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      08-28-2012, 09:50 PM   #1
Curt941
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58k mile 2008 E90 - potentially buying - brake life question

So I have read a lot about how expensive the E9x M3 brakes are to replace (pads and rotors)

But I haven't seen much about how many miles they typically last. I'm looking at a "higher" mile E90 M3 (58k miles) with lots of maintenance at BMW of Dallas listed on its CARFAX report (I've contacted the dealership to see if I can get info on exactly what was done).

I didn't see brake replacement specifically listed though.

Anything else to look for when I go to check out the car?
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      08-28-2012, 09:52 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt941 View Post
So I have read a lot about how expensive the E9x M3 brakes are to replace (pads and rotors)

But I haven't seen much about how many miles they typically last. I'm looking at a "higher" mile E90 M3 (58k miles) with lots of maintenance at BMW of Dallas listed on its CARFAX report (I've contacted the dealership to see if I can get info on exactly what was done).

I didn't see brake replacement specifically listed though.

Anything else to look for when I go to check out the car?
For most people who do normal street driving the brakes do not need to be replaced at 58K miles. The brakes last pretty long under normal driving conditions.
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      08-28-2012, 09:53 PM   #3
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Thanks!

I wasn't sure because in searching I found one guy on here who had them replaced at 30k (under warranty obviously) but that just seemed insane

Any other big maintenance items/things to look out for?

I have heard horror stories about the E60 M5.
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      08-28-2012, 10:00 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt941 View Post
Thanks!

I wasn't sure because in searching I found one guy on here who had them replaced at 30k (under warranty obviously) but that just seemed insane

Any other big maintenance items/things to look out for?

I have heard horror stories about the E60 M5.
With performance driving the brakes will not last very long so that may be why it was replaced at 30k miles.

I believe most of the horror stories are with the SMG transmission on the M5. 6MT M5s looks to have good reliability. While the M3's DCT has not had many issues, I would lean toward a well driven 6MT if you are looking to keep it for a long time (over 100k miles). Less complexity and cheaper clutch replacement costs in the future.

For regular maintenance, the brakes are probably the most expensive to replace. Of course tires cost about as much but you can cut costs if you like with cheap tires... not recommended though. Spark plug replacement would also be on the list of pricier maintenance. You need to do it every 30K miles.
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      08-28-2012, 10:05 PM   #5
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Thanks! So it sounds like the big thing I would need to look at in the immediate future is spark plugs.

Any way to figure how long till the brakes need to be replaced?

I typically drive 7k miles or less per year btw. So even with 58k miles, by the time the car turns 10 if I owned it the whole time it would barely hit 100k.

Oh, and it is a 6MT.
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      08-28-2012, 10:07 PM   #6
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I have heard horror stories about the E60 M5.
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      08-28-2012, 10:37 PM   #7
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the rotors are fairly durable even with track use. the pads on the other hand will go through quickly. there are always slightly used rotors on this site that you can get cheap rather than paying the stealership an arm and leg to get them.
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      08-28-2012, 10:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt941 View Post
Thanks! So it sounds like the big thing I would need to look at in the immediate future is spark plugs.

Any way to figure how long till the brakes need to be replaced?

I typically drive 7k miles or less per year btw. So even with 58k miles, by the time the car turns 10 if I owned it the whole time it would barely hit 100k.

Oh, and it is a 6MT.
Hard to say with brakes. You will probably have to do it once during your ownership period. The brakes expense isn't that great... About $800 for parts and do it yourself and $1200 if you pay someone to do it for you. Regular maintenance isn't all that bad.
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      08-28-2012, 11:07 PM   #9
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Ok, great. I was getting a little worried because I was seeing some places that brake jobs were upwards of $2.5k, which again, I thought was a little odd.
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      08-28-2012, 11:19 PM   #10
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I had my car for 54k miles and they only did brake fluid flash once. Also when I asked, the dealer told me I still had quite a bit left to go. I didn't track my car at all. Was just street and highway driving.
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      08-28-2012, 11:28 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt941 View Post
Ok, great. I was getting a little worried because I was seeing some places that brake jobs were upwards of $2.5k, which again, I thought was a little odd.
Thats way expensive.

Look at Tischer BMW or getbmwparts.com for the best pricing on OEM brake parts... some times ebay has decent deals but I usually prefer Tischer.

BTW, my car has 30k on it and even though its under warranty, I wouldn't use OEM pads again. I prefer low dust aftermarket pads like Hawk HPS or HP depending on if you track it.

They're are plenty of quiet, low dust, street - light track duty pads out there that out perform the stockers.
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      08-28-2012, 11:31 PM   #12
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Thanks!

And how are things like the cooling system?

Being in Texas, the summers get hot here. My current car is notorious for cooling system issues, and they've reared their ugly head this summer...
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      08-29-2012, 07:46 AM   #13
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im at 72k and still on oem never replaced rotors and pads
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      08-29-2012, 08:44 AM   #14
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im at 72k and still on oem never replaced rotors and pads
..really?

Are you the first owner? How is that possible... what kind of driving do you do?
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      08-29-2012, 09:29 AM   #15
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I'm at 60k miles and I'm the second owner. Pretty sure the brake system is still the original one, and when I did a PPI, it said that it had plenty of life left. Hope that helps.

Haven't heard of any cooling issues thus far (limp mode doesn't count)
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      08-29-2012, 10:37 AM   #16
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Just had my front pads and rotors replaced at 38k, good relationship with my SA.
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      08-29-2012, 10:44 AM   #17
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i had my pads replaced multiple times under warranty. when i first started tracking it and before i used better pads.
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      08-29-2012, 05:42 PM   #18
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Great discussion guys! I'm feeling a lot more comfortable buying the car.

And logically it's only 15k miles per year, and here in Texas where everything is so spread out that's not to bad.

Any more insight into the "Limp Mode" comment above?

I did some searching and it seems like just a safety measure to protect the engine that can be set off by a few things. Is there one trigger that is more common than most?
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      08-29-2012, 09:45 PM   #19
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I have 62k and still on original pads, and I live in Dallas. I've done 11 track days. I still have some front pad left, but I'm about to slap on another set since I experienced judder during my last HPDE. A few days of city driving cleared the deposits and my rotors are still fine. Unless you plan to track the car, I don't think you'll have a problem. I've never had a problem with overheating or much else for that matter. Very reliable.
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      08-30-2012, 11:25 AM   #20
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i bought my E90 M3 with 52k on it, and the pads were replaced during the CPO certification, while the rotors were right at the edge of minimum thickness (they are below min thickness right now, but dealer wont replace them).

I just hit 60k yesterday, so the stock brakes seem to last a while.
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      08-31-2012, 02:38 PM   #21
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I've tracked at Motorsport Ranch near Fort Worth in pretty hot weather with my E90.

I know that running on the track with the A/C will get the car really hot, really fast. Oops. Otherwise, its managable. Just keep an eye on the oil temps. If they start to climb, I just stay in 3rd in the slower corners shift at 7k and the temps back down.
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      09-10-2012, 05:38 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chriszeh View Post
i had my pads replaced multiple times under warranty. when i first started tracking it and before i used better pads.
What exactly is multiple? Did you have any issues with getting them replaced/mileage? I just got back from the track and the front brake replacement lamp came on.. And the car just turned 13k.. Yes HPDE involved.. 2 sessions/ 4 days total... Road Atl... Guess I should have read more about the brakes on these cars and bought some aftermarket pads... I felt plenty of fade coming on into 10A.
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