Hey All,

It's been a LONG time since I posted here. I have a new job that has kept me busy for months. Although the site has changed a great deal, I know I can still rely on honest advice here, so here goes:

When I bought my mini in 02', the sales mgr. was "encouraging"me to buy a warranty package, and used the dreaded $1,000 brake job as a scare tactic. I didn't bite....

As I recall, he indicated that the disks could not be turned and that the brakes would need a $1,000 overhaul at 30,000 miles.

Can any of you attest to this being accurate? I know that are many of us out there who are way beyond 30,000 miles. Any brake job stories you'd like to share?

Thanks All,

Coop.

 

I've got about 33K on my MCS, and the pads still look fine. Why would the discs have to be turned??? Sounds like a crock of...

 

Hey Storer,

I don't know, I might have meant the rotors? I'm no wrenchhead, but the idea of a $1,000 brake job worries me and I knew folks here would get me a straight answer.

The guy indicated that the car would be out of warranty when the brakes needed to be overhauled, and that would be at around the 30K mark.

I appreciate the response..


Coop.

 

The whole "ordeal" of the purchase was outrageous...8 hours on the lot. I did not order my car because the dealership assured me they had plenty to choose from and that they sold retail.....WRONG!!

If I had not been in love with the car I would never have purchased it from the dealership I did. Lots of run around, a very low trade-in allowance, and then the shocker...True Market Value, instead of MSRP.

Coop. (Venting after nearly 2 years!)

 

Sounds a bit over the top to me, but than again if you are a heavy braker it's certainly possible that you could need a rotor replacement at 30m. However, if that happened to me, I wouldn't replace them with standard Mini issue rotors, aftermarket parts at that point would be the way to go in my opnion.:smile:

 

Just seems odd that the rotors would warp for any reason under normal driving conditions.

The MINI is meant to be a car driven for fun... spirited driving, if you will. Even the occasional autocross shouldn't present any problems, as its only a short period of 35-55 seconds, generally speaking...

I would say the dealer sounds a bit shady.

 

ok this is from a motorer that has loged 68 thousand miles on his mini!!! and knows about the breaks a little the rotors are fine the fronts are origanal and show just a little ware, normal, and i auto cross a little as well, the rears have been replaced due to the pads going to metal due to a caliper failing.


the brakes are some of the easyest ive done yet it took me 15 minutes a side so its really onley a 1 hour job, funny thing is the dealers lye about how much time it takes i used to work at the bmw mini dealer and i saw that they would finish a car way early and leave it in the back if the customer was waiting. i never got so mad seeing the way they did things their and vowed never to take my car back, as they never did anything right anyways and always had to take it back to get it fixed again.

your best bet is just buy power slot rotors and some high performance break pads and take it to a reputable mechanic and have them spend about an hour on it 60 - 100= bucks total if you dont know how to change them yourself and youll still come out on top!!!!!

dealers have the most overhead of anyone i know and it showes, be smart and take the car someware else if you need a small problem fixed and your out of warranty, the mini advisers get a cut of selling you a extended warranty their salesman too, and get commision so they will try to tell you different. they told me that their allignments where done differentley than other garages and yet when i started working their they use the same machine as bell tire and they did nothing different but charged 4 times as much, hey its a buisness to make money and they will do what ever it takes.

well ill shut up cause im at work and ill go on forever

sorry for the run on!!!

 

I hear all this talk about Brakes and it only reminds me of a lession my dad ttaught me when I was 15. I learned to drive on an 85 nissan 300ZX. He said when you want the car to stop....Dont pound the breakes.....You need to downshift. This will save the breakes. I assumed he knew since when he gave his car before the Z to my bro (80 Toyota Corola) he took it to the shop for new breakes at 100000 miles. The shop said the breakes are like new.


I never hear about down shifting. I have done it on my 92 mazda protege with 200000 miles (I bought it new) I have only replaced the breakes 3 times(My wife cant seem to downshift).

 

47000 miles here.

MINI replaced my front rotors and pads for free back at ~26,000 miles. As long as you're under warranty, they should cover you.

 

Worst case, even if you DID have to replace rotors and pads for your dime, you could get a good kit from any one of the reputable vendors that provide MINI aftermarket parts for less than $1000. Webb's Stage 1 Kit is only $770-ish and includes 4 new Powerslot rotors, Ferodo pads, and brake fluid.

Brake jobs are one of the easiest maintenance things you can do on a car - I've saved friends countless thousands of dollars by showing them how to do their own brake jobs - rotors, drums, shoes, pads, brake fluid, and repacking wheel bearings. They're always amazed at how easy it really is... I've got doing pads down to maybe 10 minutes a wheel now - maybe 15 if you are replacing rotors...

