How much should brakes cost? Just normal stuff? Does $500 sound right for front brakes and roaters? That cant be right?

 

Installed? May be that high.

I just ordered TSW Rotors and EBC Redstuff for the fronts from Way for ~$250 I will be doing my own instal. The high cost at the dealer ship including expensive OEM parts is what lead me to do my own job. The rotors I really wanted would have put my cost up to the $500 range just for fronts.

 

ninjamini: when I was looking to do my brakes I was quoted numbers all over the map. I don't know (maybe someone here can fill me in) what mechanics and dealerships are thinking, but they all say, something like "oh on a MINI, well that's a bit more expensive"

I have done a few of these now, for me and others, with parts ranging from autozone pads and rotors, to better quality like mitch171 mentions. if you're willing to do your own labor, it's cheap. I have middle of the line stuff on my car, and it was ~$200 TOTAL for parts, front AND rear.

There is a great write up with pictures on how to do this.

 

Doing your own brakes seems easy I have not done them on my MINI yet but I have basically taken them apart to make sure I can. The only tricky think so far has been getting the torc bolt off the rotor. I bought an electric impact wrench from walmart for $25 and it did the job.

 

I found a breaker bar did the trick, no problem ($2, 24inch pipe works great)

what I found to be great advice was some c-clamps and a dead weight hammer to pop off the rusted/heatcycled on rotor.

 

Rotors are around $200 for the front set. Front pads are about $100. Brake wear sensor wire is about $25 (if your pad light is on).
These prices are for basic parts and the prices can increase if you want better rotors or pads. Installation would be an additional cost.

 

at the dealership brakes are about $1000. remeber, BMW/MINI always replaces rotors and pads. most cars don't replace rotors during a brake job unless they need to be.

 

To the Poster: You can do all 4 corners (plus fresh fluid) for less than $500 if you're inclined to DIY.

Most European cars require replacement of the rotors with new pads for almost 10 years now. This was deemed necessary due to increased traffic. Thus the friction material is more abrasive to shorten the stopping distance but rotors are also thinner compared to those made in the 80s to mid 90s.... but *profit* has a lot to do it too.

Depending on how you drive, it might be possible to get by with 2 sets of pads to each set of rotors (more probable on the rear than front).

I don't mind buying new rotors but I wish they make the pads larger and thicker on the Mini. The huge front pads on my '01 1.8T New Beetle (same set-up as 1st Gen Audi TT) has 85,000 miles and by the look of the remaining thickness, they will easily reach 100k miles.

 

it's not the size - it's the compound. BMW/MINI use very soft stuff to get grip.

The pads on my Honda are smaller - the vehicles weigh more than the MINI yet at 50K the front pads were less than 50% gone while I average 25 to 30k on fronts on the MINIs .... no dust either .... at 50k the rears still looked virtually brand new!

regarding cost - as Iposted elsewhere you can now find 'everyday' places that recognise MINI. I was actually able to pick up a set of front pads at AutoZone this weekend. A few years ago they didn't know what a MINI was.

Check PepBoys, Sears, Tire shops .... you may find places that will do the cost for about the same as any othe vehicle. $150 to $200 per axle is not out of line depending on where you live.

 

Yes, varying compounds have different performance and life span. But let's assume using the same compound but with increased pad size (sweep area & thickness) of say... by 25%, they will definitely last longer. Size (both rotor & pads) also help dissipates heat.

If I'm correct, the Mini front rotor is 11.6" (New Beetle 11.3"). However, the pad size on my New Beetle is larger (sweep area & thickness) than the Mini's.

 

yes, if you have the same compound your arguement makes perfect sense. point is tho they are not the same compound. BMW's is very soft.

and yes
"increased pad size (sweep area & thickness) of say... by 25%, they will definitely last longer"
pads thicker by 25% will last longer...

but by design of the caliber the pad can only be SO thick..

Beemers and MB's and MINIs .... lot's of brake dust ... soft compounds

Ever see a Honda with very dirty front wheels? (w/out ovbious brake mods?) .. a VW or an Audi? A Toyota?

I remember my VWs from back in the 80's to be clean too. My Miata - NEVER had brake dust and the original pads were replaced at 70k but had plenty of thickness left....

