[cheesetoastie]

I have a 66 plate drive 335d with the smaller size brake set up -

My local garage changed the pads and discs all around about a year ago and the brake judder is back.

The cars re mapped so ive probably cooked the discs on the back roads where I live.

can anyone offer any advice on a better disc and pads set up.

[Itogliano]

My initial thought is that the brake judder is coming form uneven pad deposits from your driving (it sounds like you frequently go on spirited back road drives). What pads/rotors do you have now?

[cheesetoastie]

Originally Posted by Itogliano

My initial thought is that the brake judder is coming form uneven pad deposits from your driving (it sounds like you frequently go on spirited back road drives). What pads/rotors do you have now?

ive no idea the garage just fitted the equivalent to bmw spec as far as I know.

if it build up of deposits can this be removed easily?

[Itogliano]

Originally Posted by cheesetoastie

ive no idea the garage just fitted the equivalent to bmw spec as far as I know.

if it build up of deposits can this be removed easily?

If you put a lot of heat into the brakes before they are properly bedded and then sit on the brakes at a stop light or something you can leave uneven pad deposits that way.

Someone else can chime in here but as far as I know, you can try to do a proper bed-in procedure for the brakes (you can find a bunch of specifics via Google but they mostly consist of a number of hard stops from 60 mph down to 10 mph). If that doesn't fix the issue, you may need to resurface the rotors. This is of course assuming the judder is due to uneven pad deposits. If it's something else neither of those options would fix the problem.

[Watsey]

If the judder has returned just through your normal use then it's most likely to be due to uneven pad deposits. Brake discs rarely warp.

As has been mentioned, you need to cool the brakes after hard use and before the car is stationary (at traffic lights or even parked).

Re-bedding the brakes would be a good starting point - it should clean the surface of the discs (removing uneven deposits), will make sure that the pad/disc faces are completely mated, and should achieve an even transfer of pad material across the faces of the discs.

Here's the bedding process that I use :

Light use to warm the discs and pads.

10 x 60 to 5 mph; progressive and hard braking, almost triggering the ABS.
Drive for a few minutes to cool slightly, then 5 x 90 to 10 mph, again almost triggering ABS.

Then long drive to cool everything. Don't stop in traffic, and definitely no stopping with foot brake applied.

[cheesetoastie]

Thanks Watsey ill give that a try and see if it makes any difference.

[cheesetoastie]

Found the problem the bottom balljoint has gone

[Techno 9000]

Interesting. What mileage has your car covered?

[cheesetoastie]

Just passed 50k

[Techno 9000]

Mine is approaching that mileage and I get infrequent minor tremors on braking. Will get it looked at on the next service at my Indy.

Can the ball joint be changed on its own, or does it need a larger part renewed to achieve ?

[cheesetoastie]

I'll tell you tomorrow as the garage has ordered a new one in.

[cheesetoastie]

All sorted the ball joint was causing the problem

[Techno 9000]

How big a part was renewed, just the ball joint?

[cheesetoastie]

Originally Posted by Techno 9000

How big a part was renewed, just the ball joint?

Originally Posted by Techno 9000

How big a part was renewed, just the ball joint?

I believe just the ball joint
I've not received the bill yet but he said it was under £100 for the part.