I have found a very clean '07 MC at a local new car dealer with less than 30K miles. My question regards the front brakes. Documentation shows the rotors were machined and new pads installed to resolve a "vibration when braking."

The rotors exhibited a bit of rust as is common after parked outdoors in the rain. What concerns me is that after I test drove the car, rust had been wiped off of only a portion of the rotor that should have been exposed to friction. The shiny part of the rotor was no more than 1 inch in width. I don't know the measurements of a front pad, but surely there must be more than a 1 inch contact. I felt nothing abnormal with the brakes while driving the car.

The suggestion was made that I had used the brakes gently (that's probably accurate) and therefore full contact had not been made. Unfortunately I did not think to look at the other front brake to see its condition. (Not very smart on my part.)

I plan on looking at the car again so I may resolve the question. In the meantime I wonder if anyone has seen something similar after having brake work done??

 

It would make sense if you used the brakes gently. Next time give it a good hard push and see how much wears from the rotors.

Machining the rotors is not that unusual. If a stone or rock or something got wedged in there it can scratch the rotors and damage the pads causing them to need replacement. Also, if the previous owner didn't get the pads changed and allowed them to wear all the way through that can gouge the rotors and so I guess machining them might be needed to help with that.

Next time you test drive check the feel of the brake pedal (nice and solid with no loss of resistance to sustained pressure). Make sure the brakes don't pull to the left or to the right and make sure that there is no vibration in the pedal (obviously except ABS) or steering when you hit the brakes. You have to put the brakes on pretty hard to get a decent reading. The dealership should have no problem with you doing it on a test drive - just warn the salesman (unless you want him to hit his head on the dash which would, lets face it, be pretty funny)!

Part 3 of this is that on most car's I've seen the caliper is bigger than the pad so the WHOLE of the caliper is not making contact (if it is... thats a problem), only a portion of it, I didn't look at mine close enough to tell you whether this was the MINI...

 

May have been new pads installed. The rear pads I just installed were tapered from the middle "hump" to the edges. Hadn't seen that before, but that is how they came. It would leave the cleaned off pattern you described.

 

They were indeed new pads, so that is a possibility. What you describe is interesting and it makes me wonder if that is to allow better seating when the rotor is not as smooth as it should be?

No longer an issue, as today I found a car that I like even better, an MCS with automatic. Just wish I could get excited about run flats, but I realize they are not "forever".

 

Pictures of what you are talking about would really be nice.

 

for what it's worth

MINI does not recommend turning/machining OEM rotors. Too thin to start with . . . MINI says new pads = new rotors

 

Update - The dealer is putting the car back in the shop to see if their mechanic can make it right. A closer look reveals that the pad is only wiping the rotor from the outside perimeter (not the center of the pad as in a pad with the hump in the middle.) Sorry, no camera.

This was after some firm application of brakes from speed made no difference.

Does anyone have a reference for the minimum thickness for the front rotor on the 2007 MC?

 

^ +1

 

I understand Mini recommends against machining rotors. It has already been done.

I found a reference that the minimum thickness for front rotors is 19mm. My next question is whether one can measure rotor thickness without removing the wheel or dust shield? Is there room to get a micrometer on the rotor?

The reason I bring this up is because I am trying to determine how simple it might be to measure. If the dealer has gone beyond the minimum, perhaps its time to replace the rotors.

Does anyone have experience buying a used Mini (worked on by a non-Mini dealer) and then taking it to Mini for warranty work? That's assuming the car is still under 3 years in service? The mfg. date is 01/07.

 

You can measure rotor thickness without taking off the wheels if you can get under the car. Lots of room for the micrometer.

 

1. I thought you found a different car?

2. Brakes fall under maintenance which is 36,000 or 3 years from first delivery date to owner. Very possible you are past years but a MINI dealer could look up the VIN and tell you for sure. However I'd also suspect that once the brakes have been worked on or changed by other then MINI, you'll be hard pressed to get them back under covereage. For example I have EBC pads on my 07 and don't expect coverage of the pads or the rotors because of that - MINI DID still do a fluid flush when called for.

3. If I were looking at the car and the seller seriously wanted the sale I'd tell 'em to put on a new set of rotors - maybe pads too - back to all OEM. They don't cost that much and should take a good mech' less than an hour to do both sides. Or get him to come down a grand or two and do the work yourself - pads and rotors. Parts will cost half that even if you go to some "better" stuff....better being a term subject to interp'

4. At the risk of opening up a discussion of bedding techniques; when one does not use aggressive bedding but simply allows the pads to "run in" this can take several hundred miles....EBC Greens advise owners to not complain about noise for 500 miles..... There could be nothing wrong, but I'd probably still pursue #3.

 

Captain, as you noted in #4, I was looking at an MCS which luckily sold before I could make up my mind. I felt relief when I received a call saying the car had been sold. It was a good buy but I didn't want the turbo or the runflats.

The answer you offered regarding Mini standing behind someone else's work is what I expected. If the dealer can correct the current problems, I can go ahead with this car. As long as I have a place where I can work on my car, the brakes will not really be an issue. I have worked on my own for 60 years and there's still a little left in me.

 

An update and thanks to those who offered suggestions. I was simply not comfortable buying the car with what I thought was "questionable brakes." The tires had 8/32", with the exception of one that had only 4/32" remaining. While the car was clean, I decided I could do better.

By adding $3000 to what the used car would have cost, I bought a new 2010 MC with automatic, premium package and minor items. It had 20 miles on the odo and is chili red w/white roof. I sleep better now and am confident this will serve me well.

No pics yet.

 

I think you made a good move and not just for the brakes and tires, but for getting a car that you know is right, out of the box, for that little additional out of pocket expense.

Congrats on your new ride!

 

congrats...the free maintenance and full warranty is well worth it when the $$ difference is so low.

 

pre-paid maintenance

ain't nuthin' free

 

I recently bought a used 02 Mini Cooper Hatchback. It had the front upper struts replaced by the Dealer and now the brakes are squeeling...louder everytime I apply the brakes and sometimes while I drive near a wall median. I've looked at the brakes from the outside and they dont seem to look like replacing?..It only has 45K miles. I did have to charge the A/C and the speaker on the passenger side rattles LOUDLY when the windows are down! The door also doesn't unlock with the automatic lock/unlock switch either...help!!!