[NVHoo]

Just had to replace all the pads and rotors at 35K miles on my 128, my first BMW. According to posts I've seen over the years on the 1 board, this is not unusual. Every other sporty car I have owned (mostly Audis) had the pads last twice as long and the rotors were still OK. Everything I have read on the 1 and 2 series forum leads me to believe that BMW pads and rotors are unusually soft (thus all the dust). I've also seen comments on the 1 board that the clutch is a 60K part on the manual tranny (I have an auto and an Audi clutch will go at least 100K).

Since a manual 2 series is one of my top 2 contenders for my next car, is the 2 series experiencing similar wear on those items?

[rightrudder]

Good question, I'm curious about this too. Clutch wear is so driver/technique dependent...I'd like to think that with care (and minimal abuse) you could go past 100K miles with the original clutch.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by NVHoo

Just had to replace all the pads and rotors at 35K miles on my 128, my first BMW. According to posts I've seen over the years on the 1 board, this is not unusual. Every other sporty car I have owned (mostly Audis) had the pads last twice as long and the rotors were still OK. Everything I have read on the 1 and 2 series forum leads me to believe that BMW pads and rotors are unusually soft (thus all the dust). I've also seen comments on the 1 board that the clutch is a 60K part on the manual tranny (I have an auto and an Audi clutch will go at least 100K).

Since a manual 2 series is one of my top 2 contenders for my next car, is the 2 series experiencing similar wear on those items?

We had a 135i, no issues with the clutch in over 100,000km, it also had a Cobb stage 1 tune for a significant portion of those kilometres. The current owner has been thrashing the car mercilessly, but no mention of clutch issues. We got 95,000km to the brake pads and the rotors had 0.1mm above minimum thickness so another set of pads could be fitted without rotors (I'm used to about 60,000km on 3 previous BMWs between sets), bearing in mind we also used 4 sets of tyres to that one set of brake pads, so the car wasn't driven too sedately. My experience with our Golf R (same brakes as the Audi S3) is that it doesn't have as good braking capability as any BMW I have owned and will likely need pads and rotors at about the same interval as on the BMWs.

Also, the E46 3-series we used to own still had no clutch issues when we sold it with over 170,000km on it and the Z4M that I had that saw quite a bit of track use in the 90,000km I owned it and ate through rear tyres about every 15,000km on the road never had any clutch issues, even with a lot of tyre spinning starts. I've always found BMWs to have sturdy clutches that can take a lot of abuse. With the 2016 Golf R (and the equivalent Euro-only manual Audi S3), the clutches have a reputation for being weak with quite a few people destroying them in the first year of ownership.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by NVHoo

Just had to replace all the pads and rotors at 35K miles on my 128, my first BMW. According to posts I've seen over the years on the 1 board, this is not unusual. Every other sporty car I have owned (mostly Audis) had the pads last twice as long and the rotors were still OK. Everything I have read on the 1 and 2 series forum leads me to believe that BMW pads and rotors are unusually soft (thus all the dust). I've also seen comments on the 1 board that the clutch is a 60K part on the manual tranny (I have an auto and an Audi clutch will go at least 100K).

Since a manual 2 series is one of my top 2 contenders for my next car, is the 2 series experiencing similar wear on those items?

Are you sure you really "needed" the rotors replaced? I find it tough to believe they were below spec at 35k. Was this a dealer, indy or yourself that did the work?

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by B58togo

Are you sure you really "needed" the rotors replaced? I find it tough to believe they were below spec at 35k. Was this a dealer, indy or yourself that did the work?

I tried to find the minimum thickness specs on the 1 forum and elsewhere so I was forearmed going in but failed so I had to go with the mechanic's finding. However, the 1 forum is littered with folks who had their rotors replaced around 35K miles at the dealer so I was not surprised.

Also, it is my understanding that the minimum thickness spec needs to be maintained for the life of the new pad. That is, if you barely meet the minimums when replacing the pad, you are soon going to be driving on rotors that are below minimum, so save some labor and do it when doing the pads.

