity sensor failure.

Yegor relayed this to me, and mentioned that the aforesaid gadget is a $547 part.

I laughed, he laughed, we laughed together.

So mothers bring your children in, as now Gollum and Charlie are parking old school.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

You mean this thing?
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ck-66209274428

What were they looking at that the cost was 5x as much as this?! Were they looking at replacing all four sensors? Or was labor for removing the bumper included?

 

They did get those right. Because of those brakes there are several turkeys who lived to see another day and I still have the OEM front bumper…

 

Nik,

Thanks for that. I am checking the part #. The invoice had it at $469, but no number.

Cheers,

Charlie

PS: Yegor replied quickly - at MoP the parts dept wants $230, and service wants an hour of labor. Hmmm...........

 

Yikes! I can't imagine its that hard to access the sensor behind the bumper to swap it out...

I just looked it up on newTIS, and I can't see it taking more than 5 minutes to swap it out. Pull the fender liner back, disconnect the harness, and swap out the sensor. Reconnect the harness, place the fender liner back, and you're done.

 

Yep thats dealer labor hours. Pretty high.

Valeo now has that part which is the oem, much lower price.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/66209274428/