This notification appeared on my screen the other day.
The car was in a less than 2 weeks ago for oil service.
My front brakes were replaced last summer (free under maintenance, which has since ended) Apparently this notification is for the rear brakes.
I was told that if it was a defective sensor it would be covered under the warranty,

otherwise I will have to pay for real brakes.
what do you guys usually do in this case (Dealer or not) and what is the average price?

 

If I saw that message pop up, I would pull the wheel off and check the brake pads. 10 minute task at best. Then, you can plan for replacements.

 

Happened on my car with only 10,000 miles on it,. It was the sensor. Also on the rear brake.

 

I"m hoping that's why it is. Unfortunately, I have 38,500 miles.

 

Apparently I need rear brakes AND rotors (which I was told are rusted)

I could choose to only have the rear brake pads replaced, but they didn't have the sensors in stock: $350. The full job, rakes and rotors: $760.

WHY must I pay for rusted rotors of the car is under Warranty until 8/21/21? SA could not provide me with a suitable answer.

 

1. MINI took brake pads and rotors off the 'maintenance items' list quite a while back ... they are now considered a normal WEAR item and not covered by pre-paid maintenance or warranty unless there is evidence of a 'problem' and WEAR is NOT a problem.

2. A MINI has TWO systems standing by to alert you to brake wear: a miles counter and a physical sensor. When you get a 'wear warning' you don't know which one is telling you there is a problem. The miles counter can be WAY off and can be reset (read the owner's manual) ... I've reset mine and gone another 10,000 plus on the pads .... if the physical sensor tripped - when you reset the counter the alert will come right back ..... no way to clear this until you replace the sensor and presumably the pads.

3. Checking pad health is EASY, & requires NO tools in most cases. You can look thru most MINI factory wheels and see the outside pads. RULE OF THUMB: when the pad material is less thick then the backing plate it is time to think about replacement.


this is an almost new GEN2 pad. Note the thickness of the material and the 'bevel' edge ... I've added some white to point out the backing plate vs the pad material


This is a pad due for replacement ...


again I added white to point out the backing plate but note the pad material is thin AND you can no longer see the bevel edge (the 'bevel' notice works for OE pads and SOME after market but not all)

4. I've typically gone two sets of pads to a set of rotors BUT: rotors (plain which are sufficient) are cheap and 80% of the work to change 'em is done just getting to the pads. The 'tell' is to measure the thickness - minimum thickness is cast into OE rotors. Old school said you would 'machine' or 'skim' the rotors to a smooth face for the second set of pads. IME modern rotors are NOT overly thick and a skim process will take off TOO MUCH material especially since the skill set required to do this correctly is hard to find today (last time I tried to have a set skimmed they trashed the rotors and ended up buying ME a new set)

5. There is NOTHING special about MINI brakes and you definitely do NOT need to stick to the dealer for this work. The brake components are used on a BUNCH of other vehicles ..... VERY COMMON stuff. It is also a very easy DIY job and a great way to break into the 'play with your car' hobby. I've taught MANY a newbie how to do brake pads and rotors on a MINI ...... I like to buy parts kits from WAYMOTORWORKS.COM but there are MANY other good places.

 

Thanks for all the info. I am a mechanically inclined person and I’m sure I could do it myself if I had a PLACE to do it. I live in an apartment not a home. An apartment with no garage. Also, I’ve had my front brakes replaced twice under the additional warranty I got them to “throw in” when I purchased the car off the showroom floor, which expired last August at three years.