I have a 2007 MC VIN 1FTSWB59XXXXXXXX and i am trying to figure out which REAR BRAKE SENSOR to order without pulling the wheels and looking. I believe that at sometime during the 07 production year MINI changed from the Gen 1 to Gen 2 Sensor. Can anyone tell me which one I need?

 

Did u ever figure it out?

 

There are 3 ways to answer your question:
1). Look here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do
2). If you are capable of visually inspecting the brake pads or swap out you pads for track/autoX pads throughout the year, you don't need the pad sensor. To avoid annoying warning light, either zip-tied your old sensor to the strut tower, or short circuit the two sensor wires together and cover up the splicing with electrical tape. The sensor is just that - a wire loop that keeps the light off as long as the circuit is complete. When the brake pad and sensor wears through, the wire is cut and the light goes on.
3). If your brake pad light is not ON, you can and should reuse the old sensor. If you break it during the removal/replacement, revert to option #2.

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When I did mine, my rear sensor broke apart when I tried removing it from the caliper. I ended up going to the local Napa parts store and they had two different ones. They were only about $27 so I picked them both up and returned the one I didn't need. Its been a while but if I remember correctly the one I used had a 90 degree angle where it connected to the caliper whereas the other one was straight.


I'm not sure why anyone would jerry rig their MINI just to save $30. When you go to sell your car and somebody sees that, they're going to wonder what other maintenance you half-assed.

 

It's not about saving $30, but all about simplifying the brake pad job.

If you swap your wheels (winter / summer) and especially the pads regularly (street / autoX / DE pads) year after year, not having the brake pad sensor in the way both makes the job easier (pad swap, not wheels) and removes the need for having the sensor - you are there looking at their state of pads' wear first-hand.

If you are replacing the pads once every 3-6 years and never swap the wheels with the seasons, then you are better off keeping the sensor fully operational.

I also broke my rear sensor the first time I swapped the pads (front one survived) - plastic gets brittle with age and heat cycles. I had zip-tied both to the strut tower for the reasons stated above.
I may plug the new ones in before I sell the car, though the last time I sold one (BMW) I forgot, the the issue did come up during the per-purchase inspection. The buyer was impressed with my explanation (as above), as he was happy the car was all-around excessively maintained.

YMMV,
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