'98 M3 Sedan rear rotor/pads

[ualdriver]

Hi-

I have a '98 M3 sedan with 38,000 miles on the clock. I just got a call from my mechanic (not a BMW dealership, but a regular neighborhood foreign/domestic auto mechanic) saying that it needs new rear rotors/pads. The car has it's original pad/rotors on all 4 wheels, and that it was just the rear pads and rotors that were bad- the fronts looked fine, which to me was a little weird as I thought if anything, the fronts would wear first, and if they did, just the pads would wear and not the rotors.

1) He said that the rear rotors couldn't be "turned" or "machined" and that I had to get new ones. He said that it was stamped right on the rotors. What does that mean and is it true? Aren't the rotors supposed to last a long time and just the pads wear?

2) He said that the new rotors and pads are going to cost me around $600 + tax. He said he was using BMW new parts and that the new rotors and pads are the same or of better quality than what I had originally. Does that price sound right?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[jammer]

That price does sound a bit high. He is right about not being able to turn the rotors.


The Bentley
manual states that they are not to be turned. Basically "turning" means to put them on a lathe like machine and scrape the braking surface smooth. A new set of after market M3 rotors are about $150 for the pair, with pads anywhere from $50 to $150, depending on type. It is not a difficult job to replace those parts. I have a 98 M3 sedan with 39,000 miles and have not replaced anything yet. Can't wait to dump the oem dusty pads! Just for kicks you might call the BMW dealer and ask what they would charge for the work. I don't think even the dealer would charge that much!
Good Luck!

 

[Wadula]

yeah usually the rears should last way longer than the front as they only do a very little part of the work. that they are worn down points to a problem at the brakes. he says stamped. to be honest i do not know what it is when a break is stamped, but i could imagine that the calipers did not release completly and made the pads stamp on the rotor constantly. that way the rear brakes will wear down too fast.
just an interpretation from myside, so somebody please let us know what it is.

 

[frolf]

for $650 you can get very very nice Brembo cross drilled rotors straight from brembo, and thats a pretty high price in general, you should be able to find them cheaper. as for OEM replacement we are talking a lot less money.

 

[jrt67ss350]

yeah usually the rears should last way longer than the front as they only do a very little part of the work. that they are worn down points to a problem at the brakes. he says stamped. to be honest i do not know what it is when a break is stamped, but i could imagine that the calipers did not release completly and made the pads stamp on the rotor constantly. that way the rear brakes will wear down too fast.
just an interpretation from myside, so somebody please let us know what it is.

Wadula,

When his mechanic mentioned that the rotors were "stamped," he was saying that something to the effect of "This rotor is not turnable or machineable" was stamped into the metal somewhere on the rotor.

Just trying to clear up your confusion!