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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Brake Pad & Fluid Service Questions



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      09-17-2014, 04:44 PM   #1
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Question Brake Pad & Fluid Service Questions

Being a bit new to the BMW scene I thought I'd get some opinions from others that have been-there/done-that regarding both the brake pad and fluid services. I've done tons of car maintenance in the past, but I know some of these things are handled a bit differently (especially with the monitoring systems not present on other cars).

One of the '07 335i's is due for pads soon and the rear are coming due prior to the front. I was thinking of sticking with the OEM pads/sensors and was curious if there is a recommended place to procure them at a good price (perhaps forum sponsors?). I'd be curious to get any feedback I can. The car has about 72k and it appears that the rotors are still in good shape (no problems or strange feelings when braking, appearance looks pretty decent as well) so I was planning on reusing them, but if that is not recommended I'm open to opinions there too. If it is recommended to use alternative/upgraded performance products, I'd love to hear those opinions as well.

I had read about issues resetting the CBS for brakes - is there an issue with only doing one of the two axles at a time? Since the fronts say there is at least 7k left on them, I'd rather not waste that lifespan and split up the job anyway.

The rears say there is about 800 mi left It has been slowly reducing (not as quickly as miles have been accumulated AFAIK). I'm curious to know if it is recommended to just replace them ASAP or wait until the red indicator comes on from the pad sensor being tripped.

The other car (also '07 335i) is due for the fluid service. I've watched some of the videos and I was curious if anyone has ever used the reverse fluid bleeder that some of the vendors are selling and what comments they have about them (better/worse than the pressure bleeders). I was also curious if it is recommended (and how difficult) to bleed the clutch as well during this service. If it matters, it works just fine, but I didn't know if there were adverse effects of leaving old fluid in the system just like there are for the brakes!

Thanks in advance for any help/opinions! Looking forward to keeping the BMW's in tip-top shape!
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      09-17-2014, 11:18 PM   #2
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Oembimmerparts.com
Textar pads are oem
Bowa sensors are oem
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      09-19-2014, 08:43 AM   #3
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Thanks for that information... I presume those parts are completely identical to the ones with the BMW branding, then?

Anyone else out there with any commentary on fluid exchange / reverse bleeder tool / CBS reset for each set of brakes?

Thanks again!
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      09-19-2014, 09:15 AM   #4
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Doing only fronts or rears wouldn't cause or shouldn't cause any problems with resets. The only issue was that the mileage wasn't resetting and they had to essentially trip the circuit to reset the CBS. there is a DIY posted on this.

As for pads and rotors, there are a lot of options out there and a lot of reviews for these options. If you're looking to stick to oem, then textar is the way to go.

I don't have any experience with the reverse bleeders, but the pressure bleeding method is widely used among us bmw owners that do our own maintenance.
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      09-22-2014, 01:33 PM   #5
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Thanks for the info!

I'm going to be going with the Textar pads, since if they're basically identical to OEM aside the BMW name being printed on them and are substantially less expensive.

Anyone else have any comments on the bleeding / reverse bleeding? I'm sorta tempted to try it, since air does generally have an easier time traveling up rather than down. I wonder if it ends up being any more effective.
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      11-05-2014, 04:52 PM   #6
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Just wanted to post an update. Thanks to everyone for all the information/tips.

The job went really easily, and I installed the Textar pads with OE sensors. Existing rotors were in excellent shape, so they were reused. Used the CRC Disc Brake Quiet per the DIY. The pads bedded nicely, and the CBS reset went off without a hitch.

Was at least a few weeks ago now, the car brakes much better than before on the very thin rear pads. I'll follow the same procedure when the fronts come due in about 8k miles.

I am now thinking I should get the fluid exchange done on the other car before the weather here goes completely bad. So I'm still open to hear more about how everyone has done it. Seems like nobody has tried the reverse bleeder, but that the pressure setup is tried-and-true and works great for everyone. Any other comments on that are appreciated. Fluid is in-hand, so I just need some type of bleeding tool(s) to proceed.
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