[sgovind]

I moved to Canada a year back from the states and finally got a chance to upgrade the stock 1 piston brakes on my F30 328xi M Sport to the M Performace BBK since I was due for a brake service. I am including the necessary information for anybody in Canada who is looking to do the same. This will also be useful for anybody in general who is interested in this upgrade.

I am located in Toronto, ON so some of the information might only be relevant to people in the GTA.

Parts:
I found a nice set of blue calipers with like new OEM pads locally. This is what triggered this upgrade. All other parts were purchased through [COLOR="Blue"]Park Auto Motorsports[/COLOR] located in Kitchener, ON. They are a local, family owned business with great customer service and the best prices in Canada hands down (atleast for all the parts I needed). I was surprised that there was no mention of them anywhere on this forum.

Contact: Kevin Ardelean. Very courteous, patient and willing to answer as many questions as you may have.

List of Parts:
- Mine is a 2014 328i xdrive (07/13 production)
- I chose plain rotors over the drilled/slotted ones based on feedback from multiple people, this forum as well as keeping Canadian winters in mind.
- I did not have to buy the dust shields since my car already had the bigger ones that are needed for this upgrade. Included part numbers if you need them. You can check realoem to make sure if you need these or not.

2x 370/380 Front Calipers
2x 345 Rear Calipers
1x Front Pads (BMW Part #34112284969)
1x Rear Pads (BMW Part #34218099354)

Total Cost of Calipers and Pads was CAD 1200

2x 370x30mm Zimmerman Coated Plain Rotors (BMW Part #34106797606)
2x 345x24mm Zimmerman Coated Plain Rotors (BMW Part #34206894382)
1x Front Textar Pad Wear Sensor (BMW Part #34356792289)
1x Rear Textar Pad Wear Sensor (BMW Part #34356792292)
1x Stoptech Stainless Steel Lines (Part # Front:950.34032, Rear: 950.34531)

Total cost of parts from Park Auto was CAD 750 including 13% HST!!!

Front Dust Shields (BMW Part #34116872081/82)
Rear Dust Shields (BMW Part #34216792243/44)

Install:
I got all of the above installed at RMP Motors. They were the only people who knew what I was talking about when I said these brakes needed coding. They also beat local competitors in price. I believe I spoke to Johnny and Rocco. They live up to all the positive reviews on this forum.

Total cost was CAD 500 for install, brake fluid flush and coding.

Total cost of upgrade was CAD 2450 all in. It would have cost me almost CAD 1500 to get newer parts for the stock setup, paint the calipers and labor so this seemed like a no brainer for me.

Impressions:
- Looks great!!!
- No noise/squealing. This is one reason why I close blank rotors vs dimpled and slotted.
- For normal day to day driving, I didn't feel much of a difference compared to the stock setup, especially in comfort. I did drive around a little bit in Sport mode and that did make a difference. The pedal feels slightly soft but I have only driven around for 20kms so I will wait for a few hundered kms to see if it feels better.
- I will probably have to deal with brake dust, which the stock setup had anyway so i'm ok with that for now. Excuse the dirty pictures.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the results! Hope this helped.

[cfm56d7b]

Great project. Thanks for sharing photos.

Although BMW OEM brake pads do generate more dust on average, this simply means the brakes are doing their job. I also prefer OEM brake pads.

[sgovind]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Great project. Thanks for sharing photos.

Although BMW OEM brake pads do generate more dust on average, this simply means the brakes are doing their job. I also prefer OEM brake pads.

Thank you. I have always wanted to do this upgrade since the day I got my car, 4 years back. Glad everything came together finally.

Same with me on pads. The pads I got are OEM M3 pads so they had to be good for my car.

[BlauB46]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I’m actually getting the same upgrade done at RMP in a couple of weeks. Pieced together the required parts, but having a hard time determining if I need new dust shields for the front. Doesn’t seem like I need them for the rear, but can’t figure out the fronts.

I have a 2017 330i xDrive with the stock 1 piston front & rear calipers (312/300mm rotors). Put together the 370/345mm 4 piston/2 piston upgrade. New dust shields aren’t cheap, so don’t want to spend a couple of hundred $$ on them if not needed.

Thanks!

[sgovind]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I’m actually getting the same upgrade done at RMP in a couple of weeks. Pieced together the required parts, but having a hard time determining if I need new dust shields for the front. Doesn’t seem like I need them for the rear, but can’t figure out the fronts.

I have a 2017 330i xDrive with the stock 1 piston front & rear calipers (312/300mm rotors). Put together the 370/345mm 4 piston/2 piston upgrade. New dust shields aren’t cheap, so don’t want to spend a couple of hundred $$ on them if not needed.

Thanks!

