Howdy, this is my first post. I read a few threads about brake service (changing pads and rotors) but they were from 2007ish. My question is this-I'm not the DIY guy and really don't want to take my car to the dealer for a $1200 brake job and the private shop I usually go to is still quoting me $1000 (pads and rotors). What are your thoughts with going a national shop like Meinke or Midas for the service? They do guarantee their parts for the lifetime of the vehicle. Also want to eliminate/reduce the excessive brake dust, what rotors and pads would you recommend front & rear? Does that make sense? Thanks a bunch!

 

1. Do you really need rotors? Pads I get, but usually I can get to at least second pad change on a car before replacing rotors and still meet the thickness spec. That will take cost out f you can just get them machined for this pad change out.

2. EBC reds are low dust, solid performance, reasonably priced. Available for second gen Mini's of all flavors.

3. Get fluid changed while you are at it if not done before.

4. No thoughts on shop, beyond trying to find one for the long term. I do my own. Brakes are a very easy job as things go too, whether a high volume gas station repair shop (w the right parts), a wheel tire type place, or a car mechanic.

 

You can get the parts at Tire Rack, Akebono Euro Ceramic pads and replacement stock Centric rotors for $300 + shipping. I would think you could find someone to install these parts for much less than $700. I would think any shop with a decent reputation would install these parts for $2-300. Good luck, I'm glad I do my own repair and maintenance work as I wouldn't want to pay $1000-1200 for pads and rotors.

 

1000-1200 bucks for brake service from MINI!!! holy cow!!!!
is that what MINI dealerships r charging?

i'm soo glad i learned how to do it myself. shesh. forget that nonsense...

 

Is it normal to replace the rotors periodically? I have over 200k miles on my Miata and I think the rotors might have been replaced once (maybe not at all)..

 

My understanding is that the OEM rotors are already pretty thin and should be replaced with the pads. Once you have aftermarket parts, you may be able to employ the strategy of replacing the rotors every second pad change.

I went with a combo kit from fastmini.net that included Centric rotors and Hawk pads. I've been very happy with them and they are very low dust. I believe Way Motor Works might sell kits as well with EBC pads which also seem popular. There are many choices for aftermarket pads and rotors for all price ranges, so I'm sure you could find something cheaper.

I can speak to Meineke as I was just there with my wife's minivan. Had rotors and pads installed last November and they were already squeaking. They did replace them under warranty this past weekend. Said they had grooves in them that were unusual. I'm not sure whether their guarantee is lifetime, think it is, but they did honor it this go round for me.

If you are not feeling up to a DIY yourself, perhaps you could hook up with your local MINI club and someone would help you out.

 

it depends on the way the system was put together

German engineering tends to like soft pads and rotor which grap great and produce a lot of dust and wear quickly

J'nese engineering tend to use hard pads and rotors which dust little and last a long time - somehow they still get good performance. I took my 95 Miata to a brake place for a check when it hit 100,000 miles cuz I fugured I was doing something wrong with my eye-ball checks - the pads and rotors still looked good. Brake place agreed, they had plenty of life left. At 120,000 I did the front pads just because . . .