[zerofire]

Hey everyone, thanks for taking a moment to look in to my post.

I'm currently in need of replacing the front brakes and the car is out of warranty so I'm looking to replace them on my own.

I've done brakes & rotors on previous cars before but this is the first time I've had to do brakes on a BMW.

Car is a F30/328i Sportline and the brakes & rotors that I'm currently looking are from www.bavauto.com:

Bavarian Autosport Ultimate Brake Rotor Set - Front Not For M Sport Brake Package
Part # : 34 11 6 855006U - $169.95 (1 Pair)

Cool Carbon S/T Sport Brake Pad Set - Front Only for vehicles with Standard or Sport package, not for vehicles with optional M-Performance big brake kit
Part # : 8772-D1561 ST - $137.95 (1 Pair)

I've searched online for some kind of DIY in order to replace/maintenance the brakes but I guess no one has done one yet so I'm curious to know what tools would be needed in order to complete this job?

I have a standard/basic socket set but since it's a German car, I don't think I have enough tools (or the right ones) to do so. If anyone has replaced their own brakes or can provide me with some sort of service tech info, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[floydarogers]

Look in the E90 forums for a DIY - they're the same. Actually, BMW brakes haven't changed for decades.

If you have a metric set of wrenches, and possibly sockets, you're all set. You also need a 7mm hex allen wrench. You will need something to push the pistons back into the calipers - watch the brake fluid level in the reservoir when you do that so it doesn't overflow.

Be sure to use jack stands to support the car (don't rely on jack), and have something (box) to support caliper/piston when you get it off (don't let it dangle by brake line).

[zerofire]

Hey thanks for the info! Didn't know that they haven't changed much but that's great! The only thing that I don't really have are the large hex allen wrenches but thanks for the input. VERY MUCH appreciated!!

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by zerofire

Hey everyone, thanks for taking a moment to look in to my post.

I'm currently in need of replacing the front brakes and the car is out of warranty so I'm looking to replace them on my own.

I've done brakes & rotors on previous cars before but this is the first time I've had to do brakes on a BMW.

Car is a F30/328i Sportline and the brakes & rotors that I'm currently looking are from www.bavauto.com:

Bavarian Autosport Ultimate Brake Rotor Set - Front Not For M Sport Brake Package
Part # : 34 11 6 855006U - $169.95 (1 Pair)

Cool Carbon S/T Sport Brake Pad Set - Front Only for vehicles with Standard or Sport package, not for vehicles with optional M-Performance big brake kit
Part # : 8772-D1561 ST - $137.95 (1 Pair)

I've searched online for some kind of DIY in order to replace/maintenance the brakes but I guess no one has done one yet so I'm curious to know what tools would be needed in order to complete this job?

I have a standard/basic socket set but since it's a German car, I don't think I have enough tools (or the right ones) to do so. If anyone has replaced their own brakes or can provide me with some sort of service tech info, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You'll need a tool to push the pistons back into the caliper.

... you're welcome for the PDF.

[John in VA]

You can get genuine BMW front rotors & pads for that money, unless you're interested in the look of the drilled/slotted rotors. You'll also need the front brake pad wear sensor.
Many like the Akebono Euro pads as they dust less, and the dust better matches the wheel color so is less obvious!

https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/32...89&m=20&page=1

They also offer lifetime replacement - https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee

[zerofire]

Man Polo! You are seriously the shit bro. I <3 you. lol

I also need to do an oil change as well but I'm looking at part#: 11427640862 for the filter element. I read online that some of the oil pans are plastic and some are metal/steel but I looked up my build date (5/2012) on realoem and it brought up this part #. Am I safe to assume that this is exactly what I need?

Also, I just realized that there is an "appreciate" button haha! Thanks again!

[zerofire]

John, truthfully I don't care for the look. If I was going to the track it'd be a different situation but this is a family car so I'm honestly just going to buy it all off Amazon.

Currently what I'm looking at is:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
For the front rotors

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
For the brake pads.

Any and all input is HIGHLY appreciated as I fear Amazon might just end up sending me the wrong shit even though it's saying that it fits my car :\

[zerofire]

Also, is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to replace the front sensor? The car's CIC is telling me that i have approximately 2,500 miles left before the fronts need to be replaced. Just want to get them done prior to that and would rather not have to replace the sensors if I don't need to.

Nothing is "screaming" at me to get them replaced, I just want to get it done as soon as possible before it DOES start yelling.

[zerofire]

Polo & Floyd,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Should work yah?

