After watching several you tube vids and reading a couple of Roundel articles I have decided I am qualified to tackle this job. My question is whether anyone out there has been satisfied with any of the cheaper aftermarket parts. OEM price (Bavarian Autosport) is $150 each for rotors and $118 for pads. Toss in $28 for a new sensor (not necessary, but recommended) and shipping and the price is $450 just for parts. I can get aftermarket kits from a wide variety for less than half that. If it were the front I was doing, I wouldn't be asking. But the rear.....ehhhh.... Any insight is greatly appreciated. Mike
Have you been told you need new rotors and pads by someone you trust? Might be worth measuring the rotors with a micrometer just to check if you're below spec or not. Just checked autohausaz.com and Bavauto.com for rear brake rotors for X5 4.8is (have no idea which model, production year & month you have) and they're showing rear rotors for less than $60/per, and Bavauto is showing a set of Mintex pads for $40, another Mintex sport for $50, Pagids for $60, BMW OEM for $100, and cool carbons for $113; AutohausAZ is showing some Mintex pads for $35.14. AutohausAZ is showing a sensor on sale for about $22. Bavauto also has a price-matching policy: http://www.bavauto.com/shop.asp?HC1=0&HTarget=sc_help.asp&HCY=&HCM=#w If a part is only available from BMW, or you want parts specifically sourced only from BMW, see if your local dealer offers a club member discount, and compare prices to the dealers advertising in the Roundel for best pricing (expect to pay OEM prices less 10-15%, or in this instance, closer to the $450 you're talking about). But, virtually all _quality_ independent shops will be sourcing their parts from oem-equivalent vendors, including the mail-order houses, so anyplace that's established, I think you can have confidence in whom you're buying from and what you're getting. Considering the safety implications of brakes, there's something to be said for dealing with trusted vendors. It's kind of like price-negotiating in a 3rd-world country with a cardiologist you know nothing about for a life-saving procedure you need - considering that sometimes you get what you pay for, is it really the best idea to go for as low as possible... The Bentley Manual for your model is always recommended as being useful for d-i-y projects, particularly if you expect you'll be tackling other things down the line. Rear brake jobs aren't rocket science, but it can be handy to have guidance from a well-written manual, plus tightening torques and what not. Rears are slightly more involved than fronts if rear parking brake adjustments/shoes end up in the mix.
Personally what I have seen with the aftermarket world is its ok to use different types of pads but as for rotors I have had a lot of problems with them warping and causing brake pulsations in the seat. Don't go cheap on the rotors stick to OEM. Also the sensor in the rear on an e70 uses and dual stage sensor. That means as the sensor wears it actually measures the pad life and sends it to the DSC (dynamic stability control) control module. Unlike the standard single stage sensor that only sets the red brake light at the end of the pads life. As for doing the brake job yourself no problem very easy with common tools.
Thank you both for the input. Mr. Garrison, you have saved me $100 and I owe you an adult beverage if you find yourself in the Boston area. Here is where things get sticky though. And I am unsure if this is good marketing or if I just bought CVS brand NyQuil instead of the real thing. The $116 brake pads from BavAuto arrived yesterday, packaged in a BMW OEM box. On the pad itself, the stamp says "Textar", followed by the OEM part number. On the AutohauzAZ website Textar pads (with the same OEM number), are listed at $67. I called Bav Auto regarding the price match policy and they said they could not help me because the parts they sent me are BMW certified in that box. Okay?.....Then asked about the $150 each rotors that have not yet been shipped. Would they would be stamped "Zimmerman", which is the OEM brand for $95 on AutoHauz website? He replied there was a very good possibility that they would. He asked if I wanted those instead. I believe that the parts would be the same, just the box wouldn't say "BMW" I ended up cancelling the Bav Auto OEMs and went with the Zimmerman OEM part number. Do either of you have any input into this fuzzy OEM manufacturer scam that seems to be going on? I buy real NyQuil at the store because it had to document the entire process for FDA approval. The CVS brand only uses the same ingredients and therefore may not be the same. The process may be different. Could the a similar thing be going on with OEM/aftermarket parts made by the same manufacturer? Also, on the BMW brake pad box it lists all the cars the pads can be used on. My 'X5 isn't among them. BavAuto said not to be concerned, it is the right part. They did not ask the last 7 of my VIN when providing me this info.
I don't have specific insight, but BMW obviously doesn't make every single part itself, including things like pads and rotors. It tells a manufacturer what it wants, specs, etc., and a manufacturer produces the parts. Once it's in a BMW box, BMW will be marking it up - the original manufacturer can offer some price savings selling what it will label a OEM-equivalent or OEM-manufacturer part that _is_ the exact same part BMW sells. There are various Bosch parts I've bought in a Bosch box with both the BMW logo and BMW part number on the part. Why? Because it's a part that only fits BMW's, or a specific BMW model, and there's no need for Bosch to undergo the expense of producing the part without the logo & part number. I think it's unlikely as far as brake rotors go, an OEM manufacturer stands to gain anything by producing a cheaper part that fits when they're already making a quality replacement.
I have replaced front and rear brakes on my E39. The job included new pads and rotors and the parking brake kit for the rear brakes (pads and spring kit). The rotors were Zimmermann with the 'Z' coat, about $50 apiece and I used ATE pads. Everything fit perfectly and I've had no issues. In fact, the new front rotors cured a slight wheel shimmy when braking from about 65 mph. If you DIY, be sure to order the disk screws that hold the disk to the hub. Cheap insurance if you break the screw trying to get it off. Also purchase some anti-seize compound and smear some on where the wheel meets the rotor to prevent it from rusting on and on the screw that holds the disk to the hub. Good Luck!
Ditto on that, it's a good idea to use new rotor set-screws every time, and anti-seize them. Obviously you don't want anti-seize on the pad-contact area of the rotor, so make sure there are no globs that might spin onto the wrong part of the rotor if you cover wheel-contact, or other, areas.
Thank you both yet again. 2 bucks each for the rotor set-screw is very cheap insurance indeed. Good advice on policing any anti-seize gobs. More drama with Bav-Auto....the brake pad sensor is not in stock and is on back order. I only found out by the slip that was in the rotor box. They are overnighting one directly to me from a distributor and will arrive tomorrow. I complained that the the website should tell you immediately when you add it to your shopping cart. Also, even though I was told I would be getting Zimmermans as my OE-E, I did not. They are Pilengas. I researched them and they have the same zinc coating and OE-E spec as the Zimmermans. No problem there aside form lousy Bav Auto communication again.
I've never had a problem with autohausaz.com but they don't always have the greatest selection. I have also had good service from pelicanparts.com whom also have some good DIY articles. The articles are based upon a 3 series but are great for general reference and in some cases, the DIY would be the same for a 5 series. For odd parts, I've had great service from BMW of South Atlanta. In my 525, the plastic trim panel in the trunk had cracked and a piece broke off. I was able to order the part and the funky fasteners.