Sounds like the life of the 2 series brakes and clutch are substantially better than the 1 series. As for comparison of Audi brakes vs BMW brakes, for my 128 and the 230 (without the track package) I've test driven, IMO the brakes are similar to most base model Audis. The M240 that I've test driven has brakes substantially better than base model Audis. However, I can get similar performance on a base Audi if I upgrade to EBS red stuff pads and EBC slotted rotors.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by NVHoo

Also, it is my understanding that the minimum thickness spec needs to be maintained for the life of the new pad. That is, if you barely meet the minimums when replacing the pad, you are soon going to be driving on rotors that are below minimum, so save some labor and do it when doing the pads.

From the BMW TIS (which should also be reflected in the INPA documents), section 34 11 220 "Removing and installing or replacing both front brake discs" for the E82 128i "New brake linings may only be installed if the brake thickness is greater than or equal to the minimum brake disc thickness (MIN TH)". For the 128i front rotor this is 22.4mm, for the rear 18.4mm. The new rotor thickness is 1.6mm greater than this value (24.0mm and 20.0mm respectively), from all the BMWs I have owned, this is the standard wear limit.

It is important to use mechanics (including oneself for that matter) who have access to the correct documentation to follow the BMW procedures for maintenance, as applicable.

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by aerobod

From the BMW TIS (which should also be reflected in the INPA documents), section 34 11 220 "Removing and installing or replacing both front brake discs" for the E82 128i "New brake linings may only be installed if the brake thickness is greater than or equal to the minimum brake disc thickness (MIN TH)". For the 128i front rotor this is 22.4mm, for the rear 18.4mm. The new rotor thickness is 1.6mm greater than this value (24.0mm and 20.0mm respectively), from all the BMWs I have owned, this is the standard wear limit.

It is important to use mechanics (including oneself for that matter) who have access to the correct documentation to follow the BMW procedures for maintenance, as applicable.

That is very minimal wear for requiring replacement!

[XutvJet]

Keep in mind that you want "soft" pads as they equate to better braking performance. Just like performance tires, performance brakes have a MUCH higher rate of wear. It should be expected to replace your pads on a sports/sporty car every 30K to 50K miles and possibly the front rotors in around that time frame.

If cost is a concern to you, then I suggest learning how to replace pads and rotors yourself. It's silly easy and it's SILLY how much shops charge for brake work. LOL

As for the clutch, BMW clutches are quite robust. However, if a new or mediocre driver owns the car, well who knows how long the clutch will last.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by NVHoo

That is very minimal wear for requiring replacement!

Should be good for 2 or 3 sets of stock BMW pads, in the case of our 135i, that would be about 190,000km (120,000 miles), with the rotors worn down 1.5mm at the first pad change and 3.0mm when the rotors are discarded after the second set of pads are worn out. Seems quite reasonable to me, considering the braking performance compared with other cars in the same price range. Just got to deal with that brake dust

[B58togo]

Think I'm going to try EBC Reds on my first pad swap. Only at 11k now, but I like to research things well in advance.

[Lucky13]

My 2007 335 convertible went through rear pads first at 35,000 and then front pads at 45,000. My independent did the rotors with the pads at about 60% of what the dealer wanted.

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by B58togo

Think I'm going to try EBC Reds on my first pad swap. Only at 11k now, but I like to research things well in advance.

Put them on my Audi, replacing the OEM at 65K. Went with EBC sloted rotors and red stuff pads. Did not need to replace the rotors but I got some for free from a friend. My research indicated the yellow stuff pad was more track oriented and had some squeal issues. Also read the cross-drilled & slotted EBC rotors had noticeable "swoosh" sound at low speed braking. I've tried Hawk HPS and Mintex red pads paired with Zimmerman factory cross-drilled rotors and they were quiet and had much lower dust than OEM with initial bite not much better than OEM. The difference in initial bite with the EBC is phenomenal! Quiet and much lower dust.