The flip side to this train of thought are those that worry a low-dust (hard) pad on the MINI with OEM rotor compounds will cause the rotor to be damaged or wear out sooner ....

hmmm....come to think of it the 7.5" disks on the 79 don't dust either ....

whatever - put a set of Wildwood's on to increase swept area and see if the pads last longer

it's the same with tire compounds .... you ain't gonna get 50k out of a soft sticky performance tire. Doesn't matter how wide the tire is - up to a point - a soft compound of similar size ain't gonna wear as long as a hard, but lesser performance, compound

 

$200-250 is a reasonable price for parts, rotors front and rear as well as pads. I just put Raybestos pads and rotors on my car and the reduction in brake dust was tremendous. For all the DIY's, the replacement is very easy, the only tricky parts are the wear sensors and the rear pads. The rear pistons have to turn to compress, so you have to figure out a way to get them to turn while squeezing them, also the rear pads clip into a notch on the piston, they do not just sit in the calipers. Mitch171 might want to check into that.

 

The rear rotors: you can buy or rent a tool to compress it. AutoZone lends out tools.

 

We've got all the parts you need in stock to do it yourself. And willing to give you helpful hints when you order.

As for dealer pricing you got off better than our local dealer. They help keep me in business by quote about $500 per wheel, yes $2000 for a 4 wheel brake job. That's CRAZY.

 

Wow I should feel honored. My mini dealer told me $650 for new front brakes and rotors. And that was after I gave him heck for asking me:

Local shop wants $500.

"Do you need rotors?"
I responded "Probably but if we can cut them that would be better"
Mini dealer "we don't cut them. We only replace them"
Me "then why did you ask?"

I figure parts are $300 - Hey thats stupid. But $200 to put them on. Its like 20-30 minutes including driving the car in and out. Thats just a butt...err never mind what I was going to say.

 

i'm going on my 2nd week with my new brakes from the guys down at Helix. i love them!!! here's what i got:
Mintex Redbox pads all around
ATE Premium one slotted rotors all around
Tyrolsport Brass Brake caliper bushings all around
Helix Stainless Steel Lines all around
ATE Super Blue brake fluid flush

Total installed cost: $1,100

FYI: Dealership wanted $1,400 just for pads and rotors and fluid flush installed

 

How do you like the Mintex pads? How is the pedal feel?

 

My friend... apparently you haven't seen a VW or Audi in the last ~10 years. It isn't the marque but a regulation passed and mandated by TUV years ago. All German-made brake pads have high graphite content, which is the dust we see. The graphite makes for good stopping power, pedal feel and minimizes squeaking. I've tried various compounds by Ate, Pagid, Jurid over the years on my cars and so far they all produce a healthy amount of dust.

 

I guess that's why I prefer English pads ... less graphite and at least the dust isn't as difficult to take off.

I still point out that I get 70k out of the OEM pads on my Japnz cars (Mazda and Honda) and 30k on my MINIs - I don't think I drive different 'tween the cars I drive....course the wife and kids DO drive the Japs more....

Graphite makes the dust dark, soft compound makes the pad wear faster.

Being retired I have WAY too much time on my hands and actually pay attention to the dust level on cars front wheels (thinking it is stupid to pay $100,000 for a car and drive it with black wheels from poor washing)

I've not noticed serious problems on VW or Audi (same company huh) but BWM & MB - ugh

 

I just bought a set (front & rear) of slotted rotors and ceramic pads from iRotors (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250405186323) for ~$288. Had them installed by a local shop for another $200, so $500 sounds about right for everything. So far, I love 'em! If you order from iRotors, make SURE they send the correct pads w/the slot/hole to accommodate the sensor--they didn't send the right one for the rear initially, but they sent a replacement w/no problem after I made them aware of the error. Great folks w/whom to do business!

 

i like the Mintex. Pedal feel is very close to stock. little more bite now than stock but there are the other factors to consider (bushings, new fluid, SS lines, etc.)

 

VIOLET - I have those same pads and rotors on my R53. I was lucky to find a shop that would do my install for 100 cash! Compared to the stock units I get next to no brake dust, better stopping power, no fade at all, cooler rotor temp, and after 20,000 miles I still don't have much dig into the rotors.....they look next to new. They use a material that is not as soft as the OEM rotors so they can be used for more than one brake job. And being cross drilled and slotted it gives great stopping power.

 

Coolness, cali44!!!

 

If you're looking for OE Mini rotors, go to Outmotoring.com. They are around half the price of a dealer ($175 per pair compared to $350, give or take). If you want inexpensive rotors from China, I've read that Duralast rotors from Autozone are good for that and around half the price of Mini rotors from Outmotoring. When I had pads and rotors installed, I paid a little more than 1 hour of labor per wheel at an independent shop.

For the rotors, Carbotech pads and labor it probably totaled $1000 (Money means nothing to me! I don't keep track of such insignificant sums!). So $500 for the fronts seems about right if you're going with high-ish end parts.