[RayLivingston]

I KNOW I'm not the first to have this problem, but I've found no resolution - just a lot of mis-information.

I have an '07 335i. A few days ago, I did an oil change. After re-setting the service indicator, I have a red "BRAKE" warning light, and the red "car-on-a-lift" icon on the multi-function display. I CANNOT reset either the front or rear pad wear indicators. It goes through the motions, but never resets the mileage. Both show "------".

So, HOW, exactly, do I reset the miserable, stinking pad wear indicators??

On my '01 325i, I eventually clipped the pad sensor cables, soldered the wires together, and sealed them up in head-shrink, disabling the sensors entirely, but once and for all getting rid of the bogus pad wear warnings. I am about to do the same on the 335i. What a STOOOOOPID system!

Regards,
Ray L.

Regards,
Ray L.

[slupie]

Check the level of brake fluid.

[RayLivingston]

Brake fluid level is fine.

Regards,
Ray L.

[Tambohamilton]

You don't reset them; they're either OK, or they're not. If the pads have plenty meat and there's no wear on the sensor, then you need to trace wires back and see where the break is.

Reading error codes is also good. If you do that, post them here...

[RayLivingston]

"You don't reset them; they're either OK, or they're not." - Then why does the service menu include RESETs for both front and rear pad indicators?

Let me make this clear: All pad wear sensors are only a few months old. They have never so much as come in contact with any rotor. They have been just fine all this time. The lights came on immediately when I reset the service indicators following the oil change. There is NO damage to the sensors, wires, or anything else, and the sensors themselves were never so much as looked at, much less touched.

So, this is a BS computer problem, NOT a real fault. Yet resetting the pad wear indiciators, which are the ONLY faults present (aside from a warning about a faulty side marker light, which has been present for 5+ years, even though the light is, in fact working perfectly).

What can PREVENT the pad service indicators from actually resetting when told to do so in the service menu?

Regards,
Ray L.

Regards,
Ray L.

[Tambohamilton]

Those are resets for the brake inspection schedule, not the pad wear, unless I'm mistaken or your car has different menus from mine.

I have no idea why the warning would show exactly after resetting the oil inspection, but that's why I think you need to scan for error codes (not just look at warnings on the cluster). Error codes will tell you exactly what sort of thing the car thinks is wrong with itself, and clearing the code directly has a solid chance of removing the warning you're seeing, since the hardware is all functional.

You could loop the wires in the sensor, as you mentioned, but if the sensors are currently good that won't get you any further forward than you are right now.

I recently had the pad wear warning come up, though I knew the pads were good. Sure enough the wire to the sensor had gone hard and split. I replaced the sensor, and the warnings disappeared immediately without me resetting anything.

Regards,
Tambo

Regards,
Tambo

[RayLivingston]

I took the easy way out - removed both front and rear sensors, clipped them off near the connectors, stripped, soldered, and heat-shrinked the two wires to each other. Re-installed them on the car, and reset both pad wear warnings. No more red BRAKE light, and no more car-on-a-lift light.

Odd thing is, when I reset the front pad wear warning, nothing changed. But when I then reset the rear pad wear warning, both of them cleared. The "BRAKE" light stayed on until I turned the key off, then back on, and re-started the engine. Now all is well, and I'll never have to mess with those stupid sensors again.

Now if I could just get rid of the BS warning about the side marker light. But I've long since given up on that one.

Regards,
Ray L.