[derek.megyesi]

Hi all,

First off, I just want to thank everyone for their helpful contributions.

Back in January of 2020, I replaced both the rear rotors and pads on my 2018 BMW. Now I have been told that my front pads and rotors are gone as well.

Note: I have a separate posting about the quick brake wear at:
https://f48.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1744670

Anyhow, when I look at the cost estimate for the 2 jobs, I see quite a discrepancy.

Rear Brakes and Rotors
Rear Brake Rotor $120.16 x 2 = $240.32
Rear Brake Pads set $123.68 x 1 = $123.68
Rear Brake pads sensor $26.00 x 1 = $26.00

Front Brakes and Rotors
Front brake rotor $140.17 x 2 = $280.34
Front brake pads set $258.50 x 1 = $258.50
Front brake pads sensor $59.77 x 1 = $59.77

Why is there such a difference between the brake pad sets and sensors?

[CliveL]

I just had my front and rear pads changed at my local BMW dealership (not discs/rotors though, thankfully) and the part prices were as follows. All prices are GBP inc. VAT (sales tax) at 20%:

Front pads - £125 (part number 34106860019)
Front sensor - £23 (part number 34356888167)

Rear pads - £85 (part number 34216859917)
Rear sensor - £23 (part number 34356865612)

The front and rear sensors were different part numbers, but the exact same price. There's one sensor for the front axle, and one for the rear.

EDIT: Added part numbers. These are for my UK 2016 X1 xLine xDrive 20i with "regular" brakes, not M Sport or anything like that...

[Skyline2.0]

Derek,

Generally, front brakes are much more critical than the rear when it comes to stopping power. The pricing, in part, may reflect the importance of the front brake parts over the rear.

I have some suggestions on saving $$. If you're looking at buying OEM parts through a BMW dealer, I've been successful at convincing the Parts Dept to apply a 15% discount on non-special order items (e.g., fluids, etc). Develop a rapport with the Parts Rep and be friendly - you'll be surprised what it gets you. Always ask for the cost breakdown before asking for a discount as I've come across shady Reps (from a different car company) that just marks up the price 15% then applies a 15% "discount," which is no different than no discount at all. I don't know how flexible the Service Rep will be in discounting the parts cost though.

If you're looking at aftermarket or non-dealer purchased OEM parts, search around online and do your own price comparison. I'm a strong advocate of fcpeuro's products and customer service, which I believe may ship to Canada too. You should confirm fcpeuro's shipping services if you're interested. From my experience, Akebono brake pads and Zimmerman rotors perform equally well as BMW OEM parts, and is much cheaper. If you're looking to bring in your own parts for service at a BMW dealer, confirm they'll even install your parts first before you go through all the effort and expense of buying it upfront.

[Xorbitman]

There's already a post about brakes...you can check additional information on our thread.

[Xorbitman]

Originally Posted by derek.megyesi

Hi all,

First off, I just want to thank everyone for their helpful contributions.

Back in January of 2020, I replaced both the rear rotors and pads on my 2018 BMW. Now I have been told that my front pads and rotors are gone as well.

Note: I have a separate posting about the quick brake wear at:
https://f48.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1744670

Anyhow, when I look at the cost estimate for the 2 jobs, I see quite a discrepancy.

Rear Brakes and Rotors
Rear Brake Rotor $120.16 x 2 = $240.32
Rear Brake Pads set $123.68 x 1 = $123.68
Rear Brake pads sensor $26.00 x 1 = $26.00

Front Brakes and Rotors
Front brake rotor $140.17 x 2 = $280.34
Front brake pads set $258.50 x 1 = $258.50
Front brake pads sensor $59.77 x 1 = $59.77

Why is there such a difference between the brake pad sets and sensors?

Hi. There's a Canadian Company called DBC: https://www.crossdrilledrotors.ca/ that sells compatible rotors and pads for the X1. They are Canadian made and the set can be purchased for $705 not including the sensors. They have a special going on at the moment for $500 and this price is for all 4! This is for their most expensive set: They're stainless steel and ask for the Zinc Coating. It offers an extra level of protection against rust. Unless you need to go to a dealer I would suggest a good garage that will do it for about $100 per corner. So the total for the Front should be about $200 plus tax. My local garage here in Montreal was going to charge me about $50 for the 2 sets of front and rear sensors, also a good price. You need one for the front and one for the rear. My X1 was purchased in late January 2019 as a 2018 and the brake rotors were finished at just under 20k Kms! So I brought it to my dealer's attention and complained that I've never seen anything like it. My local garage put it on the lift for me and all for rotors were completely rusted inside out while the pads were still good. It's important to note and I told this to the dealer that my X1 was manufactured in Germany in late 2017 and shipped to a dealer in Quebec city and it probably sat on the lot there for close to a year before I bought it and I used that as an argument with them saying that this was definitely the reason the rotors rusted and pitted. So they replaced all 4 rotors and pads under warranty and they also did a brake / caliper service. If you feel that you have a similar issue you should talk to your service manager and sales rep that sold you the vehicle. Be polite, pleasant but firm. They have a certain amount of discretion for good will from BMW Canada. Good Luck. They're closed today as they're from Ontario. If the dealer and BMW wasn't going to cover this I had a plan B to buy the same rotors from DBC. BTW - Myself and a good r friend of mine bought from them before. I put cross-drilled rotors front and back for my 2012 Infiniti G37xS Coupe (red) sports car and he bought them for his Audi S4 and they're really good after a few years already and are still on the cars!

[derek.megyesi]

Hi all,

I managed to cut a deal with the local BMW dealer here in Calgary and got a 10% deal on the brakes. $800. Same price as everyone else + I get a 2020 X6 as a rental for the day

[Jack Watts]

was just looking around at brake pads and rotors (rears were done before I got the car, at 20K miles?), and at some point I guess I'll need to do the fronts. It seems these cars eat brakes for some reason.

Agreed on the post above about Akebono pads and Zimmerman rotors. I'm used this combo on other cars and been very happy.

Two things come to mind: the dealer has insane markup on those parts (you can find OEM pads for about $150 from a reputable seller), and the parts are overpriced from BMW, even excluding the mark-up.

It's not like these are a set of Endless brake pads or some other esoteric pad--they aren't even that good! $250 for a very average OEM pad is craziness, IMO.

[lonegun]

Got the pads + rotors + sensors for front and back for $470 Canadian

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07LCXBZW7

Replaced them all. So far so good!

[derek.megyesi]

lonegun Respect. Did you do the work yourself?

[lonegun]

Originally Posted by derek.megyesi

lonegun Respect. Did you do the work yourself?

Unfortunately not. The rear emergency brake requires the dealership's software to unlock, so not even normal auto shop can do it without possibly damaging it according to my mechanic. So did them in the dealership for about $550 total I think

[Skyline2.0]

Brake pads and rotors can be a 1 person job with right tools. Emergency brake can be wound back manually by removing the actuator motor but ideal was is to wind it back with an appropriate diagnostic tool, which can be purchased by a DIYer. I personally have the Maxicheck MX808 and did a rear brake job myself. But, I can see a shop playing it safe by not accepting a job if they can't place the emergency brake in service mode electronically.