[Bmerkid]

I recently had my m-performance brakes install at the dealership and took it in today to have them programed since their computer was down the day they had them installed. They are making a sound like you put a baseball card in the spokes and the faster you got the more obnoxious the sound gets. When you get on the brakes the sound goes away. The dealership said its because of the slotted rotors which makes sense but then wouldnt that mean the brake pads are still rubbing the rotors even when I am not on the brakes? Is anyone else hearing the sound that I am talking about and is it just normal? I hope not as its kind of embarressing when you are driving around downtown at like 35mph and people outside and it sounds like I got baseball cards in my spokes.

[mikew2069]

Mine don't do this but someone posted a thread on this same issue a few months back. How does your peddle feel? Is it spongy at all?

[Bmerkid]

Yes the peddle is also spongy.... I didn't think to look at other threads (newbie mistake) but I am on here a lot and never have seen a thread about it.

Had a 328i basic loaner and first time I came to a stop light I about threw myself through the window and how touchy the brakes are on it.

But the dealer told me that he also checked on the sound on some forums and said it was common but I have friends with performance cars that have slotted rotors that do not have that sound. He said that the pads do drag just a little on the rotors which doesn't make sense why they do and I can tell by the amount of brake dust on my wheels.

[ybbiz34]

The M Performance Brakes take a while to break in. Make sure you bed them in properly.

My brake pedal was never spongy. The pedal feel is significantly more progressive with the M Performance setup. As you depress the pedal further, you should notice a corresponding increase in bite (and the bite should feel fantastic).

A spongy pedal feel is indicative of a less-than-stellar installation (e.g., failure to bleed properly, etc.).

[mikew2069]

+1 on the proper bedding. My stock m sport brakes bit like no other and felt very aggressive. I know I need to re-bleed. Just been lazy

[Bmerkid]

But what bout the sound?
The brake peddle feel I can live with but if I have the windows down all I hear is a baseball card hitting the wheel spokes type sound that is annoying.

[mikew2069]

Have you bed them? I think that would help with the sound if it is in fact the pad rubbing against the rotors.

[Bmerkid]

yes the rotors have over 1,500 miles on them. I purchased them from Turner motorsports that they had on their demo car.

Yesterday I just started braking really late and getting hard on the brakes to see if maybe they just need to be abused a little and broken in... IDK the dealer installed them and looked at them and said everything was fine. I dont know anything since im the consumer and a mechanic

[momo3605]

Mine doesn't make any sound like how you describe. Maybe they should reinstall the pads? Idk I'm not a mechanic either

And the spongy feel is a "feature" of these brakes. Not saying they are good or bad, they just brake harder for more input rather than more force. (I think different people perceive it differently so they say they don't notice it, but I doubt they are as touchy as stock in any application.) But I've autocrossed my car, and not once did ABS kick in, so they are actually excellent.

[Bmerkid]

Yeah, the main mechanic there said that he looked on some forums and saw that it was a common thing which he never knew of before. I just don't think this can be true though. But where I am at I really have no other place to go to have them looked at with someone that would be knowledgable to know about these brakes and the car.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by Bmerkid

I recently had my m-performance brakes install at the dealership and took it in today to have them programed since their computer was down the day they had them installed. They are making a sound like you put a baseball card in the spokes and the faster you got the more obnoxious the sound gets. When you get on the brakes the sound goes away. The dealership said its because of the slotted rotors which makes sense but then wouldnt that mean the brake pads are still rubbing the rotors even when I am not on the brakes? Is anyone else hearing the sound that I am talking about and is it just normal? I hope not as its kind of embarressing when you are driving around downtown at like 35mph and people outside and it sounds like I got baseball cards in my spokes.

I've posted about this sound from the M Perf brakes at least twice over the last year, and only found a couple other people respond saying that they notice the same thing. I would describe it as almost like a "ticking" sound. I had the M Perf brakes installed at the port after my ED before re-delivery in the US and I am going on about 1 year and 15,XXX miles. I noticed the sound from the first day I drove it with the M Perf brakes, the sound is still there, and it appears to come from all four corners. I've asked my service adviser about it twice and the techs found nothing wrong with the brakes and noted that it's just from the slots/dimples and is to be expected. I find it odd that some people have the sound and others don't have it at all...

[Bmerkid]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

I've posted about this sound from the M Perf brakes at least twice over the last year, and only found a couple other people respond saying that they notice the same thing. I would describe it as almost like a "ticking" sound. I had the M Perf brakes installed at the port after my ED before re-delivery in the US and I am going on about 1 year and 15,XXX miles. I noticed the sound from the first day I drove it with the M Perf brakes, the sound is still there, and it appears to come from all four corners. I've asked my service adviser about it twice and the techs found nothing wrong with the brakes and noted that it's just from the slots/dimples and is to be expected. I find it odd that some people have the sound and others don't have it at all...

Thanks Luke, I do find it odd that some people hear this and others do not. I can hear this sound with the music blaring doing 70mph with the windows down. I just don't get how its making a ticking sound its like its only rubbing in 1 spot which even then I wouldnt think it would make a ticking sound...

BTW Luke love your car!

[rallybull]

If you can hear this sound with music on and at 70 mph , it is totally unacceptable. OP you should not accept it as is. Talk to BMW, express your frustration and see what they are willing to do.