As for getting "genuine bmw parts for that kind of money" I was quoted $470.11 ($870.54 to install) for 2 rotors, pads, & sensors. So far my cart in Amazon has:

-NGK SILZKBR8D8S Iridium Spark Plug (X4)
-Genuine BMW E84 E89 F07N F10 F10N F11 F11N F15 Oil Filter Kit OEM 11427640862
-Castrol 06244 EDGE 0W-30 SPT Full Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 Quart Bottle, (Pack of 6)
-BMW AC Cabin Air Filter Charcoal Premium Quality 37555
-CRC 5351 Brake Caliper Synthetic Grease
-Lisle 24400 Disc Brake Pad Spreader
-Neiko 10074A Hex Bit Socket Set, S2 Steel | 13-Piece Set | Metric
-Bosch 15010113 QuietCast Premium Disc Brake Rotor, Front (X2)
-Hawk Performance HB551F.748 HPS High Performance Street Brake Pad
-Oria 58 in 1 Magnetic Screwdriver Kit with 54 Bits
Subtotal (14 items): $470.26

If this is all correct, I'm sure as crap going with Amazon lol Oddly enough, Amazon is trying to tell me that the spark plugs that I've chosen "don't fit my vehicle" but it's the exact part# that I got from realOEM, so that's why I'm just a little weary with Amazon at the moment. The way I see it as of right now is that BMW wanted to charge me $470.11 for just parts for the front brakes. For $0.15 more I can get EVERYTHING that I need done and do the work happily myself :3

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by zerofire

Also, is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to replace the front sensor? The car's CIC is telling me that i have approximately 2,500 miles left before the fronts need to be replaced. Just want to get them done prior to that and would rather not have to replace the sensors if I don't need to.

Nothing is "screaming" at me to get them replaced, I just want to get it done as soon as possible before it DOES start yelling.

The sensors for F3x are a two-stage design: the first wire gives the computer an indication of how fast they're going to wear, the second tells you to CHANGE NOW! So you need to change them.

[_bdiddyb_]

Originally Posted by zerofire

Also, is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to replace the front sensor? The car's CIC is telling me that i have approximately 2,500 miles left before the fronts need to be replaced. Just want to get them done prior to that and would rather not have to replace the sensors if I don't need to.

Nothing is "screaming" at me to get them replaced, I just want to get it done as soon as possible before it DOES start yelling.

Nothing to it - if you're only replacing rotors and pads. I did the whole Stoptech BBK myself. The manual is saying that if you pull out the sensor it may loose its holding capability. I didn't replace mine, since I swapped out my brakes at around 10K miles, sensors still holding. But the sensors aren't that expensive, $12-$15/ea. Replace them for peace of mind if your brakes had miles on them.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by zerofire

Man Polo! You are seriously the shit bro. I <3 you. lol

I also need to do an oil change as well but I'm looking at part#: 11427640862 for the filter element. I read online that some of the oil pans are plastic and some are metal/steel but I looked up my build date (5/2012) on realoem and it brought up this part #. Am I safe to assume that this is exactly what I need?

Also, I just realized that there is an "appreciate" button haha! Thanks again!

Usually, it's correct. However, it's been known to not be correct in all cases. In my experience, I had to verify the part numbers for TPMS sensors in the 2014 production year.

Originally Posted by zerofire

John, truthfully I don't care for the look. If I was going to the track it'd be a different situation but this is a family car so I'm honestly just going to buy it all off Amazon.

Currently what I'm looking at is:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
For the front rotors

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
For the brake pads.

Any and all input is HIGHLY appreciated as I fear Amazon might just end up sending me the wrong shit even though it's saying that it fits my car :\

Can't go wrong buying it off of getbmwparts.

Originally Posted by zerofire

Also, is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to replace the front sensor? The car's CIC is telling me that i have approximately 2,500 miles left before the fronts need to be replaced. Just want to get them done prior to that and would rather not have to replace the sensors if I don't need to.

Nothing is "screaming" at me to get them replaced, I just want to get it done as soon as possible before it DOES start yelling.

It's not absolutely necessary, but if you're replacing your pads and rotors due to wear, you might as well replace the sensors too.

Originally Posted by _bdiddyb_

Nothing to it - if you're only replacing rotors and pads. I did the whole Stoptech BBK myself. The manual is saying that if you pull out the sensor it may loose its holding capability. I didn't replace mine, since I swapped out my brakes at around 10K miles, sensors still holding. But the sensors aren't that expensive, $12-$15/ea. Replace them for peace of mind if your brakes had miles on them.

The real issue is when you remove the sensor there's a good chance of damaging the ceramic material inside of it.

[zerofire]

Thanks for the input everyone. I will update my progress as soon as I can. Just ordered all the parts from Amazon and they will be arriving between the 18th-21st so I will probably update or make a new post in the near future.

[zerofire]

So reading through the brake change PDF provided, I noticed that there aren't any instructions how resetting the iDrive system to show the proper mileage.

