My brake pad idiot light came on recently and I'm wondering why because I had the front pads done about 5k miles ago. Is there a sensor for the rear pads as well?

 

Yes there is. Left front & right rear.

 

Yup sounds like you now need rear pads.

 

i know this isn't the marketplace, but if you need a new sensor i have one sitting in a closet unopened from way.

 

Is there a way to turn the light off without getting new sensors? I just want to deal with my brakes on my own and not have that annoying light telling me I am not using the sensors.

 

You will have to splice or solder the wire together to complete the circuit.
(Brake sensor wire, that is)

 

there is a way. i'm by no means a brake expert, but i do know that once the sensor is tripped it has to be replaced. if you want to totally bypass it, you can pull the sensor out, cut it off and twist the two wires together and then ziptie it to the chassis or something, or what a lot of people do is just buy the new sensor and ziptie it to the side also. i guess that leaves the option of easily reconnecting it when you go to sell or trade in, etc.
good luck :D

 

You can't do it on an r56 I tried. Because the person that sold me sensors sold me the one for an r53. So I tried splicing it till I could get a new. Guess what I did MTTS with the brake light on. All 5k miles of every time I started I had to deal with it dinging at me and the bright red light in my face at night. Don't be a cheap *** and spend the $20 and buy some sensors.