I would have gone with EBC on the 128 but my son is the primary driver and he did not want to take the time for me to find the best deal on EBC so he went with a local shop that specialized in Akebono. He said the difference in initial bite was not dramatic but he expects lower dust.

If you go with EBC, I found the best prices on Amazon. Then I called the EBC company store and they matched the Amazon price so you know you are getting genuine parts at a great price. Parts were delivered the next day.

[esp260]

BMW has replaced 2 sets of front rotors and pads and 1 set of rears for me and I just passes 30k miles.

[Maynard]

I expect that the use of brakes as part of the traction control/stability system will also increase wear beyond what would have been normal on older cars, since the brakes work for that as well. Also much variability from environment - areas with high-abrasive dust/sand will wear rotors faster. Overall, 30k on a set of pads isn't bad to me (for performance pads) - the person who's gone through 2 sets in that period has me wondering if they are resting their foot on the brake. Rotors on these are also designed for both stopping and light weight - not longevity, so no surprise they only just outlast the pads. If you don't care about unsprung weight you make them beefy and cheap (and the dealers will still tell you they need replacing just to pad the bill).

[Kolyan2k]

German performance cars seem to eat through brakes and clutches. I noticed in Porsche forums people tend to go through clutches every 50k.

Not sure if this has anything to do with performance or just shitty quality. My S2000 was on original rear brakes and rotors at 80k+ and I just replaced fronts at 75k, clutches can go easy close to 200k miles. S2k also had stability control, same as BMW btw

My 07 335i had brakes + rotors done around 40-45k, clutch was fine.....sold the car at 50k

[SteveInfante]

I'm at 65K miles on my 228 and my clutch is still feels great. I've been driving manual cars for 25 years. The brakes are still holding on strong but the iDrive is telling me I have about 5K left in the fronts according the what the wear sensors are telling it.

[Kolyan2k]

I hope I go through the brakes before my free maintenance ends I got lucky with 335i, but somehow I feel this times it's gonna be right outside the maintenance plan

[morphomeman]

Trying to measure break wear in terms of mileage makes no sense, since wear depends on a person's breaking behavior, which can't be measured in any sensible way. Some people, like me, avoid breaking in casual driving, while others accelerate like mad to the next red light, so that they can stomp on the break pedal and start all over again when the light turns green. Unless you have a meter hooked up to the throttle and the breaks . . .

[9t2hoo]

The clutch on my E92 was still going strong after 78,000 miles of city driving. I have no concerns about BMW clutches

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by esp260

BMW has replaced 2 sets of front rotors and pads and 1 set of rears for me and I just passes 30k miles.

No wonder they removed rotors and pads from the free maintenance for 2017 on....

[esp260]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

No wonder they removed rotors and pads from the free maintenance for 2017 on....

Admittedly, most of the wear were from driving clinics and track days. Just glad I didn't have to pay out of pocket for these replacements and BMW replaced it with no questions asked!

On another note, I am a bit disappointed that the rotors also needed to be replaced from the track days (I understand if it were just the pads). The first time around, the front rotors warped. Second time around, there was "cracking" of some time (not sure where) and BMW replaced both pads and rotors. My brake pedal had felt spongy and sunk much lower than expected so I took it in for service.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by esp260

Admittedly, most of the wear were from driving clinics and track days. Just glad I didn't have to pay out of pocket for these replacements and BMW replaced it with no questions asked!

On another note, I am a bit disappointed that the rotors also needed to be replaced from the track days (I understand if it were just the pads). The first time around, the front rotors warped. Second time around, there was "cracking" of some time (not sure where) and BMW replaced both pads and rotors. My brake pedal had felt spongy and sunk much lower than expected so I took it in for service.

Do you have the THP? the stock 228 floating caliper brakes are not as good as the fixed caliper brakes on the m235.... so might not be up for that much (ab)use