 

Sounds an awful lot like fraud to me as well. The fact is that if Moss Motors sells a MINI brake upgrade that consists of four rotors, four sets of ss brake lines, and four sets of EBC greenstuff pads for less than $600 retail, the $1,000 brake job has got to be an urban legend. Would some unscrupulous dealer charge that amount? In the immortal words of my friends in Minnesota, Ya, you betcha! Need it be done at 30k? Well maybe if you live in the Rocky Mountains or Auto-X every week-end. Otherwise the extended warranty just for the brakes seems like blow-hard puffing.

 

Having purchased mine at Carmax, I never had a single issue and the process was painless.

As to the brakes... for half that price you could buy all new EBC slotted/dimpled rotors and Green Stuff pads... so tell them to take their tactics and shove em.

As for warping, most often it is not actual rotor warping, rather it is outgassing of the pads leaving deposits on the rotors, which causes the pulsating pedal and brake feel.

 

After a track day, my brakes were cooked (in fact the pads were faded to the mettle and started eating into the rotors...took it to the dealer to get it changed and was told I would have to pay $1000 for 4 rotors and new pads. I had aftermarket pads so no warranty. I went another route, but the $1000 brake job from the dealership is not bologny

 

No offense to dad, but which costs more - a clutch job or a brake job? Brakes are easy to replace and cheap relative to the clutch. Not that I'd dream of giving ANYONE $1,000 to do a brake job. As scobib said, it's easy maintenance and will save you a bundle.
I think the fear factor helps in justifying expensive brake jobs.

 

200,000 miles on the 92 mazda protege clutch. I had another 92 that I got rid of 1 year ago it had the original clutch. I think that that 85 300Z (now in my bros prosesition) still original clutch. I am pretty shure that the 80 corola had its original clutch when it met its end at the front bumber of a pickup....Pickup big corolla tin! It did not survive, my brother did.:smile:

 

Downshift by double-clutching (and use heel and toe for stopping).

 

2002 MCS

@ about 34K or 35K..... replaced... all rotors and all brake pads.

all were covered under waranty

Peace,
D 8)

 

Yes, that will save the brakes, but do you really want to put a lot of added stress on your clutch, transmission, and engine in order to protect brake parts that are specifically designed to wear out and easily be replaced?

Engines, transmissions and clutches are a LOT more expensive than brake pads and rotors and I really doubt that downshifting instead of using your brakes is a long term economical solution.

MINI replaced my rear pads and rotors under warranty at 24k miles due to excessive wear of a single pad.

If you are out of warranty, you should NOT go to a dealership for simple brake work. If you really want to save money on a brake job, order the parts at a discount online and then take it to a brake shop or your local independent BMW mechanic. I can change pads/rotors myself, but these days I have a qualified experienced mechanic do it for me because I consider it a critical safety issue that I do not want to trust my shade tree mechanic skills with. . . .

 

The problem with using the engine for braking is that it's a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to change the pads instead of the clutch or synchros.

Also, if they're saying the rotors can't be turned -- which does seem a bit shady to me -- that means that they're rather thin to begin with. Isn't the lack of thickness the only reason you can't turn a rotor?

Has anybody had their rotors turned?

 

[QUOTE=scobib]Worst case, even if you DID have to replace rotors and pads for your dime, you could get a good kit from any one of the reputable vendors that provide MINI aftermarket parts for less than $1000. Webb's Stage 1 Kit is only $770-ish and includes 4 new Powerslot rotors, Ferodo pads, and brake fluid.

I got the stage 1 kit from www.webbmotorsports.com for $775.00 + shipping. and they are better than stock. I didn't even ask the dealer about replacements.


Earl

 

The $1000 dealer brake change is actually not that far off from what they actually want to charge you.

My previous car was a BMW. For each axle, pads are about $50, and discs are about $100, both with BMWCCA discounts. Retail prices are at least 20% higher. The stealer wants 2 hours of labor, so that's almost $400 right there. If your dealer's labor rate is more than $100, and if your state's tax is high, each axle could quickly go up to $500.

My BMW went through a set of front brakes in 30,000 miles, and a set of rears in about 45,000 miles. Since MINI has the front-rear brake force distribution system, I'd expect the fronts to last a bit longer, and the rears to last a big shorter. A lot of it depends on the traffic conditions on your daily commute. As for downshifting to save brakes, if you can do it perfectly and without wear to your clutch, that's great; but if you can't downshift perfectly, remember that brake jobs are much cheaper than a clutch job.

Finally, BMW always recommends changing discs and pads together.

For my BMW, I ended up buying parts online, and took my car to an independent BMW specialist. It cost me about $150 in parts, and $90 in labor; about 40% savings over the stealer rates.

 

Bottom line on extended warrantiies is that they are high comission to the seller, low cost to the insurer and peace of mind to the buyer. It is really insurance. Too bad your sales man used a scare tactic but from the sounds of it, the salesman AND the dealership are a POS......

As to braking or downshifting.....brakes are for......stopping....... engines are for......going......ole dad is out to lunch.....big time.....

 

Did the sales guy say WHY you couldn't machine the Mini's rotors?

 

sorry, machine=turn=resurface

 

I only remember him saying that it was not possible to do so...

Coop