Recommendation: Front Pads for 2008 BMW 528xi

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Just go buy a set of OE BMW rotors and pads and be done with it. Don't forget to flush the brake fluid as well!!!

BMW already set the car up, don't mess with it.

Its a heavy German car, cheap rotors will warp and cheap pads will squeal.

Also does this car have any sort of active brake system? Thinking SBC like in Mercedes of that vintage. If so make sure you disable it, don't want the car doing a self check while you are playing with the calipers!
 
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You have a good choice. ST pads and Centric.rotors cost the.same or less than OEM and are superior. From what I understand, Centric makes a lot of rotors that are rebranded as more expensive stuff but.are all but identical. Get the E-Coated if you can, vanes will not rust.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Just go buy a set of OE BMW rotors and pads and be done with it. Don't forget to flush the brake fluid as well!!!

BMW already set the car up, don't mess with it.

Its a heavy German car, cheap rotors will warp and cheap pads will squeal.

Also does this car have any sort of active brake system? Thinking SBC like in Mercedes of that vintage. If so make sure you disable it, don't want the car doing a self check while you are playing with the calipers!
agreed. OEM is a sure thing. Also BMWCCA members may be eligible for a discount.
 
Originally Posted By: nleksan
You have a good choice. ST pads and Centric rotors cost the same or less than OEM and are superior. From what I understand, Centric makes a lot of rotors that are rebranded as more expensive stuff but.are all but identical. Get the E-Coated if you can, vanes will not rust.

The Centric 120 Series rotors we ordered do feature the Electrocoating (E-coating) finish.

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The kicker is OE parts are probably cheaper than a lot of aftermarket.

Maybe, depending on where you buy them. The dealer parts counter wanted $190 for front pads + $34 for the wear sensor + $173 per rotor. So, $570 + tax just for the parts. Now I'm sure that there's someplace online where you get them cheaper.
 
As I say every time we discuss brake pads: They are like ice cream, over one million flavors!

But the ST pads are unique in my experience. It is a proprietary formula developed for the aftermarket and is fantastic at preserving the performance while reducing the dust and noise that many car owners take for granted. And you only find Stoptech brakes on the NICEST cars!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
As I say every time we discuss brake pads: They are like ice cream, over one million flavors!

But the ST pads are unique in my experience. It is a proprietary formula developed for the aftermarket and is fantastic at preserving the performance while reducing the dust and noise that many car owners take for granted. And you only find Stoptech brakes on the NICEST cars!


I must agree!
wink.gif
 
Unless your paying shop rates I wouldn't be buying BMW parts from the counter.

A quick look online shows that I can beat that $570 down to $450 with free shipping and no tax for OE parts. Probably can do better if you know what BMW sites to use.
 
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While we haven't done the job yet, I just got a looks at the parts we ordered from RockAuto earlier this evening. I'm pretty impressed by the look of Centric 120 Series rotors. Does anyone have experience with these? How long does the black paint last?
 
The black painted rotors are different from what I have used, but I would imagine they will remain black for their life in all places not swept by pads. If they are slotted, the slots would not lose their black either.

I am happy for you and your new brakes! Enjoy them in good health! Don't forget to check out Stoptech's website for their recommended bedding procedure... Some say it is of no use, but I have done it on everything from my 4cyl Camry to my 4 wheel Big Brake Kit, and it always has been beneficial...
 
Did the job today. It went fairly well other than a few bolts that really took some effort to bust loose. Also, the rotors were so warn that they had raised lips all around the perimeter so we had a hard time sliding the calipers off.

The vehicle's computer indicated that the pads had 300 miles left on them. I previously suspected that the computer would have been pretty conservative and that there'd still be some decent meat on the pads. I was wrong; the computer was right. It seemed to be very accurate in when the brakes needed to be done.
 
My lowly German car has Centric Premiums with Akebono Euro Ceramic pads...

anyway... for a 2008.... it's overdue for a brake fluid flush.

ATE SL.6 or Pentosin DOT4 LV would be suitable for the ABS/ESP hydraulic controller
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
...Also does this car have any sort of active brake system? Thinking SBC like in Mercedes of that vintage. If so make sure you disable it, don't want the car doing a self check while you are playing with the calipers!


Pay attention to this, you could lose a finger or worse. BMW's are triggered by opening a door, unlocking the car, opening/closing the hood as well as random pump tests - all with the keys out of the car.
 
OP Update: After a couple of weeks, my brother started to notice a slight shudder when braking. It became progressively worse, so he decided to take it in to the BMW dealer today.

The dealer measured the run-out and found that the left rotor measured 4mm of run-out and the right measured 3mm of run-out. So both rotors were warped pretty bad and the technician said that much run-out is abnormal, especially in such a short time frame. Everything else on the cars braking system checked out A-OK.

I don't know what I could have done wrong to cause that. I've done disc brakes numerous times before and never had any problems. I'm always very careful when putting the wheels back on and tightening the nuts properly.

Do you think the BMW was just too much car for the Centric 120 Series rotors? Or were they simply garbage quality?

Now he's going back and forth with RockAuto to get a refund. They're giving him some grief because it's been more than 30 days. And they refuse to do anything about the pads, which I kind of understand, but at the same time the dealer wouldn't use them when they fixed everything up.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Have you tried contacting Centric directly?

No, my brother has just contacted RockAuto since that's where he bought everything. If he can't get a satisfactory result from them, contacting Centric directly is a good idea. He used Centric rotors and StopTech pads which is a division of Centric.

But at this point he just wants as much of his money back as he can possibly get. He had the dealer put on new OEM rotors and pads, at a significant cost might I add.
 
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