Im at 50K on the car, and according to the dealer and my mini, I have less than 900 miles before needing new pads....and rotors...

How accurate is the on board computer btw?

I see that Tirerack has a presence on this forum, as does a couple other retailers...so...

The car is a daily driver, with the occasional venture through the canyons/mountains but nothing hard, so in this case is the OEM rotors & pads just fine? I hate the massive amount of brake dust though, so I was looking at the Hawk Ceramics & the Centric (Stoptech parent company) solid, cryo/frozen rotors as a small step up. I've run Hawk pads (HP+'s & HPS) and Powerslot slotted-frozen, and cross-drilled on my on my previous auto(s), with great results, but the mini seems to be in a class of its own...

I have learned that the Mini needs its sensor replaced as well, so I'm on that!

Thanks a whole heaping

 

Have you actually inspected them and taken depth reading on the pads and thicknesses of the rotors?

The computer isn't saying "you have 900mi left on the brakes"... its saying you have that distance till an inspection is required.
Plus, that inspection reading is subjective to what your driving styles are like.
If the car gets to see a lot of spirited driving and you like to trail-brake into the corners, you've probably already had the brakes looked at... I hope!

Yes, the OEM pads and rotors are a hard combo to beat, however, they are not necessarily the most cost-effective route.
There are several (see the wheel / tire subforum) who have tried different brake pads / rotor combinations with good and bad results.
Consult those archived threads and pick your level of pads that's right for your driving style.

- Erik

 

I just did all 4 corners, with basically the same concerns you have. I ended up with the following and couldn't be happier.

Pads........no grabbing with a nice progressive feel. Almost zero dust:
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...odClar=Hardtop

Rotors.....nice rust proof finish with a sporty look. Slots don't transmit a "pulse" like all the drilled rotors I have had:
http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/7....aspx?kc=ffsku


I just wired my sensors together, I see my pads weekly when I wash her so they aren't needed in my case.

 

I did Powerslot rotors and EBC redstuff pads. Good combo though I found out I spent a little too much on the rotors. But for the price of all the rotors and pads are still cheaper then a front brake job at the dealership.

 

Thanks for the quick replies! I did have the dealer measure the pads & rotors, so they are not bullshitting me. I'm not a huge fan of how grabby, or quick the initial bite is (as noted in various other threads throughout), so this might be another reason to go aftermarket. I wrote Motorwerks & Alex from Tireack for quotes, and Alex came back with a suggestion of the Hawk HPS pads instead of the Ceramics. I've used both HPS & HP+ pads on my other past cars, so I'm assuming the ceramics would be the least aggressive. I plan on making the decision today/tomorrow, so again thanks for the warm welcome.

I do have an intermittent front right sound kinda sorta like string stuck in the hub, or such as around 5-8 MPH, and a independent brake shop hears it, but never could figure out what it was. Neither this shop or the dealer could find anything wrong, so it's a phantom sound??

According to the dealer, mini rotors are so soft they never need to be turned (resurfaced) like say a Japanese car part, you just throw on new pads, if the rotor is not too worn? This sounds interesting and is another reason I might go with the dealer, as it's one less labor charge over the course of the mini. I'm at 50k miles.

 

You need new rotors. MINI rotors are soft and pretty thin so you get about one set of pads out of them. The dealership will charge you about $600 for up front in parts and labor. If you have any wrench skills you can do a brake job. It is super easy. I mean ridiculously easy.

 

So the rotors are indeed not as thick or longer wearing then as some Japanese imports. My rear rotors are on their 2nd set of rear pads that I know of (bought it used but within the warranty) so I told that after this set of rear pads I will need new rotor in back as well. I've wrenched on many a Japanese import and Chevy pickup, but I no longer have the time and access to work on the mini.

 

Hmmm, I would suggest not turning the rotors just replace them wiht something better. Most dealerships will install parts you bring them so that could knock some price off of it. Also you have a couple of options in San Diego, most are in LA but you could go to an aftermarket shop like RMW or OXSpeed. I will also be out there in a couple of months too.

 

So I just finished front and rears on my 09 JCW including rotors and pads in the last couple of weeks.

I was tipped off when the rear wear sensor tripped. In my opinion, while the oem parts are perfectly fine, the dealer install costs were too steep for me.

There are options out there no doubt. I am very happy with the package that Chad at DetroitTuned.com put together for me. You might want to check them out.

Now you will need to be your own judge on what really needs to be done. I listened to the voices out there that said "replace the rotors".

So here is what I observed. According to the Bentley manual the thickness of a new rotor for the rears on a R56 (mine is JCW, but rears are not different) is 10mm. Measuring the thickness of my old rotor when I took it off, it was 9.06mm. The minimum thickness for replacing is 8.4mm. I figured I might as well replace the rotors.

Given that I attained 85,000 miles on these rotors and pads (yes, true story), and only consumed 0.94mm I think I could get a few more miles out of the rotors.

Just my thoughts.

Oh, and I am using Hawk HPS and like them a lot. Low dust so far.

 

I will tell you if you spend the extra and get some Cryo treated Powerslot rotors and put a decent pad on there. I am not kidding when I saw this, I am sure your will get at a minimum of at least 3 sets of pads of one rotor. I had cryo on my last car and after putting almost 15k on them there was not lip or anything on the rotors. They looked like a just pulled them out of the box. That is also after some serious beating on the brakes too. The stock combo is great but, unless you are doing your own install or an independant shop with cheaper labor rates it is not worth the cost. Plus I choose aftermarket ceramics because I have white wheels and brake dust is my enemy.

 

I bought basic akebonos for my mini, MUCH improved over stock, almost zero brake dust.

 

I'm shocked by the amount of brake dust, though I see German cars always caked withnitnon their rims, so I really shouldn't be surprised.

Thanks for the input. I was getting double hit by shipping from Tire Rack, so I decided to go with the dealer this time. I've already gotten some third party shops through this site for the next round of repairs when and whatever that my entail.

I countered the dealer with parts and labor from other sources and bartered in a full interior/exterior detail (clay bar, polisher, etc.) since it hasn't been done in a year all for less than what they quoted me in the first place + some coupons, so I should be out the door around mid 500’s. lastly, my track on my moonroof needs to be lubed and adjusted again, so the Darkside was just easier to deal with. :/

This also means that now since owning the car, I've got all service records for all parts of the car touched, so should I sell it, anybody can see all the history through 3 Mini dealers.

 

Another vote from akeebono from me. I had them put on a few months ago. No more excessively having to wipe the wheels down. I like them a lot. They are OEM on a lot of euro cars. The front rotors needed replacing, but the rear rotors had enough to just turn them. Purchase everything from tire rack and had a local indie shop do the work. Entire cost around 500. 500 was the dealer quote for front only.