One way to check is based on your VIN on Real OEM. It should tell you what you have.

You can also check visually by checking if you can see the dust shield behind the rotor. If its the bigger ones, you can physically see a larger circular plate behind the rotors.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I’m actually getting the same upgrade done at RMP in a couple of weeks. Pieced together the required parts, but having a hard time determining if I need new dust shields for the front. Doesn’t seem like I need them for the rear, but can’t figure out the fronts.

I have a 2017 330i xDrive with the stock 1 piston front & rear calipers (312/300mm rotors). Put together the 370/345mm 4 piston/2 piston upgrade. New dust shields aren’t cheap, so don’t want to spend a couple of hundred $$ on them if not needed.

Thanks!

Just put the last seven digits of your VIN into the realoem website and choose brakes and go to the diagram that shows front brake dust shields. Your car came with the smallest brake combination. If it shows two sets of brake shields in the part numbers (a set is left and right), with one being for the S2NHA M Sport Brake option- then you have the smaller shields and the shield part numbers that you need are for the MS Brakes

[BlauB46]

Thanks, but that’s what’s confusing me. When I was on real OEM and selected my brake option (single piston), there is only one part number for the dust shields (34106873417/34106873418) but that part number doesn’t match the dust shields on the other 2 brake options (P337A = Yes & S2NHA = Yes). The part number for dust shields for those 2 options are 34116872081/34116872082. When I look on Rockauto for either of the part numbers, it gives me the same dust shield and says the parts are interchangeable.

For the rears, on real OEM they have the same part numbers regardless of brake options, so pretty comfortable that I’m good on the rear axle.

Any clue why real OEM would have different part numbers but Rockauto says they are the same. My last 7 digits of VIN are NU60082 of you want to check

[sgovind]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Thanks, but that’s what’s confusing me. When I was on real OEM and selected my brake option (single piston), there is only one part number for the dust shields (34106873417/34106873418) but that part number doesn’t match the dust shields on the other 2 brake options (P337A = Yes & S2NHA = Yes). The part number for dust shields for those 2 options are 34116872081/34116872082. When I look on Rockauto for either of the part numbers, it gives me the same dust shield and says the parts are interchangeable.

For the rears, on real OEM they have the same part numbers regardless of brake options, so pretty comfortable that I’m good on the rear axle.

Any clue why real OEM would have different part numbers but Rockauto says they are the same. My last 7 digits of VIN are NU60082 of you want to check

You should be good on the rears since you have an xdrive. For the fronts, can you post a picture of your front wheel showing the rotor?

[johnung]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Thanks, but that’s what’s confusing me. When I was on real OEM and selected my brake option (single piston), there is only one part number for the dust shields (34106873417/34106873418) but that part number doesn’t match the dust shields on the other 2 brake options (P337A = Yes & S2NHA = Yes). The part number for dust shields for those 2 options are 34116872081/34116872082. When I look on Rockauto for either of the part numbers, it gives me the same dust shield and says the parts are interchangeable.

For the rears, on real OEM they have the same part numbers regardless of brake options, so pretty comfortable that I’m good on the rear axle.

Any clue why real OEM would have different part numbers but Rockauto says they are the same. My last 7 digits of VIN are NU60082 of you want to check

When I enter your VIN in realoem, it shows the rear shields are fine as you said.

-417/-418 are the front shields that you have now but they are too small.

-081/-082 are the front shields that you need. Forget Rockauto. They sell a lot of OEM stuff that is on the cheap crap side.

Look those part numbers up on GetBMWParts website which is a dealer that discounts Genuine BMW parts but they charge shipping.

Also look them up on FCP Euro and Turner Motorsports. Usually shipping is free. Sometimes they have quality OEM manufacturers that are cheaper than Genuine BMW, and often they make the parts for BMW

[BlauB46]

Originally Posted by sgovind

You should be good on the rears since you have an xdrive. For the fronts, can you post a picture of your front wheel showing the rotor?

Thanks, I'll try to take a pic and upload. How are you liking the upgrade, a few years later?

[BlauB46]

Originally Posted by johnung

When I enter your VIN in realoem, it shows the rear shields are fine as you said.

-417/-418 are the front shields that you have now but they are too small.

-081/-082 are the front shields that you need. Forget Rockauto. They sell a lot of OEM stuff that is on the cheap crap side.

Look those part numbers up on GetBMWParts website which is a dealer that discounts Genuine BMW parts but they charge shipping.

Also look them up on FCP Euro and Turner Motorsports. Usually shipping is free. Sometimes they have quality OEM manufacturers that are cheaper than Genuine BMW, and often they make the parts for BMW

Thank you for your help as well. Had a look around, and the currency exchange, shipping and fees really kills it for us Canadians. Found a local BMW dealer that sells at a 20% discount online, but still going to be $200 for the shields and hardware...