My intention is to not replace the sensor unless I brake it. get it? sorry. lol With that being said, I read on an e90 forum that in order to reset the system, I need to replace both the front & rear sensors but that I would need to trip/trigger an old sensor so that I can ACTUALLY reset it. Is this still true with the f30?

If I re-use the old sensors, can I just ignore resetting it and have it just forever tell me "2,400 miles until" blah blah? I'm seriously keen on not wanting to replace the sensor if I don't have to. I think it's a stupid feature anyway considering it's just a guesstimate to begin with :\

[John in VA]

Reset info:
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=888908
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWaOKymLBXQ

[zerofire]

Thanks for the info John, but I was already aware of this reset procedure as I'm going to be doing my oil change as well but I appreciate it.

I will try to make my question more clear, as from what I've been reading on the e90 forums.

IF I do not replace the sensors, will I even be ABLE to reset the brake mileage? I ask because people on the e90 forums said that when they went to reset the CIC after changing the brakes (but not the sensor), they got a "Change brakes in ------" with a RED brake light on the dash with a "car on lift" error.

So again, is it even possible to try to reset the CIC/CBS mileage indicator without getting an error? Or must I ABSOLUTELY replace the sensors in order to reset the CIC/CBS on an F30.

[Class5Kayaker]

Brakes are really straight forward on these cars, easier than some I've worked on in the past in fact.

I'd buy new sensors if I were you. They are cheap (all things considered when it comes to these cars) and the last thing you want to have happen is to damage the old one you might re-use and then have to order new one(s) and then tear the brakes apart again to install them.

Bentley and Factory guidance says 7mm allen bolt for the caliper bolts but mine are 8mm and I have a 2012 F30. Just buy a set of varying sizes for $10-$20 at your local parts store so you have both sizes.

Bavauto has some helpful videos that I've posted below. It's an older BMW, but the process is nearly identical.

Pads:

Rotors:

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Class5Kayaker

Brakes are really straight forward on these cars, easier than some I've worked on in the past in fact.

I'd buy new sensors if I were you. They are cheap (all things considered when it comes to these cars) and the last thing you want to have happen is to damage the old one you might re-use and then have to order new one(s) and then tear the brakes apart again to install them.

Bentley and Factory guidance says 7mm allen bolt for the caliper bolts but mine are 8mm and I have a 2012 F30. Just buy a set of varying sizes for $10-$20 at your local parts store so you have both sizes.

Bavauto has some helpful videos that I've posted below. It's an older BMW, but the process is nearly identical.

I'd agree with the bolded text.

[zerofire]

As always, very much appreciated everyone.

I decided that I'm just going to get the new sensors but still test my "theory" before installing the new ones. Figured it wouldn't do me any harm cause they ARE cheap.

Just to be clear for my own peace of mind, do I need to replace both the front & rear sensors in order to reset the CIC? Or can I just replace the front one and still reset the mileage? Thanks again all!

[Class5Kayaker]

Originally Posted by zerofire

Just to be clear for my own peace of mind, do I need to replace both the front & rear sensors in order to reset the CIC? Or can I just replace the front one and still reset the mileage? Thanks again all!

Front and Rear are two different and independent readings in the CIC.

The whole estimated until worn readings are really inaccurate and just based on mileage. If you're easy on your brakes (I am) then you'll end up having it say 800 miles or something like that FOREVER even though there might be plenty of meat left on the pads. I never pay attention to the "# of miles until replacement" reading in the iDrive and/or the initial pop-up in the instrument cluster. I just drive until it trips a sensor to red. It acts like you have a serious problem "Drive cautiously...call your dealer!!", ton of red warnings when you start the car, and keeps the brake light (that normally indicates the handbrake is set) illuminated all the time, but when that first happens you still have a decent amount of pad left. Once it turns red, I order new pads and replace them the following weekend. You could easily put another thousand or so miles on the car with average use once the sensor trips red without doing any damage to the rotors.

[BL328guy]

Excuse my ignorance as I have just recently purchased my first BMW and this being my first post. I purchased a 2013 328i with xdrive used with about 30,000 miles on it. I opted to get the extra warranty that goes to 120,000 miles or 6 years. My question is if I were to try to avoid pricey service costs by spark plug/oil changes myself (or another import auto shop) does that void the warranty?

Sorry if this is a dumb question Im just learning

Thanks!

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by BL328guy

Excuse my ignorance as I have just recently purchased my first BMW and this being my first post. I purchased a 2013 328i with xdrive used with about 30,000 miles on it. I opted to get the extra warranty that goes to 120,000 miles or 6 years. My question is if I were to try to avoid pricey service costs by spark plug/oil changes myself (or another import auto shop) does that void the warranty?

Sorry if this is a dumb question Im just learning

Thanks!

No, you can all your maintenance yourself, or hire it done at any shop.

Google "Magnussen Moss Warranty Act"