[rvt1000]

Are you kidding me? I knew this was gonna be expensive, but ..... $900 per axle at an independent??

How hard are aftermarket ones to put on. I can find pads and rotors online for under $500. Canyon / commuter no track day (for now). Are experience with any of the below? Do the aftermarket lose the sensors or anything?

https://brakeperformance.com/brake-r...brake-kit.php?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074RL1Z2Z/?tag=powsto08-20

Ceramic vs semi-metallic? The ceramic are cleaner and quieter, correct?

Thanks for your replies!!!

[Maynard]

$500 for all the parts you need? Sure, and you can probably find some vagrant to jack it and slap those Amazon parts in for another hundred or so like you see on youtube; you can plow the savings into one of those cheap term life insurance policies, and it is a huge win-win. You do know that 'Amazon' is Taiwaneese for counterfeit, right?

At least go w/ somebody reputable who is selling quality parts (e.g. fcpeuro will do lifetime replacement; zeckhausen is a brake mecca; and mike at Extreme power house is all over these boards). I'm sure many will chime in that brakes are 'simple', just bolt ons really. But not something to mess with the learning curve on, unless you have some somebody to help who knows whats up - and if you had that you would not be posting here. I found that the guys who do local track inspections were willing to show me while doing it, which helped me realize all the things I'd have missed trying to DIY from a video.

Or find a BIMRS certified place, use good parts, and bite the bullet. 900/per does sound high, but there is a lot they will probably do besides just swap parts (fluid flush w/ ISTA?, really checking and cleaning caliper seals etc? bearings? - all a good idea if this is the first brake service). And there is a lot of damage to be done by lift-monkeys who don't know what they are doing. A CCA membership will probably pay for itself here with the 10% discount, and they'll likely know of local BMW-friendly shops in your area.

[rvt1000]

Originally Posted by Maynard

$500 for all the parts you need? Sure, and you can probably find some vagrant to jack it and slap those Amazon parts in for another hundred or so like you see on youtube; you can plow the savings into one of those cheap term life insurance policies, and it is a huge win-win. You do know that 'Amazon' is Taiwaneese for counterfeit, right?

At least go w/ somebody reputable who is selling quality parts (e.g. fcpeuro will do lifetime replacement; zeckhausen is a brake mecca; and mike at Extreme power house is all over these boards). I'm sure many will chime in that brakes are 'simple', just bolt ons really. But not something to mess with the learning curve on, unless you have some somebody to help who knows whats up - and if you had that you would not be posting here. I found that the guys who do local track inspections were willing to show me while doing it, which helped me realize all the things I'd have missed trying to DIY from a video.

Or find a BIMRS certified place, use good parts, and bite the bullet. 900/per does sound high, but there is a lot they will probably do besides just swap parts (fluid flush w/ ISTA?, really checking and cleaning caliper seals etc? bearings? - all a good idea if this is the first brake service). And there is a lot of damage to be done by lift-monkeys who don't know what they are doing. A CCA membership will probably pay for itself here with the 10% discount, and they'll likely know of local BMW-friendly shops in your area.

Thanks for the info. I asked about the two products above because someone mentioned one by name on another posting, which i happened to find on Amazon. The second I found via a quick search, the product is made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty and that was a sale pric. But thanks again for the other products to check.

And "amazon" isn't anything in Twaineese or Mandarin Chinese. It's origins are english.....

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by rvt1000

Are you kidding me? I knew this was gonna be expensive, but ..... $900 per axle at an independent??

First, brake jobs have been money-spinners for dealers and independents since...forever. Think...book-rate labor...marked-up parts...etc.

Given that, Maynard has excellent points:

1) Make sure you know what you're getting into (i.e., quality of parts and labor); and,

2) Be cognizant of the trade-offs you're taking on.

There is no question that the average owner can realize significant savings on the average brake job.

Generally, the main question is whether the owner is able to realize those savings. Read: if your brake system is welded together by corrosion, there may well be few savings to be had.

OTOH, if your braking system is spic-n-span and disassembles with little effort, and you know what you're doing (e.g., which bolts must be replaced before reassembly, which grease to use where, etc.), it can be a pretty straightforward exercise.

[cooolone2]

R1 Concepts is a great product I've used on many of my vehicles. Can get the original replacement, with their best pads for $900 front & rear... Ok if you're not tracking the car. Can save more if you use different rotors. Brake job is just about the easiest thing you can do mechanical on a car. Check Google and YouTube before you want to roll up your sleeves and jump in. You'll need some tools, and special tools that can make it easier but not completely necessary. Biggest thing is to compress the caliper piston back so you can fit the pads back into the caliper and have room to slide it back over the rotor. You'll probably want to flush the brake fluid too if you haven't had that done.

Good Luck

[gosi]

Just FYI on my experience. I had cheap-ish rotors once on my car. I ended up paying for an OEM set after a few months, so I spent double the money with the extra labour. After hard braking the car would shudder and shake. We tried redoing the surface and replacing the rear rotors since my mechanic thought they were the issue.

After that I switched mechanics. My new mechanic had a good point in that cheap brakes belong on a 100hp car where they will be just fine. Cheap brakes on a performance car are a big no no. Much more demanding on the brakes and owners of such cars also tend to notice more.