[BayMoWe335]

I have the rear brake light indicator on at 25,000 on my 2010 E92 6MT.

80% in town driving. They replaced my front rotors and pads under warranty before it ran out.

I visually looked at the rear pads and they are at least 5-6mm. Do I really need them?

What does the job usually cost so I can be prepared?

Thanks.

[e92_enthusiast_1]

How long did everyone elses original brakes last on their e92 335i's? Just curious cause i am not sure mine have ever been done. 25k seems really soon and that's for the rears so yeah.

OP, though, maybe your sensor is having issues if the pads themselves seem fine.

[mike-y]

5-6mm of material still has some decent life.. maybe your sensor is faulty. But if you are wearing out your rear brakes quickly, it most likely means you are tripping the traction control system a lot, since it uses the rear brakes to stop wheel spin.

[Efthreeoh]

These cars have brake force distribution built into the brake system, so they wear the front and rear brakes pretty evenly.

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

These cars have brake force distribution built into the brake system, so they wear the front and rear brakes pretty evenly.

That is so not true, RWD bmw's eat rear pads especially if driven hard or in the winter as the traction control, stability control and electronic LSD all use the rear brakes to control traction. Typically the rears wear faster than the fronts unless granny driven!

You can do it yourself for under 300 with rotors, under 100 for just pads.

Dealer will want 6-700 and Indy more like 500.

[335iAP]

Paid 400ish to have them replaced after about 38k. I drive pretty conservatively, though.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

That is so not true, RWD bmw's eat rear pads especially if driven hard or in the winter as the traction control, stability control and electronic LSD all use the rear brakes to control traction. Typically the rears wear faster than the fronts unless granny driven!

You can do it yourself for under 300 with rotors, under 100 for just pads.

Dealer will want 6-700 and Indy more like 500.

Well it's obvious that in the OP's case, since his front brakes were replaced within 25,000 miles under the new car purchase maintenance plan, that he does a lot of city driving under consistent braking conditions and not under situations when the rear brakes are being utilized to mimic action of a limited slip differential. If the traction and stability control functions of the brake system activate, the corresponding symbol is flashed on the gauge cluster, so it would be interesting to know if the OP experienced such a high rate of stability/traction control activation.

In the situation with my car, I drive it very consistently on the same roads and at the same aggressive speeds five days a week, at both times my brakes needed replacement all four brakes were worn almost at the same rate (i.e. the pads were at minimum spec). On my first refresh all four brakes needed pads at the same time. On the second refresh, the rears needed replacement about 2,000 miles later than the fronts. My commute consists of about 40 miles (each way) of back-country roads with constant elevation and directional changes that I generally drive at 10 - 15 MPH above the speed limit, meaning I drive far more aggressively than the stereotypically depicted grandmother. This indicates that the brake force distribution function has more influence on brake system wear than you may think.

[BayMoWe335]

Thanks for the great info guys. I didn't know the stability control system used the rear brakes.

I have to admit, I have several opportunities to break the tires lose and the stability control light comes on somewhat frequently. There is a back road I use to get home from work and although "in town," is pretty dead. My rear wheels have trouble keeping traction up to about 40mph, then again in the 1:2 shift.

Perhaps this wore out the rear a little faster?

[runningdoc]

As a previous poster reported, rear brakes wear out much faster on the 3 series than front. Typically, the wear rate is 2:1 (2X miles on the front with respect to rear). I've seen people get anywhere from 20K, to as much 40K on rears. Generally on the rears, it is often wise to replace the pads and the rotors, especially if not replacing it with the exact same manufacturer/brand pad as before. If considering just the pads, be sure to look over the rotor, and make sure it is serviceable for the life of the pad you are putting on. Also, it is generally known that the salt associated with northern climates road maintenance tends to be tough on the brakes (hence more rear wear as they are more exposed), especially with respect to the rotors. There were issues with the '09 335i series and warping of the rotors due to extreme temperature changes (warming up the rotors from a very cold start to quickly).

Hope that helps!

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by runningdoc

As a previous poster reported, rear brakes wear out much faster on the 3 series than front. Typically, the wear rate is 2:1 (2X miles on the front with respect to rear). I've seen people get anywhere from 20K, to as much 40K on rears. Generally on the rears, it is often wise to replace the pads and the rotors, especially if not replacing it with the exact same manufacturer/brand pad as before. If considering just the pads, be sure to look over the rotor, and make sure it is serviceable for the life of the pad you are putting on. Also, it is generally known that the salt associated with northern climates road maintenance tends to be tough on the brakes (hence more rear wear as they are more exposed), especially with respect to the rotors. There were issues with the '09 335i series and warping of the rotors due to extreme temperature changes (warming up the rotors from a very cold start to quickly).

Hope that helps!

That helps a lot, thank you!

I am taking it in to the Dealer on Wednesday and will let them give it a look. I am thinking I'll just do it all. I doubt the dealer will just replace pads anyway. I know there are places to get it done cheaper, but I can be confident my dealer will do a good job and will deal with any strange issues that can arise on these cars afterward.

No more free maintenance sucks, but no car payment easily offsets!