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horrible brake pad wear and DIY replacement?

9K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Dragonfly 
#1 ·
hi, my mums car has 25,000km (15,000miles) on it and the rear pads are good for another 1-2000km according to mini with a quote of AUD $495 to replace (about USD$390) just for the pads.

is it normal for these cars to go through pads that quickly?

she doesn't use cruise control ever and she does drive very cautiously, i just don't understand how the pads went through so quickly. from a quick forum search everyone is getting about 30,000 miles from their rear pads before needing to replace them.

either way. i have found a new set or rear pads (OEM BMW) for AUD$130 and was wondering if anything needs to be reset after it is fitted?

have swapped pads in other cars many times before but i know some cars require resetting and other technical stuff..

thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Agree with the above, you can definitely change them yourself, if the wear sensor hasnt triggered then you can continue to use them, if it has triggered, you will need to replace that sensor. Have a look for decent aftermarket pads, they generally speaking are better made, last longer and brake better than oem and moght even be cheaper.
 
#6 ·
Even if the wear sensor is tripped you can get around replacing it. All you do is clip the end off, strip and splice the two wires, tape or otherwise protect the splice from the elements, and tuck them out of the way. I used a couple coats of liquid insulation and a wire tie to keep it put of the way. You'll never have to replace a sensor again. All the sensor is is a wire loop in a plastic block that rubs against the rotor until it wears the wire in two creating an open circuit and setting off the alarm/light. Brakes are expensive enough on these cars even without having to replace a useless (IMO) sensor. In the last 50+ years of owning cars in several countries I never had brake sensors until my R56 and now my F56. I did this on the R56 and as soon as the sensors go on my F car I'm doing the same thing.
 
#7 ·
Be careful, the R56 has a different sensor to the F56,
R56 is a one stage sensor so the wires can be twisted together to trick ECU.
F56 has a two stage sensor and works by way of resistance.
Hence the two stage warning, replace brakes soon on vehicle information and then the red warning on dash.
I think if you twist wires together it will just show a fault down to the resistance.
 
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