I took my Cooper S to a reputable local shop to have the brakes done (the idiot light came on, so I took it in.) I've had nothing but good experiences with them in the past. They found that all four sets needed to be replaced. I thought that was a little weird, but at the same time, kind of handy. Anyway, I got it back ($500 later) and thought that the pedal felt a little spongy. I attributed this to me driving a different car for a day and losing the feel. Today I stopped over my parents, and the brakes smelled pretty strong. My father noticed a little smoke coming from the rear passenger side wheel. I immediately called the shop and left a message, they had closed. On my way back to my place I noticed 3 distinct squeek noises coming from 3 distinct corners of the car. What could have been done to make the pads not come away from the discs?

-Blu

 

There are a bunch of things that could have gone wrong with your brake job but a reputable,experienced shop should really have no problem with the Mini under normal circumstances. That said at 35,000 miles I had the dealer do brakes all around under warranty which I suggest that to everyone as at 36,001 the brakes are no longer covered and if the pads are less then 3mm (they will be at 35000 or normal driving and even less if you are harder than normal) they will replace the rotors and pads for free. Anyway, on mine one caliper was stuck and they replaced that too then flushed the entire system and changed the fluid.

All that said I have three questions. 1-Did they use OEM pads? 2-Did they change the rotors too? 3-Did someone experienced do the job or did they give it to someone who didn't know that the rear pucks need to be rotated back in rather than simple pushed?

And you may have a stuck caliper or two as well.

But you should take it back tomorrow and see what they say first.

Rich

 

They didn't use OEM pads, but that was my fault. I was trying to be cost conscious. The rotors were turned but not changed.


I'll post when I hear back from them...

 

theres one of the problems...........you cannot turn BMW/Mini rotors b.c of the metal content......BMW/MINI does not recommend turning our rotors in which you will in counter problems down the road.....Def have to find out what type of pads they used and im betting they werent the same make up of the original pad for the stock rotors.

 

That's an interesting note 1FSTMINI. Do you have documentation? I'm just wondering so that I can refer my mechanic to it. It's gotten much worse since they supposedly fixed it before by truing the rotors...

A-

 

Lemme see what i can do.

:edit: I couldnt find any documents backing what i said up ( doesnt mean im incorrect ) and the shop foreman stated there isnt paperwork with this info on it......Its something BMW preaches and doesnt recommend plus you will never find a lathe in a BMW/MINI shop anyway ( Its easer and faster for use just to change the rotor ).....It all comes down to the material being used and by the time you are looking to change them, your specs are probably down past the replacement stages. Saying you cant is to strong....You shouldnt and its not recommended.

34 11 Front Brake R53
Different thicknesses on brake linings max. mm 0.01

Surface roughness of braking surfaces
(precision-turned) 0.5 ... 3.5

Brake disc diameter
Models: ONE COOPER COOPER S mm 276

Wear warning from residual lining thickness mm 3.0

Brake disk minimum thickness (MIN TH) stamped on brake disk body

Models: ONE COOPER COOPER S mm 20.4

Max. machining limit per friction ring side mm 0.8


34 21 Rear Brake DiscsR53
Different thicknesses on brake linings max. mm 0.01

Surface roughness of braking surfaces
(precision-turned) 0.5 ... 3.5

Brake disc diameter
Models: ONE COOPER COOPER S mm 259
Wear warning from residual lining thickness mm 3.0

Brake disk minimum thickness (MIN TH) stamped on brake disk body
Models: 520i 525i 530i 530d mm 8.4

Max. machining limit per friction ring side mm 0.8

 

I assume from your description, the shop bled the brakes unnecessarily and improperly.
On another note, turning rotors is a bad idea, unless they are turned on the car. Removing the rotor and putting it on a lathe, or any other device for turning rotors can induce problems too numerous to be listed, but including: changing the run-out, creating thickness variations, inducing torque variation during braking, etc.
Rotors should only be turned if there are gouges, and there is no alternative option to replace.
the shop also may not have replaced the springs, this could cause some of the symptoms you describe (squealing); but that may be caused by the pad compound. Which is another thing you need to take into consideration, depending on the pad compuond, you may get into all kinds of problems.
One nationwide brake chain ( happens to be named after a king who had a golden touch) sells pads with a 'lifetime' guarantee, they just neglect to tell you that these pads absolutely destroy rotors, and you'll be replacing them rather often if you use their pads.

 

I'm now convinced that I need to replace the rotors after looking around the 'net. I can't seem to find any FAQs for it though... Any ideas?

 

What type of FAQ do you need.

 

I'd just need to see a clear shot of the rotors so I can see what is involved in getting the rotors off.

A-

 

removing the rotors involves removing the caliper from the knuckle, removing the torx bolt, and slipping the rotor off the hub. replacement is the reverse.

 

What he said.........Its nothing different from any other brake system beside the hold down screw on the rotor ( most cars dont have these ).

 

I switched the pads when I bought the car, so the caliper removal is familiar. Sounds like the discs are pretty easy. Anyone know the size of the Torx?

 

T50