[TiredGeek]

As usual when I have a slack afternoon I've been on AT....
Spotted a nice looking 335d, I'm a sucker for the colour.
But what is going on with those brakes? The fronts in particular look like the wrong pads are fitted, the swept area is tiny. It can't be normal for that mileage surely? Mine have 50k on them and look nothing like that.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402136534179

[Watsey]

Those discs are knackered - I've never seen discs scored as much as that and, as you say, the swept area is much narrower than it should be. Something very wrong there.

[danb1979]

Crap discs & pads probably

Had exactly the same issues with my previous F01 that'd apparently got OEM brakes on... It didn't; they we're Brembo discs & pads, but from ECP etc. Thry were the right size discs, but single piece instead of 2 piece and the pads were the right ones for an F01; but when compared to the Jurid pads I fitted; they were different sizes, not a huge amount, but enough to not be sitting right and leaving that mark all the way round

New discs & pads will have that sorted soon enough - OEM BMW or ATE/Jurid/Textar via Autodoc etc

[330DW]

Could also be because it has been sitting a while between journeys giving it chance for a buildup of corrosion. Paired with old discs and short journeys this can happen. I wouldn't be surprised if they are the original discs that came on the car.

Like Danb said, new discs and pads would sort it, perhaps you could try and negotiate them to replace as part of the deal?

On another note - Lovely car, the colour and spec is stunning

[SkyJawa]

That car looks shit. I wouldn't even view it. If a dealer can't be bothered to clean it properly and take decent photos then I'd avoid.

Also the wear on that steering wheel for 65k miles looks really bad.

[danb1979]

It is absolutely filthy inside; never understood why anyone thinks using pictures like that is a good idea; more so a dealer!

Is it me or does it feel bloody expensive too?

[TiredGeek]

It does look like it's not led a good life. I can understand how front wheels get curbed as the tyre is pretty flush with the alloy and offers no protection but the rears? The tyre bulges over them and even the wife hasn't curbed ours.
Manual seats but someone specc'd lumbar support, a £300 option if memory serves, an odd choice, just put leccy seats in. Surround cameras but no digital dash....
To me, brakes like that is a red flag. If they've cut corners with the bits that are essential then what else has been neglected....
Also, 3 owners in 65k - is that normal? I tend to buy new and keep them for years so don't know the market too well.
I just browse to see what the prices are doing and how I'm going to spend that lottery win 😁

[Alscoob]

I wouldn't even look at it. If the previous owner was happy with the condition of the interior then he /her/they/it didn't take any care, therefore i suspect the rest of the car to have be kept in a similar way....servicing etc etc.

Dealer is a fool to not have cleaned it properly first, shows that he doesn't care either, so wouldn't even buy a wheel barrow from him let alone a car!

Next....


My 540 discs didn't look too good when I got the car with 10K miles but suspected that it hadn't done too many miles and had some corrision / rust on the discs and what looked like scoring. Took a gamble with the proviso with the dealer that, if they didn't clean up swiftly he would be replacing them. Sure enough some proper use over 1000 miles ish and they're smooth and clean. So as said above could have been sitting for a while and not had the chance to 'clean' the discs with some use.

[danb1979]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

I wouldn't even look at it. If the previous owner was happy with the condition of the interior then he /her/they/it didn't take any care, therefore i suspect the rest of the car to have be kept in a similar way....servicing etc etc.

Dealer is a fool to not have cleaned it properly first, shows that he doesn't care either, so wouldn't even buy a wheel barrow from him let alone a car!

Next....

^^^ This - it all screams to me, to keep walking..

[Ennoch]

Depends what tyres TiredGeek, some are pretty low profile protection even on the rears, my Pirellis certainly aren't as pronounced as either the OEM Bridgestones, or the Michelin PS4S.

It's a 2018 car, so 6 years old. One 6 month owner/dealer demo etc + 2 more wouldn't be out the ordinary. Admittedly I'd probably look for less, but lots of strange things happened over the lockdown/Covid years with people selling stuff they were no longer using as they had and such like so it wouldn't put me off.

