[Phil G]

So, I just took my car in for inspection at the local dealership (they were offering discounts on the service, so went there rather than the independent shop). Although iDrive says I have 2,000 miles to go, the dealership said I need new rear brake pads and quick. They told me they charge $385 for the service, so I politely declined and decided to look into doing it myself.

I read the DIY and it looks pretty straightforward, and I like to think of myself as a somewhat handy guy. It looks like something I can accomplish on my own. However, my experience working on cars pretty much revolves around electrical components, not so much mechanics. Is this a job that a rookie mechanic like me should have no problem accomplishing, or is the job really harder than the DIY makes it look? Considering I am working on my car's brakes, I want to be sure about this before I dive into the job! I really would like to save 75% on the cost of brake pad replacement and gain some new mechanical experience if I can!

Oh, and will the rotors require any attention as well? I'm at 57k miles now. Thanks!

[HRC]

Changing pads is easy, rotors a bit more involved, but still pretty easy. You need some special tools though, so make sure you have everything lined up including little things like brake cleaner, rubber mallet, etc...

Danny

[ENINTY]

First off, is the brake pad replacement light on? Your service indicator is giving you an estimate of how much pad life is left. It is not accurate down to the mile, which is why BMW has a brake pad wear indicator system. The indicator will light and ding upon startup and when you shut off the engine if the wear indictor has worn to the point where it triggers the light.

Replacing the pads is not difficult, but for you it will be a learning experience and as previously said, you'll need special tools. I recommend if you are interested in servicing the car yourself then invest in the Bentley repair manual. The special tools you'll need are a jack, jackstands, lugbolt wrench, torque wrench, Allen sockets, 1/2-drive socket set and ratchet wrench, 3/8-drive socket set and ratchet wrench, small screw driver (to remove the wear indicator sensor), hammer & wood block (if you want to remove the rotors), caliper piston closing tool (or a large c-clamp). An automotive "dental pick" is also usefull for this brake jobs on BMWs too.

You have to partially remove the right rear fender liner to get to the sensor connector to replace the wear sensor, which if I remember correctly requires 8 and 10 MM nut drivers and a possibly a Phillips screw driver.

The price they gave you doesn't seem way out of line for the work, but what are they giving you? Do they resurface the rotors or replace them?

If you don’t have access to the tools mentioned above and have to buy them, then you’ll spend way much more money than the labor charge to have the work done. If you don’t plan on working on cars for a good period of your life, then it is not worth the investment in the tools IMO.

If you don't like the dealer price, then get an independent BMW mechanic to quote it. The rotors, pads and sensor alone are nearly $200 in parts.

[Bcube]

$200 per side if you go OEM. 335i has big brakes/rotor.

To OP, I had all for four brake pad sets replaced with OEM and a brake fluid flush by an Indy at ~60K miles. The rotors were still good and were not changed.

I am coming up on another brake change and the (original) rotors will be changed this time. I will DIY as I have the tools.

[HRC]

Not sure but it has been noted that at least on newer bmw's, the rotors should be replaced with the pads.

Danny

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by HRC

Changing pads is easy, rotors a bit more involved, but still pretty easy. You need some special tools though, so make sure you have everything lined up including little things like brake cleaner, rubber mallet, etc...

Danny

+1. Buy the OE parts online and DIY.

[BKV122]

I just changed my front pads and rotors last weekend, it was my first brake job and was very simple, and have no problems after the job. Rotors looked good but decided to replace them anyway just for good measure.

Rotors are a piece of cake, one 6mm hex set screw, wack it off with a rubber mallet, put new one on, set screw in, and your good. I added a lil write up in Mr. 5's DIY on the last page for my take on the job.
Just spray some Penetrating Oil on the two caliper bolts for easier removal. I also watched a YouTube video of a guy doing brakes on a E46 and a ford torus to familiarize myself with the job.

Im no A+ mechanic but I do consider my self handy around the house and always look to see if I can do a job myself.

[E90330iS]

can anyone tell me the parts needed to do a brake pad change?

[Phil G]

Thanks for the responses everyone! So, it looks like the general consensus is that this isn't a job I shouldn't feel comfortable doing (but of course, still do with care as with any other maintainence job). Car maintanence and (light) repair is a hobby I have been wanting to get into for a while, so I think the tools will be worth the investment. However, many of these tools I already have. I found the Bentley manual for $80 at Amazon and plan on buying it.....even if I didn't do maintanence at all it would just be great to get to know the car!

