[BKV122]

So I know the normal brake pad change symbol, and I know my brakes need to be changed. As I just hit the 0 mile mark late last week. Just ordered pads tonight.

Anyway goin out tonight to the store I get a ding my BRAKE light lights up on my dash and Inspection icon pops up as well(with the car on the lift in red). I've been driving around with 0 miles left on my pads for about 5 days with no light or ding like that, just at start up with the regular brake pad warning. I obviously don't need to change my pads right now, but are the BRAKE light and Inspect car icon normail for telling you that your pads are due???

I also took my wheels off today to check to rotors and tires for bubbles, I did clean off sand where the brake pad sensor goes to a lil platic box on the wheel well, but didn't pull anything off just wiped and blew the sand and pebbles away.

But is that a normal way for the car to tell u your pads are due to be changed?

[mike3000fl]

might be wrong but i think the mileage countdown is an estimate. after that though there is the pad wear sensor that triggers the warning itself you got 5 days later.

[ENINTY]

Sounds normal to me. But are you buying rotors as well? Normally you'd want to resurface the rotors, or get new rotors all together. BMW rotors wear pretty quickly and they may be in spec now, bit as you go through the second set of pads, you may get to the point where the rotors wear beyond spec.

Sounds like you are going to DIY, so the labor cost you save can be spent on new rotors. And you are getting the new sensors too, right?

[BKV122]

Hmm..that's what I figured it was the sensor tripping, I just found it odd how the BRAKE light lit up and staid illuminated for the whole drive.

But yea I've been hearing mixed reviews on not changing rotors if still in spec but I think im going to replace the rotors anyway just to know im good for awhile. And yep ordering sensors as well

Thanks!

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by BKV122

Hmm..that's what I figured it was the sensor tripping, I just found it odd how the BRAKE light lit up and staid illuminated for the whole drive.

But yea I've been hearing mixed reviews on not changing rotors if still in spec but I think im going to replace the rotors anyway just to know im good for awhile. And yep ordering sensors as well

Thanks!

To do a proper brake job the rotor surfaces need to be cleaned up and made smooth to original surface spec or else the new pads will bed-in in the shape of the old rotor surface, which may slightly reduce braking effiency and longevity. If you pay to resurface the rotors you've done two things, spent money on resurfacing that could have gone for new rotors, and most likely thinned the rotors even more to get the surface back to spec, which could possibly cause the rotors to go below thickness spec during the life of the new pads and possibly warp (requiring replacement) when you have a decent amount of pad life left. If the rotors warp and need replacement, then now you have the opposite problem, semi-old pads that do not have a smooth surface, which will now affect the surface of the new rotors, possibly cause hot spots until the pads rebed-in into the new rotors.

[e90pilot]

I had my rear pad replaced under the service plan. They didn't touch the rotors. I have 125k now and the rotors need to be replaced but they're not bad. I don't know if the dealership resurfaced them or not. If you get any metal on metal contact from the pad backplate, the rotor is F'ed and will need to be replaced.

Oh and the mileage counter on the service info page is actually intelligent. I went to a track day and it ticked down over 800mi on the rear and over 1000 on the front.