Similarly with the rest of the car. Yes, the interior isn't that clean but other than enthusiasts, how many people would really let that put them off in the pics? As long as it's clean before they buy it most wouldn't care. If the dealer's realised that shiny paint and tyre gloss is all he needs to do then fair enough, especially if he's got people going in and out of it with dirty shoes. The interior of my car gets cleaned at least once a month and yet most of the time it doesn't take much for the carpets and door cards to look like that one, it's not indicative of it not being cared for. It's not had a £250 detail but I'd say it's far from an unloved cars. Also, given how quiet the market is at the moment it could well be that the car's been sitting for a month and not moving much which would account for the discs looking tatty. They're far from mint but also still in better shape than a lot you see on the roads.

The colour's nice, makes a change from seeing one in Estoril blue, or silver. The digital dash could well be a personal preference thing, I'd certainly choose analogue over digital if I had the choice (luckily mine was pre-LCI so just came with analogue).

[bobby-six-killer]

That swept area looks just about the right size for the caliper pistons…

[Pond]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

I wouldn't even look at it.

Why on earth not? It says in the advert "approved used cars" so must be good!

Doesn't say who they are actually 'approved' by, though!

[Allworth]

Originally Posted by bobby-six-killer

That swept area looks just about the right size for the caliper pistons…

Is there one or two pistons on these brakes? It looks rather scorched than scored.

[danb1979]

Originally Posted by Allworth

Is there one or two pistons on these brakes? It looks rather scorched than scored.

4 pot fronts, 2 pot rears

[Pond]

Originally Posted by Allworth

Is there one or two pistons on these brakes? It looks rather scorched than scored.

The pads are sitting 'angled' on the 'rails' for some reason, probably lack of care when installing them and not cleaning/ lubricating the guide rails. Cheap, badly cast pads can cause it too.

When this happens, and it can quite easily without due care, only a small part of the pad acts on the disc. They will move along the rails as they wear, but always at the same angle. Then because there is a small gap on half of the pad, crud and rust get trapped in the gap and cause excessive scoring of the disc.

I know because I have done it on my daughter's car. I installed, then re-installed the pads about six times before I got them sitting right. The tolerances are very small.

[Allworth]

Originally Posted by Pond

The pads are sitting 'angled' on the 'rails' for some reason, probably lack of care when installing them and not cleaning/ lubricating the guide rails. Cheap, badly cast pads can cause it too.

When this happens, and it can quite easily without due care, only a small part of the pad acts on the disc. They will move along the rails as they wear, but always at the same angle. Then because there is a small gap on half of the pad, crud and rust get trapped in the gap and cause excessive scoring of the disc.

I know because I have done it on my daughter's car. I installed, then re-installed the pads about six times before I got them sitting right. The tolerances are very small.

I suspect car stood for a while which caused disc corrosion as it appears on all four rears and fronts very similar magnitude of damage.
Interestingly, the rust (iron oxide) tends to be more abrasive then the steel. This rust may easily agitate in forming such grooves on the discs by trapping between pads/discs.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

Similarly with the rest of the car. Yes, the interior isn't that clean but other than enthusiasts, how many people would really let that put them off in the pics? As long as it's clean before they buy it most wouldn't care. If the dealer's realised that shiny paint and tyre gloss is all he needs to do then fair enough, especially if he's got people going in and out of it with dirty shoes. The interior of my car gets cleaned at least once a month and yet most of the time it doesn't take much for the carpets and door cards to look like that one, it's not indicative of it not being cared for. It's not had a £250 detail but I'd say it's far from an unloved cars. Also, given how quiet the market is at the moment it could well be that the car's been sitting for a month and not moving much which would account for the discs looking tatty. They're far from mint but also still in better shape than a lot you see on the roads.

It would put me off. There is absolutely no excuse for not cleaning a car that is for sale. It's just laziness and arrogance to think it will sell purely on the badge alone. Why should I give him £23.5K of my hard earned when he can't be arsed to present it professionally when plenty of other sellers do put the effort in? There are millions of 35ds out there and the colour is a bit meh, so I would 100% be walking away from that one. Probably why the brakes are rusted to buggery because everyone walks away from it.