ENINETY, my iDrive says that my rear pads have 2900 miles left. The car doesn't warn me upon startup or shutdown that my pads are too low yet, so I'm thinking even though the dealership said they need to be replaced they probably still have a little life left in them. What do you think? It looks like they will need to be replaced relatively soon anyway, so I'm thinking it would be good order the parts now from Tischer. As far as the rotors I don't know.....I'm guessing I should just wait for the Bentley manual to come in and see if they are within specs???

[E90330iS]

Good luck phil! How did you find out what parts you need?

[bman8]

If the wheels bolts are hard to take off, try a 24inch 1/2" drive breaker bar with 17mm socket.

[BKV122]

Originally Posted by E90330iS

Good luck phil! How did you find out what parts you need?

Go to getbmwparts.com aka Trischer, that's the best place to get cheap OE parts.

For a break job you'll need, front/rear pads, 1 brake sensor for the front and 1 for the rear, and front/rear rotors.

[Phil G]

Originally Posted by E90330iS

Good luck phil! How did you find out what parts you need?

Hey, sorry I never answered this the first time. Yes, go to getBMWparts and the site will ask you for your year and model, then pull up exactly the parts you need. Everyone here has been using them for OEM parts because they are usually a good deal cheaper and have a good rep. iDrive is telling me I still have 11k miles on my front brakes, so I'm only replacing the rears for now.

It looks like people here are saying to measure the rotors thickness to see if they are within specs too before going ahead and replacing them. I think the min thickness I found here is 20.4 mm, is that correct everyone?

[Bcube]

Yes. 20.4mm is the min thickness for a 335i. If the rotors are turned or machined - then 0.8mm is the max amount of material to be taken off each side of the disc.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by Phil G

Thanks for the responses everyone! So, it looks like the general consensus is that this isn't a job I shouldn't feel comfortable doing (but of course, still do with care as with any other maintainence job). Car maintanence and (light) repair is a hobby I have been wanting to get into for a while, so I think the tools will be worth the investment. However, many of these tools I already have. I found the Bentley manual for $80 at Amazon and plan on buying it.....even if I didn't do maintanence at all it would just be great to get to know the car!

ENINETY, my iDrive says that my rear pads have 2900 miles left. The car doesn't warn me upon startup or shutdown that my pads are too low yet, so I'm thinking even though the dealership said they need to be replaced they probably still have a little life left in them. What do you think? It looks like they will need to be replaced relatively soon anyway, so I'm thinking it would be good order the parts now from Tischer. As far as the rotors I don't know.....I'm guessing I should just wait for the Bentley manual to come in and see if they are within specs???

Sounds like the dealer was just trying to get you in for a brake job. The 2,900 miles is just an estimate. Wait for the light to trigger, you still have a good amount of miles left on the pads when the light triggers (based on what my pads looked like when I replaced them).

As far as ordering from Tischer, see how much the shipping will be. Four rotors and two pad sets are quite heavy. I did buy my parts from Tischer (as I've been doing for the past 14 years or so), but I picked them up at the counter because I was able to be in the area and was concerned about the shipping costs. I'd see if your local dealer can get close to Tischer's price with you picking up the parts. Just a thought. Good luck with it.

[axztx]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Sounds like the dealer was just trying to get you in for a brake job. The 2,900 miles is just an estimate. Wait for the light to trigger, you still have a good amount of miles left on the pads when the light triggers (based on what my pads looked like when I replaced them).

As far as ordering from Tischer, see how much the shipping will be. Four rotors and two pad sets are quite heavy. I did buy my parts from Tischer (as I've been doing for the past 14 years or so), but I picked them up at the counter because I was able to be in the area and was concerned about the shipping costs. I'd see if your local dealer can get close to Tischer's price with you picking up the parts. Just a thought. Good luck with it.

I bought rear pads, rear rotors and rear brake sensor and Tischer charged me $10 shipping.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by axztx

I bought rear pads, rear rotors and rear brake sensor and Tischer charged me $10 shipping.

That's why Tischer is the best! BTW I was also buying a gallon of rear diff oil at the time, which was only sold in bulk (from a 55 gal. drum) so I had to bring my own container. Next time I'll save the trouble and have them ship the parts.