Hi,

At just over 40K miles the brake pad warning light has finally come on on my 07 MC S Conv. I know it's the front brakes.

South Bay Mini quoted me $900 to replace the front brake pads and rotors. Does that sound about right? It seems high to me.

I'm going to check at my local performance tire shop who are very sharp. I know that they will replace with the original BMW parts but I will have to see what the $$ are. This would be while I'm still under warranty but if the cost difference is significant I'll probably consider it seriously.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks,

TC

 

$900 is insane for a set of pads and rotors. You should be able to get it done for less than half that. MINI brakes are nothing special, any competent mechanic can do them.

 

Buy the pads and Rotors online. WaymotorWorks or Autoxcooper.com and have an independent shop put them on. Find a shop that will allow you to purchase the parts first. You'll save big $$$$

 

I agree $900 is unethical, should be able to get it done ALOT less. Thats why as long as I am physically able I do mine myself,recently did my front and rear for a couple hundred.

 

I second the suggestion to take it to a local shop or get the parts and DIY. Your local MINI club should have some folks who have done it before and could help you out. An afternoon of working and talking about cars is WAY less than 900.00! Make sure you get a pad that will produce less dust than the stock pads! Good luck!

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I did get an estimate of $520 including tax from my local shop which sounds like a LOT better. I'll also check out my local mini club!

TC

 

$520 is still too high for me.

 

CA prices are always HIGH, we charge $350 including ALL parts and Labor.

Also get some good EBC pads or something and get rid of some brake dust.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/02-06-c...ndling/brakes/

 

Yeah - maybe I should motor over to Atlanta and save myself some $$!

Everything in Southern CA is expensive. But I have to say that I am really disappointed in the ultra-high prices charged by Mini Dealers here for service. On another occasion I was quoted $400 for a wheel alignment by one of the dealers here. Of course I didn't do that! But I'm amazed that they aren't kept on a tighter leash than that by BMW. I guess I'm a bit naive like that

 

My MECH charged me $125 for Front Brake Pads and Labor...I have an 07 MCS Cabrio with over 45K miles...He said my rotors were fine also.

My MECH also said I would need the back ones done in another 10-15K miles.

 

$900 is stupid expensive! Should be around $325-$400.

Rotor & pad replacement isn't too hard on these cars. For $350, you can have new pads & rotors for 4 corners... includes 2 liters of Ate brake fluid.

 

Go check out Minicorsa in North Hollywood or ABF Tech Division in Huntington Beach.

 

Good grief, man. Change them yourself for under $100. There are some very good threads here to sho you how. It literally takes minutes, even if you need new rotors. Even if you have to spend $100 on tools, you're still way ahead.

Seriously. Its an extremely easy thing to do.

 

I've had front rotors and all pads changed for $520 at local shop.

I wanted to do it myself originally, but after looking at how much time it would take and how much of a mess it is, i decided not to do it. Plus you need tools just for this job that will never be used again...Parts alone will cost $300-370 depending on location, quality and tax.