[ronin951]

So I unfortunately have some experience with this. Initially I thought I had a bad wheel bearing. Keep in mind that to replace the rear heat shield you have to disassemble the hub assembly. BMW's sucks like that. My e46 was the same way. The troubleshooting sequence at the shop went like this...

You might double check that your heat shield isn't hitting the rotor. In fact, you might take the rotors off and inspect them and the shield for rubbing. Being able to hear it at that speed seems a little excessive. Also, my issue is only the rear. It seems specifically the right rear.

I myself am still sorting through this and the soft pedal.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by Bmerkid

I recently had my m-performance brakes install at the dealership and took it in today to have them programed since their computer was down the day they had them installed. They are making a sound like you put a baseball card in the spokes and the faster you got the more obnoxious the sound gets. When you get on the brakes the sound goes away. The dealership said its because of the slotted rotors which makes sense but then wouldnt that mean the brake pads are still rubbing the rotors even when I am not on the brakes? Is anyone else hearing the sound that I am talking about and is it just normal? I hope not as its kind of embarressing when you are driving around downtown at like 35mph and people outside and it sounds like I got baseball cards in my spokes.

Quick update to this thread: I took my car in to the dealer this morning for a bit of work and brought up the brake noise again and they are going to check into it.

Interestingly enough, the loaner they gave me is a base 2014 328ix with M Performance 20s, M Performance exhaust, M Performance vinyl stripes (ugh), and the M Performance brakes. In comparing the M Performance brakes on the loaner, they do NOT make the constant ticking sound that my brakes make, but they DO make the same sound as my brakes during braking, but a bit quieter. I also noticed that the pedal feel is spongy and they don't have as much bite as my M Performance brakes. (mine were port installed, the loaner's brakes were installed at the dealer).

I will post an update after my SA calls me with a diagnosis.

[ronin951]

OP, since your post I've kept my ears peeled. Before we heard the ticking when we were testing with the car on the rack. Since then I've driven around some with the windows down. The ticking is more pronounced. You can especially hear it when there is something for the sound to echo off. Like a curb, wall, etc. It'll come and go when you cross an intersection.

That said, the ticking sound that I hear is the same sound that we heard when it was on the rack. Like riding a bike with a card in the spokes. As the tech said it's totally normal. In theory if you were to take the pads out it would go away as it did for us when we were test. I'm baffled why you don't hear it on the loaner.

What concerns me personally is that your 335 has a stiff pedal and the 328 doesn't. Thanks for pointing that out. My 328's pedal is a bit spongy, so I'm wondering if it has a different master cylinder and/or brake booster. I'll check realoem.

Update: Booster is the same. Vacuum lines are different.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by ronin951

OP, since your post I've kept my ears peeled. Before we heard the ticking when we were testing with the car on the rack. Since then I've driven around some with the windows down. The ticking is more pronounced. You can especially hear it when there is something for the sound to echo off. Like a curb, wall, etc. It'll come and go when you cross an intersection.

That said, the ticking sound that I hear is the same sound that we heard when it was on the rack. Like riding a bike with a card in the spokes. As the tech said it's totally normal. In theory if you were to take the pads out it would go away as it did for us when we were test. I'm baffled why you don't hear it on the loaner.

What concerns me personally is that your 335 has a stiff pedal and the 328 doesn't. Thanks for pointing that out. My 328's pedal is a bit spongy, so I'm wondering if it has a different master cylinder and/or brake booster. I'll check realoem.

Update: Booster is the same. Vacuum lines are different.

I'm still driving the loaner...after getting more wheel time and driving it past the highway barriers where I normally hear the sound at its loudest (hard surface reflection of the sound), it's clearly not making the sound on the left side, but it IS making the sound on the front right, albeit it seems less intense.

An added tidbit, when i dropped off the car I reported some shuddering/vibration when braking and my SA left me a VM on Friday confirming that my front rotors need to be replaced already. (17,xxx miles).

[Sedan_Clan]

I may be coming into a set of gold M-Performance brakes, so this thread is of interest to me. I really hope that I don't have this issue if I do the "upgrade'.

[Bmerkid]

Thank you guys, and after putting another 1,000 miles on the brakes i still hear the ticking but not as bad but its their and louder when around a object that causes the sound to reflect... Also I detailed my car over the weekend and I noticed I have a crap ton of brake dust on the rears just as much on the fronts. I am not hard on the brakes at all since I hate brake dust but didnt know the rears were used that much but i guess so

[shivaswrath]

is it really that big of an issue for most?
Since i've moved to NJ, yes, there are more concrete barrier, 2-lane roads where I notice the noise, but the biggest thing that "allowed" the ticking in was in fact the door jamb seals that had to be realinged (door should sit flush), and that helped immensely...a lot of people note this as "wind noise".

[Bmerkid]

Its not really a issue just seems odd to me that it makes that noise. Just seeing if others were hearing the same sound and it wasn't just me. Since having them installed I do not hear them in the cabin with the windows up but can definitely hear them if the windows are down or even craked open.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Bmerkid

Its not really a issue just seems odd to me that it makes that noise. Just seeing if others were hearing the same sound and it wasn't just me. Since having them installed I do not hear them in the cabin with the windows up but can definitely hear them if the windows are down or even craked open.

yeah, slotted brakes would've been...quieter.

BMW...what can you do?!