Last week my 2016 MCS with 19,000 miles on it started sounding as if the brake pads were shot. No indicators lit on the dash or other warnings. Today at the dealer I was told the left rear was down to the metal on the outside pad. The reason no indicator was lit is because the sensors aren't on every corner inside and outside of pads. The Motoring Advisor (who I like, has been there a long time and seems very knowledgeable) said it's because the computer is constantly adjusting brake pressure without my input based on the load at each corner of the car. This is all based on driving conditions. I live in south Florida and while we have some traffic, no snow, ice or other unusual conditions where the computer may intervene.

While this may be plausible, I've routinely gotten 40,000+ miles out of pads on my other cars (R53 MCS, VW CC, GTI...). I'm typically not hard on the pads, and have not done any track days in this car (yet). I don't ride the brake and don't even hold the brakes at most traffic lights. Day to day I drive like the old man my drivers license says I am.

Any thoughts...?

 

Was it both the inner and outer pads on the one corner?

I would look into the parking brake sticking and making them constantly rub.

 

Some cars implement some kind of traction/stability control that in part involves applying individual brakes. If your car has such a feature hard to imagine you would trigger it enough to wear out the brakes of one wheel, unless you were autocrossing every day.

Thus I think there is something going on.

iwashmycar raised possibility of the parking brake partially sticking.

Could be.

Could be a sticking brake piston which lets the pad rub/drag which can cause the pad to run hot and wear out.

Sometimes in these cases one can learn a lot from observing the hardware as the brakes -- one at a time -- are disassembled, the pads removed and the rotor removed, and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Certainly one would expect the tech to be on high alert to any signs of a problem, but unfortunately not all may be like that.

When you get the car back and road test it check the temperature -- carefully! -- of the brake hardware of both rear wheels. You are looking for one running noticeably hotter than the other. If you find one running hotter something is causing the brake to drag and that will shorten brake hardware life.

 

I had this happen on a truck I owned once; after a 10 min drive the wheel will be extremely hot to touch so be careful.

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...ter-93983.html $20

how one checks a wheel / rotor temp carefully

 

If it was just the outer pad, the caliper is sticking. The wear between the inner and out pad should be pretty even.

 

Both my front outside pads wear much faster than the inner ones on my 2006 r53 mcs any ideas? They are also warm after a normal drive like 145 Fahrenheit.

 

I read somewhere that if you use the cruise control a lot on your Mini, the rear brakes will wear out faster. It uses those to control your speed.

 

see but the problem is with my front brakes

 

You might want to place your question in the Gen I section as this section, and this thread, is for Third Gen MINIs.