So i was checking out my MINI tonight after a somewhat spirited drive and i discovered that the brake pads on the MINI are wearing very oddly.

The outermost edge of the pads are wearing away much faster than the inner-area causing. this worries me because at this rate, the outer part of the pad will wear down to the backplate before the inner part gets even halfway worn. I checked and all of my brakepads are wearing like this.

Is this just how BMW brakes are designed or do i have to make a dealer run sometime soon.

 

Sounds like your pads are cocked in the caliper. They aren't being pushed in properly by the piston. Does the pedal feel like you have to push it farther than before? When was work last done on the car? You do need to get it taken care of quickly, if you get down to the backing plate it will waste your rotors. They aren't cheap and I don't think that would be covered under warranty. The piston clip probably wasn't attached to the piston properly. Check it out. Hope that helped.

 

hmm i will check when i get home. the MINI only has 7XXX miles on it and i havent had to take it in for service beside a few minor issues with unrelated parts.

the pedal feels fine which is why i never thought to take a look at the pads.

 

If by outer you mean the part closest to the rotor edge this is a sign of two things: Caliper flex and heat. As the caliper clamps on the rotor it tries to push or spread the caliper and can do so. That means the pads are no longer square to the rotor. Also the edge of the rotor runs hotter then the inner radius as it does more work. Simply sounds to me that you could use some higher level of pad for your intended use.

 

i dont think i drive that agressively.. in fact i rarely push the car that hard. I will take a closer look at the brakes when i get home and post some pix.

it just seems odd to me that it appeared that all 4 wheels exhibited the same deformation.

 

Could you post some pics of this so we can all see just what you are looking at? Thanks Dustin

 

how do i check ot know i need ot replace brake pads? i got my 2005 MCS used and not sure what on my brake pad..

 

The best way is to remove the wheels and look at the top of them with a flashlight, if there's more pad with backing plate you are good, but anytime there is same or less pad then backing plate it's time to change them IMHO.


pics from https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=38346

 

i had this happen to me when running BP-20 pads on the track. i now run poly H's and wear is even. i have to agree w/ todd on this one. he hasn't steered my wrong.

 

You do realize that the stock pads have beveled edges right? I think that's what you are seeing.

Here's an almost new front pad I took off my 07...note there's some white paint on the backing plate as the pic was used to illustrate backing plate thickness vs pad material as a gauge of wear



{You'll note that on this pad, when you no longer see any bevel, the pad thickness will be down to that of the backing plate...another wear indicator.}

EBC pads I've used on both GEN1 and GEN2 are similarly shaped. But just for comparison, a brand new set of Honda pads I have sitting on the bench do not have this bevel, so I understand that one might not be familiar with it. Look at the pictures of EBC pads on MINIMANIA and you can see the slanted edges...

2 points for looking and checking tho !