[johnung]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Thank you for your help as well. Had a look around, and the currency exchange, shipping and fees really kills it for us Canadians. Found a local BMW dealer that sells at a 20% discount online, but still going to be $200 for the shields and hardware...

It still boggles my mind that Canada makes it so difficult to ship anything in from the US. I don’t understand the history or reasoning behind it

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Thank you for your help as well. Had a look around, and the currency exchange, shipping and fees really kills it for us Canadians. Found a local BMW dealer that sells at a 20% discount online, but still going to be $200 for the shields and hardware...

Try exoparts.com located in Mississauga. Also eBay can also have some good offerings.

While only a kid I recall the pre-NAFTA days and the crazy pricing deltas between the two countries and the crazy countervailing duties meant to discourage cross border shopping beyond a $100. Things are a lot better now. Even post NAFTA had a lot of enthusiasts headed to Lewiston New York for Tire Rack tires then things changed. Pricing is so competitive now you’d lose money or break even at best heading south to buy tires. As the market has expanded pricing has become more competitive.

[BlauB46]

Had never heard of exoparts, but will check them out. The dealer I’ve been chatting with can get them within a business day, so have that as a backup.

Agree that it used to be a huge discount to get stuff from the U.S. even after exchange rates, but that advantage is quickly disappearing…

[BlauB46]

Here’s a couple of pic of the front rotor shield.

[sgovind]

Originally Posted by BlauB46

Here’s a couple of pic of the front rotor shield.

Yeah, you’ll need the bigger dust shields as confirmed in the earlier posts. If you had the larger ones, they’d stick out more at the back.

Good luck with the upgrade. You’re in good hands at RMP!

[BlauB46]

Thanks, can’t wait to get this done, scheduled for Nov 21st (they’re busy!).

When I had a closer look, it seems like the front shields are quite small in comparison to the rears. Those are quite large for the 300mm rear rotor…

[Klippe]

I am also location in the GTA and am looking to do the same upgrade on my F31. Where are you guys sourcing the calipers from?

[BlauB46]

I got mine from a seller on Kijiji. You can also check Facebook Marketplace, they come up from time to time on there too. Aside from that, there are some US sites that sell the upgrade kits, but they’re pricey (FCP Euro, Turner, ECS). Cheaper than going through Canadian dealer, but still expensive.

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by Klippe

I am also location in the GTA and am looking to do the same upgrade on my F31. Where are you guys sourcing the calipers from?

Ebay. There is a ton of stuff coming out of the UK.

Ebay Tip: Order a pair, not a left and a right. I ordered a left + right from the same seller, who shipped two shipments, one made it, the other got 'lost' on the way from the warehouse in Mississauga to my house . . . also in Mississauga, a mere 15 minutes away from the warehouse. Days of Ebay phuckery later, a refund was given and a return arranged. I ordered a pair from the UK and there were no issues.

If used, I'd also go ahead and order a new set of pins, clips, a new inner seal, outer seal, and bleeder valves. I tried a set of 'heat resistant' outer seals and they were total crap. They did not fit well at all. The Brembo seals fit Brembo brakes best. No screwing around with special tools. They can be fitted by hand. You can get cheaper pins than OE but why? Stick to OE. The pins and clips are good for 4 years according to BMW so it's likely they are beyond that age. Friendly advice: The pins on the 2-piston caliper are not like the 4 piston caliper. They are total PITA to remove and put back in. As there is little space to use a regular hammer with enough force to put them back into the caliper, use a small, heavy blow hammer. Last tip: Replace the caliper retaining bolts (holds the caliper to the wheel carrier) but NOT/NOT with the bolts from the F8x (the torx bolt). It is longer than the bolt used on the F3X. Don't ask how I found this out. Use new bolts (which are hex) for an F3X.

Small paint chips or cracks are common on used calipers so I wouldn't worry about that. As for major scrapes, I'd avoid those. How does a caliper get scraped? That's one serious accident. Calipers contain a cross-seal as part of the pathway to get fluid from one side to the other. Would that still be intact after a major collision? How would you find out? I wouldn't experiment.

Finally, if your parking brakes have never been done and the springs are starting to squeak, might as well change those. While the job looks easy because of the relatively small number of steps, be forewarned. It's harder than it looks.

[BlauB46]

Yeah, the pins on the rear 2 piston calipers were a complete nightmare to remove…

+1 on all new hardware and bolts.

[BlauB46]

Upgrade complete! Slow ride home in the rain and cold, so didn’t really get to test them out yesterday. Heading for a 350km road trip so should be able to get into them a bit more.

Couple of pics in the rain…