Silly Question, I just got a call from my dealer after dropping my car off for routine service, they are telling me my 2010 with 23k needs front pads and rotors. As this is a harder compound on the pads I guess I can see needing pads this soon, but Rotors??? There is no shudder to indicate warpage, they just say they are beyond the service limit... ((I do not drive aggressively...and I do not brake excessively or hard)

How can rotors be done so fast? They are wanting massive money to replace (I didn't extend the service contract since I don't drive it that much....Stupid thing to do in hindsight)

So what say ye all? Is this normal or should I be pissed?

 

A: These rotors are fairly thin and I can see going through a set of pads every 20K miles and rotors every 2 pad changes. It's possible, depending on your driving habits that you need rotors that soon though.
B: Are you handy and do you have tools? Brakes are absolutely NOT hard to do and you can easily find aftermarket parts to save a crap load of cost.

I do quite a bit of mechanic work on the side and when i'm ordering parts for someone who is looking to save money, as well as any routine parts on my own vehicle, I always hit up RockAuto.com Pads, rotors, and sensor Should be a hair over $100 in parts for the front and a hair under $100 for rears, in my experience.

C: Inspect them yourself. Again, if you're handy with cars at all, you should be able to tell. What wheels do you have? If you have large enough gaps between the spokes, you should be able to see and touch the brakes. Feel for a lip around the outer edge of the rotor where the pad no longer contacts it. If there's a decent lip there, the rotors are eaten away enough to need replacing. Warping is not the only reason a rotor needs to be replaced.

 

Replacing pads/rotors is not a big deal for me, I will likely do it myself to save $ but was just shocked at how fast they went... The dealer allegedly mic'd the rotors and said it was outside spec...But I am not sure. Maybe I'll mic em myself just to be sure

Thanks again

 

Definitely mic em and check. Like I said, these cars have fairly thin rotors. And to me, any noticeable lip, Id replace em. If you notice a decent lip around the outer edge, the mic isn't going to tell you anything you don't already know: They're low. lol Service dept might be blowing smoke on the rotors for a bit more cash, then again they might be right.. Either way I 100% believe you need pads at that mileage, these cars love brake pads. Eat em up like candy.

 

in the early days MINI said you must replace rotors when you replace pads ... more recently you see dealers when doing brakes under pre-pay maintenance saying 'rotors are fine' ... you can draw your own conclusions from this.

IME (first MINI bought in 2002) I've gotten two sets of pads to a set of rotors (front)

Drove a 2002S for over 100,000 miles and several sets of pads ... and now have a 7S with 50,000

{no track or autocross}

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editorial comment

I've bypassed the wear sensors on my 07's brake pads (My early 02 did not have them)

I know what to look for, wear wise ... and I can see brake pad/rotor health thru the wheel

 

Did you have a brake warning service indicator on? I think that the left front and right rear (I might have the sides wrong) have a wear sensor that gives feedback to the car on the pad thickness. Once the wear is significant, it trips a countdown service indicator.
The rotors should be cast with a minimum thickness on the hub, so mic them. depending on your wheels, I recommend that you get plated/coated rotors. The rotors in the hub area discolor quickly, and are tough to keep clean. I got a set from Way, and am happy with them.

Have fun,
Mike

 

My 2010 MCS has ~ 40k miles on the original brakes and is nowhere near needing service. There is great variability in how people drive. Highway miles don't wear the brakes.

 

I had at least 40,000 miles on my rotors when I sold my R56, probably more (don't know if/when the original owner had them replaced) with a bunch of track and autocross days. They were just about ready to be replaced though. I went through a lot of stoptech brake pads though!

 

I got my MCS with 36k on it and at 38 she got new pads and rotors all around. Just made a service appointment for 2 weeks from now for new pads and rotors on front and back

 

I have gone through pads and usually rotors in less than 30k miles everytime.

 

Check your OBC and see what it will tell you on how much life you have left on the front pads. I'm at 30k miles and my OBC says I have another 28k miles to go before on need pads on the front.

 

The service limit of the rotors is an objective criteria that is stamped on the rotors. The dealer should be able to tell you the current thickness and the service limit. Since you state that you have no warpage issues then the replace/don't replace decision is straightforward. If they replace the rotors they should be prepared to show you at least one rotor that is too thin - otherwise... they are trying to sell you something you don't need.
Personally on my '09 I am at 55k miles; third set of pads on the front, second set on the rear. I expect that I will be replacing rotors at [I currently estimate] ~80k miles.

 

Currently have 72k miles on my MINI. Replaced the front pads and rotors at about 50k miles. Still have the original brakes on the rear, but pads getting are thin. Expect to replace them in a week or two. Yes, I do alot of highway driving.

 

I also have 72K on my MINI and do LOTS of highway / interstate driving (my historical average speed per OBC is a little above 50mph). I have original brakes, shocks/struts and battery. Just had the battery tested and it still checks as good. I will just keep having it tested regularly. Also just talked with some brake people. Have decided to continue running current brakes until I get a wear alert. Then I will replace pads and rotors - probably with something aftermarket but similar to OEM.