Front brake pads need replacing at 17k miles??
 

The brake warning light came with little over 17,000 miles on the car. My wife took the car to the dealer for a free oil change and they confirmed front pads needed replacing to the tune of $400+ (just pads,no rotors). I told my wife to decline as I have never owned a vehicle that got less than 30k miles from a set of pads and I surely wouldn't want to replace with OEM pads if they wear that quickly.

I know the 2017 CM gained some weight compared to earlier CMs.. I'm assuming the braking system was upgraded to compensate for the increased weight. Anyone else experience, what I consider to be, early brake pad failure on their 2017+ CM?

I plan on doing the job myself tomorrow. I got some R1 Concepts Optimum OEp pads. Hope these last a fair bit longer..

Not unheard of....but still a little early sounding.

They are heavy cars....and the pads have always been pretty tiny. It often comes down to driving style.

do a visual check yourself ... you don't even need to pull a wheel

in most cases (wheels) you can look at the caliper and see the outer pad

if the pad is less thick than the backing plate it is time to start thinking about new pads

this is an OE GEN2 front pad, almost new. I put some white on the backing plate. In addition to thickness note you can still see the beveled edge . . .

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...05f0bbe5e0.jpg


this is a pad needing replacement ... note the white on the backing plate vs the pad material and you no longer see the bevel (not all aftermarket pads have the bevel tho ...)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...eac730976f.jpg

$400 is steep for 1 axle pads only even if you buy decent pads. MINI disk brakes are very 'standard' and any decent mechanic can do a pad swap in about 15 min a wheel with a jack and proper tools.

Thanks for all the good input..

The inner pads were definitely in need of replacing (see pic).

I have always used Autozone pads for my other vehicles because they offer a lifetime warranty on them.. Just bring back your old/worn pads and they'll give you a new set. No questions asked.. I special ordered some ceramics (Duralast Gold ~$65) from AZ, but unfortunately, they did not fit. The rubber, anti-squeal plate is clamped to the backing plate (just like OEM) and those clamps interfered by ~1/16th of inch. Hopefully they will work this detail out by the time I need pads again.

So I ordered R1 Concepts Optimum OEp pads for ~$30 shipped. I also ordered a new brake wear sensor from Rockauto for ~$8 shipped.

The R1 Concepts pads fit fine. The hardest part of the job was accessing the brake sensor connector behind the wheel well shroud.. It's just in an awkward place. The rotors looked like new.. as they should, with only 17k miles of braking on them, so I did not resurface or replace them. The passenger side took 40 minutes and the driver's side (with sensor) took about an hour. I'm sure a Mini mechanic could do the job in 30 min or less. I reset the "BRAKE" maintenance light (with help from Youtube) and job is complete..

I truly hope to get more life from these R1 pads.. The R1 site is kind of cryptic as to there composition. Time.. errrr.. Miles will tell..

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...58e50ef7b7.jpg

Very possibly it is the algorithm telling the computer that they are ready to change out pads based on driving habits. If it is just the service writer than a visual is needed as mentioned already. We got over 30K on the 2011 R60 so I'd think the F60 should be similar although I think they may have changed the compound based on F series brakes having a lot less dust on my wheels.

Is it your wife driving the car mostly? Foot on the brake a lot?

btw - service writer tried to sell me brakes on my F56 rears at 14K miles without any idiot lights even on. Just trying to pro-actively separate me from my money. $350 for a set of pads and a sensor. They don't even do the rotors anymore on the first change unless they give you that phone call when the car is on the lift and tell you how you are going to die if the rotors aren't replaced because they no longer turn them.

Thanks for the responses..

I changed my brakess today and responded in detail, but my post has not gone through yet.. I did see a message about a "moderator will review your post" so...

Yeah, I don't put much trust in service writers. I feel like they prey upon the unknowing. They lowered the price to $380 when my wife declined their first offer. While this was very nice of them ( heavy sarcasm) , I really wanted to see the pads for myself. I was still in disbelief that they could be worn already. 2700 miles of the 17000 miles came during a road trip from CA to TX and back (minimal braking being done). My wife is a conservative driver and I've never known her to ride with her foot on the brake.

Well it turned out the car's brake sensor and the dealer were not lying. Inboard pad (left in pic) was down to 2mm. Outboard (right in pic) had substantially more:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...ec0a1f6971.jpg
I was able to do the job myself for $38 (pads and sensor), 1/10th the price of the dealer. Of course my labor was free and it did take ~2 hours of my time.. but I'm ok with that..

Time will tell if the new pads (R1 Concepts) fair any better (aka longer) than the originals.

I was in the same boat as you this summer with my wife's F60. It said it needed new fronts at 22k. I thought it was true so I pulled the wheel and sure enough the pads were done, along with the inside of 1 rotor. I was able to order a front brake kit from R1 for cheap and throw them on. The dealership prices were unreal for just the parts, let alone the labor. Currently we got about 8k on the new set, we will see how well they are.

Hm. That seems odd. How are the rears looking? If the rears are still good with lots left on them then I'd have them make sure you are having even braking distribution.
Last month we had to have all four rotors and pads replaced under warranty! They were rusted to hell and pulsating. The car has 5k miles on it! So with that said - not too impressed with whatever OEM crap they are using.

