I just had my front and backs replaced at 21k on my MCS. While my BMW guy was working on my car, he showed me the old pads that came off the car and we compared them to the new ones that are going on. While doing this, we both realized how badly the whole pad and brake sensor design is. It's very wasteful. Once the censor touches/rubs against the rotor the red Brake warning light comes on and stays on until you get new ones. If you look at the actual pad, there is plenty of meat still on there. It's nowhere near ready to be changed. There's still 10k mile of use on them. When we look at the old pads and new ones together, only about .25 - .5 in. of pad is gone before reaching the sensor. The sensor is so thick that it forces the consumer to prematurely change them out. Once the waranty is done,this means you will have to pay about $500.00 every 20k depending on how you drive your car.

Are there any aftermarket manufactureers (sp) out there with a thinner designed sensor that will allow the full use of the pads?

And what about the jumping through hoops to get the brake warning light to reset. It takes like two people to do it. Press down on the two rev buttons, hold them down until the funky amber lighte show up, release the right button for 2 secs, then press it until the brake symbol shows up, and then with your third hand press the BC button until it resets.

Damn!

Vince

 

I just let the light stay on when the front brake warning came on and kept an eye on the pad thickness the old fashioned way. Instead of getting the pads replaced at 24k miles, I waited another 10k to get them in just before the free maintenance ended.

 

The spec is to change pads when they get down to 3mm, there's 12mm (about .5") on a new pad. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Of course if the condition based service winds down before you get there, then you might have usable pads left over. Were yours changed because of the thickness, or because of the computer?

Mine got down to 5mm and were getting very noisy when the computer said there was under 4k to go and the dealer changed them under warranty. (It seems they'll do the brakes if the computer says less than 4k.)

 

We have seen 1st hand a few people try and get those last "10K" after the light comes on and they never get there. That last 3mm goes much faster then the rest. Just be glad you don't own a Rover, we change those pads and rotors every 20 or 25K at a cost of $800 to $1000 each time.
As always brakes and tires are the last place to try and save money, they are your 1st level of safety and going cheap will cost you more in the end.

 

Changed due to brake warning light. Why are there TRW parts (an American company) on a German engineered/british assembled car. I would've thought it would be all BMW German parts. Cutting corners?

 

The general public, not motorheads like us, "delays" service as much as possible. I worked at a garage for many years and saw some really bad brakes. The Mini's sensor is set up to give the driver "time" to get the brakes serviced.

 

How accurate at the brake sensors when the pads are still pretty new? I have 7.5k miles and drive in bad traffic every day and my OBC says I still have 21k of life left. I've been stomping them as much as possible because I want to get new brakes before the 3 years are up. It's gonna be a close call it seems.

 

Probably as accurate as the gas gauge.

If you don't make it for the free pads and rotors, switch to Carbotech 1521 Bobcats. No dust, better braking, last longer than OEM pads, and easier on the rotors. I switched early on because I couldn't stand the dust. I've had them over a year now and really like them. I probably wouldn't have gotten a free set anyway. Don't put enough miles on my car...

 

Funny about the gas gauge, that thread is amusing

Yeah I won't go with OEM when I have to start paying for brakes. I'd like to get free brakes since I'll probably get a new MINI (maybe that mini coupe no one seems to like, who knows) by the time the second set is about to go and it would be nice not to pay for any of it. Worst case I'll drive up a mountain and ride my brakes most of the way down.

 

Can one just leave the sensor hanging?

 

I've read in the Wheels, Tires & Brakes forum about people tieing it off somewhere because the pads they use don't have holes for the sensors. So yes, I think you can.

 

Yep, you sure can. Been there, done that.