First of all, Do this at your own risk! Although this is somewhat an easy task, you are dealing with the brakes in your car! I take no responsibility for the mistakes that you make and this is just a guide for those who want to do the work themselves.
Now, since all of that mumbo jumbo is...

I took off the retaining clip for the rear caliper. The center two piece portion moves around a lot and allows the pad to be moved by over an inch. I believe it would be easier to just take off the bolts holding the piston/pad inner while leaving the outer bracket secured. I could not get enough leverage with a typical allen key. I will have to look for a better tool.

Has anyone done this like described above? This would appear to be very similar to the E36/46 calipers. Is there a torque spec for the 7mm alen bolts?

Mr. 5, great writeup!

Haven't done that, but taking the entire caliper off in the rear is pretty easy since it's smaller and there's more room to work with. The fronts are a pain in the butt though.

I don't understand why taking off the entire caliper is easier? Accessing the 7mm alen bolts appears to be easier and more direct, and you don't have to worry about torqueing them to spec like the caliper bracket bolts, which should be properly secured as you don't want them falling off. It also looks like the front would be easier accessing the alen bolts. A lot less leverage and power should be needed for the alen bolts both front and rear as the only hold the piston and pads in their proper orientation. I am going to buy the proper tools and try this. There has got to be someone who owned an E36/46 and now owns an E9x that has done this

Great thread

Bump to the OP. I had these exact brake pads finally installed on Friday and to be quite honest, braking power lost was quite minimal. Way worth it for the amount of dust reduction. I found an auto repair guy in downtown LA that did the install for me for 80 bucks, if anyone needs a referral let me know.

Will this procedure be the same for the E90 320i?

Nice write up, I agree with everyone on that point, but I am far too mechanically challenged to even attempt such a thing, oh, and thats if I even owned any real tools

Ive had my Black Lines for over a month now and still not had the courage to try and put them on.

I'm sure it will but the specs of the bolts might be a little different.
The pads of course will be differnet as well, but overall it's the same concept with most BMWs.

I did my dad's brakes in his Lexus LS430, and I couldn't believe he had 4 piston in the front and 2 piston in the rear.
It made me wonder what it would be like with more stopping power, so I purchased the rotora caliper kit and put those on.
What a difference!
6 piston in the front
4 piston in the rear

Great stuff. I'm glad that you guys are finding this thread helpful.

Sweet, how difficult was the install for the Rotora calipers? Do you have any pics of them installed?

I'm also loving my low dust pads (Axxis/Centric). I was concerned with the way they felt for the first week (long pedal and not much bite) but that got much better after a proper bed in and the pads breaking in onto the rotor. Now they're great! And My wheels stay clean for weeks!

Here you go.
I just started a new thread.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...66#post1842266

Mr.5, wonderful writeup
Does Centric Posi-Quiet has the pad for the stock caliper (front and rear) on E90/325i (2007)? What is the working temp on these pads?

Cheers.

I don't know too much about the 325, but I got my pads from Zeckhausen.

Actually they do make a pad for the 325.
Here:
http://www.zeckhausen.com/BMW/E90.htm

Great DIY writeup, but I would also add one thing:

When you work on your brake you would almost always want to take the brake reservoir lid off, so you will allow the brake fuild to flow through the system easier. Especially when you are using the C clamp to move the piston back to its original location.
Thanks!

Hmmm, contemplating whether to get these pads or not. I definately want less dust on the wheels, but seems like there might be quite a lot of sacrifice in terms of braking.

Can this DIY apply to all 3 Series units - more specifically, the 325i?

Thanks

Changes my pads twice already. Don't bother taking the entire caliper off. Instead, just pop off the black plastic plugs and access the 7mm allen bolt. They are not torqued very tight and you can get enough leverage with a small rachet. The inner comes right off while the outer caliper stays mounted to the spindle. Support on a paint can as suggested, and the pads pop right in and out. Very easy DIY.

Thanks for posting the DIY....I had my 325i up on a lift, but it still took me 3 hours (those metal clips SUCK) I wish I had a camera with me to take a picture of how tight the rear caliper bolts were (especially for how big my hands are) My next change will include rotors too, so I won't be able to try the allen bolt trick that sg335 mentioned.

Oh, one note...the rear brake pad sensor is a PIA. You have to pull down some of the wheel well lining to get to where it connects. The front was easy though as there is just a box in the wheel well that pops open and has the connections in it.

subscribed...

Has anyone done their brakes on a higher mileage car?
Do you need to get the rotors turned or not?
Does BMW dealers typically turn the rotors while they are still mounted on the car?

I know that a lot of shops have the new type of turning-machines that can turn the rotors while they are still on the car. Thus, the rotors get turned more accurately than if you did it on a separate machine.

**To answer my own question about turning rotors**
I just found out that BMW does NOT recommend turning rotors, and doesn't practice it themselves.

which pads would you recommend for occassional track use?
and low to moderate dust.