Wow, that is surprising the brakes don't last at all in the Minis. We have the EV version so it could be better, but with what you guys are getting it might just end up to be "normal" like a regular non-mini ICE car. My other PHEV is an Energi and that one the brakes will easily last 10x longer. I would guess 150 to 200k miles.

-=>Raja.

BMW just uses the softest material possible it seems. Its like that on most all their stuff....also why all BMWs have super dusted wheels all the time.

Going aftermarket will help a lot.

Which aftermarket pads do you guys recommend that do not cause black brake dust on the tires?

-=>Raja.

in the beginning

pads and rotors were included in the pre-paid maintenance .....

I've used EBC reds for years ... very low dust ... not NONE but WAY less than OE

I need to take pictures.. the inner on my 17 Clubman (my wife has an 18 Countryman approaching 20k miles, I suppose I should check hers too) was down to metal, with plenty remaining on the outer pad (passenger side front). I replaced the pads myself as well, really easy (I have also replaced pads on an AMG C63.. even easier.. surprisingly enough). I'm concerned about the uneven wear.. that could be a deeper issue..

Wow! Any ideas as to why this happened ? I'd say the environment, but I'm guessing your other car(s) have not had this issue. Have the new ones held up any better?. Guess i should count my blessings.

I was not super impressed wth the braking modulation on this vehicle. Yes, it stops quickly but it takes effort to do it smoothly.. I find low speed driving (in parking lots), etc) to be challenging.. The brakes act more like on on/off switch rather than a dimmer. My wife (primary driver) hasn't complained about it, so maybe it's just me.

And now I'll share a positive braking story. My wife was involved in a 7 car chain accident on the freeway a few month ago. The 3 cars ahead on her came to a sudden stop and hit each other . She was able to stop before hitting them! Unfortunately, the car(s) behind her could not stop in time and rear ended her. Then 2 more cars rear ended that one. It was a mess, but I credit the Mini's braking system (and my wife's awareness) for not hitting the car in front of her.

Is there any benefit to trying to swap the pads from inboard to outboard and outboard to inboard with that type of wear to get more use out of them? I don't know if that would be something not recommended on the main brakes of a vehicle. I have a different car that has a separate e-brake pad assembly on each rear rotor and they are notorious for wearing unevenly. Last summer I confirmed mine were, so I swapped them just like that with no issues. Again this is not on the main pads used each day so maybe that would not be recommended in this case.

Yeah, I don't think swapping pads inboard/outboard pads (for the main braking system) would be the best plan of attack. I'm pretty frugal, but if I'm going through the motions of a brake job, I'd just assume put new pads on and call it done. Plus pads sometime wear with a taper (my inboard pads did). Although for your other vehicle with secondary (E-Brake) mechanism, I suspect it is perfectly ok as it's only getting used as a parking brake (I presume). Seems strange that these would wear at all..

I have no idea. The car is garaged as are my other vehicles. Perhaps it's from sitting on the lot at the dealership? But even still, brakes should not rust up to the point of inoperation from sitting outside - how many of these vehicles spend their entire lives outside?
The new pads and rotors feel much better than before but are very grabby (which some people actually prefer).

Not sure you can do this. Often pads are designed to only fit on inside or outside.
Any ceramic pad will dust less.

*inboard pads on front wear slightly quicker, due to hydraulic pressure... its the closest to the brake master cyl. & a pretty common thing to see across many different type of vehicles/brands.

Non-dust brake pads
 

Go with ceramic pads if you want to eliminate dust. I've had them on my Jag for years and they perform great (but I don't track it).

My 2018 Countryman JCW is now complaining about my Brembo front brake pads. I only have 8300 miles on it. The warning says I only have 1000 miles to go. I have never had a car go through pads like that. It's my daily driver and although sport mode is great I don't race around like I'm on the track. My previous 2013 Clubman S pads 26K miles over the same route and style of driving.

I'm not going to bother replacing with OEM pads. Wearing out that fast is ridiculous. I have some new nice Carbon Fiber/Ceramic pads ready to go (less than $50 from Rockauto including new brake sensor.) Brembo brakes look like the easiest pads to replace I've ever seen. No need to remove the caliper. Remove two pins and a clip, push the pistons back and the pads come out. Reverse to install new ones.

Did you do a visual check on the pads? The algorithms BMW has used in the past have been known to be way off. My 2011 Countryman whined about pad replacement way in advance of needing them.

Holy Early Brake Pad Warnings! 8300miles on brake pads is plain awful.. Let the dealer know how unhappy you are (at a minimum). Hopefully your aftermarket pads fair better.. they surely can't do any worse! On the plus side, pad change on Brembos does sound pretty painless. Good luck.

Made me go look. I replaced with EBC redstuff 6 years and about 65K miles ago. 2 major road trips 4K and 7K ensued during that time plus a handfull of MITO. Driving style and daily traffic patterns must have a lot to do with it.

I decided to take it in to my dealer's service department to see what they said. The pads really where worn down and needed to be replaced. According to the service guy he said the JCW pads come thinner to start with and they are a softer material. However they grip really well. I can't complain about the actual brake functionality. They are excellent.
Anyhow, they replaced them under warranty! I didn't expect that since I thought pads were no longer covered, so I didn't mention my concern. $0 was okay with me.
Now I expect the back brakes will probably need to be replaced in a few thousand miles. They look okay now.
We all agreed that 8300 miles was ridiculously low.