Parts for a Brake Job

[Jakers]

Has anyone ever purchased Brake Pads and Rotors for their 540I through Advanced Auto Parts or O'Reilly's Auto parts? I hate to pay shipping for anything I can get local... Advanced has Raybestos. I have used these parts on Nissans, Corvettes etc... Any problems on BMW? I need rotors and pads front and rear.

[Eric S.]

Originally Posted by Jakers

Has anyone ever purchased Brake Pads and Rotors for their 540I through Advanced Auto Parts or O'Reilly's Auto parts? I hate to pay shipping for anything I can get local... Advanced has Raybestos. I have used these parts on Nissans, Corvettes etc... Any problems on BMW? I need rotors and pads front and rear.

You now have a BMW, and it is TOTALLY different from Corvette or Japanese cars regarding brakes. One look at the dinner platter front rotors and actual cooling ducts should tell you that.

Accordingly, the "hot" aftermarket suppliers for those other makes don't 100% apply to BMW and vice versa. I HIGHLY recommend you call (via old-fashioned phone) Dave Zeckhausen at Zeckhausenracing.com (his phone # is there) to discuss what kind of pads and rotors to buy. There are many options out there, ranging from low dust to high-temp track use, and there are trade-offs to consider for each characteristic you want.

I am not very hard on my brakes but hate OEM brake dust AND didn't have a ton of money to spend, so I bought Axxis Deluxe Plus pads from Dave Z and Brembo OEM-type rotors from getcoolparts.com. Both shipped quickly. If you are harder on brakes, then there are other pads available to answer those needs. Dave Z knows what he is doing. Call him.

[Jakers]

Just for kicks, I called the local BMW dealer. Total quote for rotors front and back, brake pads front and back and two sensors = $1,107.00 : Holy grap! Obviously, I will be shopping elsewhere. :lol:

[Eric S.]

Originally Posted by Jakers

Just for kicks, I called the local BMW dealer. Total quote for rotors front and back, brake pads front and back and two sensors = $1,107.00 : Holy grap! Obviously, I will be shopping elsewhere. :lol:

As you've found, don't go to the dealer for brake parts; I've already identified your source for that. I forgot to mention it before, but while you are ordering brake pads from Dave Z, be sure to spring the extra $100 for a set of StopTech braided s/s brake hoses. Those babies will make your brake pedal firm as a "wedding prick" (if you will).

The brakes are not difficult to work on yourself; you just need to have a couple of quirky tools, like a 6mm and 7mm hex (male) sockets. Also, if you're wear sensor warning light is lit, you will need to replace your wear sensor(s) becuase they are destructively triggered (the plastic coating is abraded) and cannot be re-used if they've been triggered.

You local dealer may actually offer decent pricing on some things. With my BMW CCA membership, my local dealer discounts 20% on parts. Examples of stuff I've bought cheapest at the dealer include: BMW "blue" anti-freeze, brake fluid, syunthetic oil, valve cover gaskets, certain BMW tools, battery, M5 sway bars, etc.

PS - there are multiple affordable AND reliable on-line sources for OEM/BMW parts: autohausAZ.com, getcoolparts.com, and alloemautoparts.com are my 3 favorites. Good experience with all 3. There are a few others out there too.

Good luck, and let us know what U decide to do.