E39 brake issues

[mrogers]

Hey guys, looooong time no see. I've got a couple things that need to be taken care of on my car but money is really tight right now so I was hoping for some economical advice.

The brakes. It's time for them. The brake sensors came on not too long ago, and I'm just starting to get the slightest hint of a squeak sometimes when braking. My question is: how do I know (before I get it in for a brake job) if the rotors need to be replaced? I see people saying replace them every time, I see people saying they'll last -- I don't drive very hard and I certainly don't brake very hard, there is no wobbling or vibration at all so I know they're not warped. I can't do the brake job myself (because I don't have the time OR a garage to do it in), but I like to buy parts online to get a good deal and then take them to my mechanic. I'm looking at Axxis pads from Zeckhausen ($74 front/$33 rear), and I've found Balo rotors for about $70 front/each and $35 rear/each. Plus the sensors of course, so another $25 there. Does anyone think I can just get away with doing pads? Is there a decently quick way I can check for sure? Thanks.

[LOS]

Usually rotors are replace every other time you replace your pads. I can't remember the minimum rotor thickness at the moment.
My front brake job was under $500 including rotors. I have mintex pads, no problems.
check www.autohausaz.com for possible cheaper deal.

LOS

[Eric S.]

Originally Posted by LOS

Usually rotors are replace every other time you replace your pads. I can't remember the minimum rotor thickness at the moment.
My front brake job was under $500 including rotors. I have mintex pads, no problems.
check www.autohausaz.com for possible cheaper deal.

LOS

You will most likely need to get your existing rotors machined, especially if you are changing pads to Axxis (Deluxe Plus I assume, excellent choice). When I bought my Axxis D+ pads from David Zeckhausen, I bought my Brembo OEM-type rotors from Getcoolparts.com for $194 shipped to my door for all 4. I have at least 10K on them and could not be happier. if you drive hard, however, the Axxis D+ may not hold up over the long term (I am relatively easy on my car), and you may want to consider Ultimates instead.

Just go with whatever Dave Z recommends for pads after you tell him how you drive. The only other thing I can say about the rotors is to get someone to measure them with a micrometer ahead of time to confirm whether they're comfortably above minimum thickness (or will be, after machining). To me, it was much easier to just get new rotors.

BTW, if you get new, OEM type rotors, get yourself some high-temp BBQ grill black paint and paint the hubs (non-pad-contact-area) prior to installing them - the black will look much better than rust (which they will eventually do in this area, and it's visible through at least my wheels). If you can afford it, zinc, cad, or similar rust-proof plating is preferable to painting them. I think the Zimmerman rotors come that way. but it's more $$.

[ozarkmark]

I recently had my brakes replaced on the front and went with the Mintex. Although they do not seem to have the same stopping power I have much less dust.
As for the rotors, you will probably need to replace these if they are too worn. Mine were worn down enough that the shop could have machined them BUT they would have needed replacing sooner than the next set of pads. So I replaced them with some Wagner OEM replacements. If you notice a large lip around the edge of your rotors then they probably need replacing. JMHO.

I had Midas do all the work and I simply brought the parts to them including the wear sensor for the right front. The rear brakes are OK for now.