How is this possible? Seems incredibly soon for either of those repairs, certainly the rotors.[/

Did you decide you need pads and rotors or were you told by a mechanic? What's the rest of the information?

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It was per the dealer....just seems odd.

 

Massive red flag, IMO.

I'd make sure they aren't, er, "lying" or "just making a conservative call to make sure worn parts are called out the the owner".

Clueless looking owner brings car in for free safety inspection (not saying you look clueless)>>>SA says "oh, 20k? We can get him for brakes" and lists $1787. When you call them out, they will say "tech said they are 5mm from limit so we recommended it". Never mind the 'limit' is 2mm, which means you are at 7/10 or 70%. The beauty is most owners that fall for a 'free safety insoection' will say "go ahead'.

Just saying, could be totally wrong. If you dont know how to bend down and look at your own brakes, you should learn.

 

Have you owned this vehicle since new and it only has 20,000 miles on it?


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It depends a lot on the driving environment and on the behavior of the driver.

My first BMW had the original pads all around at 115k miles when I sold it, and the front pads still had about a third of their original pad thickness. My third BMW has 68k miles and the original pads. (My second BMW was involved in an unfortunate mishap and not around long enough to wear out brakes.)

As soon as I know I'm going to have to stop, I let my foot off the gas. Ideally, braking should only be the result of bad luck or bad planning.

Frau Putzer had a 58 mile/day rural commute when she was working. The rear brake pads on her Honda Accord lasted 145k miles. The front ones lasted 147k miles. I had a Nissan with 127k miles on the original pads when I sold it. I did a lot of long distance driving in that car. The front pads on my Chevy Cobalt only lasted 70k miles, despite me being gentle on brakes. The front wheels were always filthy with pad dust. I ordered OE replacement pads, and the dust problem is now gone. The pads have 55k miles on them and still have plenty of thickness left. So, there was something amiss with the OE pads.

BMW puts a lot of effort in making the brakes feel "linear," where braking force is proportional to the force applied to the brake pedal and on the travel of the brake pedal. That might require a pad material that is less durable that what is used on lesser cars.

 

Not to mention the Cruise Control applies brakes to slow you down if you are going Down Hill while Criuse is on. Did not know this until one night when my Third Brake Light kept lighting my inner Hatch going down hill with Cruise on

 

Yeah, I always disengage cruise control when going down a hill to gain some energy. I'm also in EcoPro, which on later BMW's (since 2014) puts the automatic transmission in neutral when coasting.

If I need to brake (due to bad luck or bad planning), I shift from "D" to "S" (moving the gearshift to the left), and then I manually downshift with the triggers on the steering wheel. This engaged engine compression braking and conserves my brake pads and rotors. This REALLY pisses people behind me off. But, that's too bad.

 

Some people are into left foot braking. It's really hard to actually keep your foot from slightly resting on the pedal. That can easily wear your brakes away. If the emergency brake is not fully releasing, that can cause issues, too. Some have a second set of brake pads, some use the main pads...so that would be a difference that may or may not affect you.

I would like to see an instrument panel indication of whether the brake lights are on except maybe once you've actually stopped. Then it might become more obvious that you've actually engaged them even slightly.

 

Some people are into left foot braking. It's really hard to actually keep your foot from slightly resting on the pedal. That can easily wear your brakes away. If the emergency brake is not fully releasing, that can cause issues, too. Some have a second set of brake pads, some use the main pads...so that would be a difference that may or may not affect you.

I would like to see an instrument panel indication of whether the brake lights are on except maybe once you've actually stopped. Then it might become more obvious that you've actually engaged them even slightly.

A friend's mid-1970's Toyota Corolla had an audible "ticker" (like turn signals have) when the brake light was activated.

 

FWIW, I've noticed the car downshifting to maintain speed on a steep downhill, but not applying the brakes. It might be happening (well, I recently traded the GT in and can't easily check!).

 

My cruise control actively brakes to reduce speed from more than 10 MPH above SET speed. I believe also that the inner brake lights are lighted during active braking.

 

Yet on my '14 F07 GT, I can feel the brakes holding my speed at only 2-3 mph over the set speed. I wonder why such a difference between models? One thing you'd want to be careful of with a 10mph threshold, however, would be an overzealous cop looking to make his quota (which they supposedly don't have,😜😜). Fortunately, here in my area of the Bluegrass, there are virtually no mountains, and the radar cops really don't bother you unless you're being really stupid (as in 15+ over). That, and that during my career in trucking, I involuntarily donated to the coffers of many a state, so now in my old age, I'm reluctant to do that any longer.

 

The rear brakes are activated as part of the traction control, grabbing the rear wheel that is spinning. If you drive in snow, that happens a lot and could be why the rear brakes wore out so soon.

 

you know the primary fix for pulstating brakes is NOT new rotors, right? Read up on 'bedding' brakes when you get a chance.

 

Actually, that is precisely the procedure I used with the new rotors.