[Black_e90]

Move to different section if this is the wrong place
How and why you should bypass your pad sensor

[N54Society]

Nice. I just did this yesterday because the rear sensor CCID came on. The sensor in place is about 2 months old so I'm not sure why it was triggered to begin with. Annoying but I decided to take care of it once and for all this time. Not buying another sensor.

[W37V]

That’s how you end up on reddit r/justrolledintotheshop.

Senors are $15 brand new. Don’t spend all your savings in one place.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

2mm of pad material is generally a good time to replace them, which is when the light comes on. You don't replace them when they're down to the metal.

[Black_e90]

Originally Posted by W37V

That’s how you end up on reddit r/justrolledintotheshop.

Senors are $15 brand new. Don’t spend all your savings in one place.

Well troll, if you actually watched the video you would understand that the sensors are very inaccurate . My brake pad change light came up on my dash and there was over 70% life left in the pad. So in order for me to reset the light I would have to install a new sensor. But if you bypass them you can just reset the light as many times as you can without worrying about the sensor. Knowing how much pad I had left when the change pad light came on, I decided this would be a better idea.

Also, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or have a sensor in order to realize when you need new pads, it’s as simple as bending down real fast and looking at the caliper lol. But thanks for your input.

[Black_e90]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

2mm of pad material is generally a good time to replace them, which is when the light comes on. You don't replace them when they're down to the metal.

Yeah well mine went off when there was over 70% pad life left so I decided to do this. Much easier and I can reset the light without having to change the pad every time. Like I mentioned in the last post, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist or even need a sensor to know when you need to change your pads.

[ki_soarer]

While I do agree with your point about not "needing" the sensor, I have to disagree when you say it was setting off the light with 70% pad left. If you indeed had that much pad left, either the sensor was incorrectly installed and was worn through, your inner pads are wearing more than your outer pads or you have an issue with your CBS data. If properly installed, there is no way the sensor can wear through with 70% pad left.

Another note, you can cut the sensor wire a lot closer to the connector so that you don't have all that wiring just wound up behind the fender lining.

Props for making the video though. Most people would just say what they want and not put in the effort to show anything.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by Black_e90

Well troll, if you actually watched the video you would understand that the sensors are very inaccurate . My brake pad change light came up on my dash and there was over 70% life left in the pad. So in order for me to reset the light I would have to install a new sensor. But if you bypass them you can just reset the light as many times as you can without worrying about the sensor. Knowing how much pad I had left when the change pad light came on, I decided this would be a better idea.

Also, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or have a sensor in order to realize when you need new pads, it’s as simple as bending down real fast and looking at the caliper lol. But thanks for your input.

Most likely, the light came on due to user error.

Most newer BMWs have two stage sensors. Once 1st stage is worn, notification comes on and show brakes need to be replaced in xxx miles (e.g. 3100 miles) and then stay like that forever. Only once the the second stage starts wearing out does the mileage starts dropping below xxxx (3100) and it is very linear. I think the sensor reaches 0 when you still have few mm left. This is for your safety as losing brakes... "...if brakes don't stop you something will..."

Like I said... likely user error.. you probably installed the damn thing backwards.


But to each its own.

[Black_e90]

Originally Posted by W37V

Most likely, the light came on due to user error.

Most newer BMWs have two stage sensors. Once 1st stage is worn, notification comes on and show brakes need to be replaced in xxx miles (e.g. 3100 miles) and then stay like that forever. Only once the the second stage starts wearing out does the mileage starts dropping below xxxx (3100) and it is very linear. I think the sensor reaches 0 when you still have few mm left. This is for your safety as losing brakes... "...if brakes don't stop you something will..."

Like I said... likely user error.. you probably installed the damn thing backwards.


But to each its own.

Thanks

[autoart]

If the inner pad was worn you would not know, until you hear a grinding noise. Then you have to buy disc too.

[ryan stewart]

Yeah I'm not a broke kid so I'll just stick to maintaining my car properly. I've had BMWs for 18 years and haven't had one issue with a brake wear sensor. Being said I replaced them with the brakes and installed them properly.

[apexit4]

A few users have already mentioned this, but pads can wear unevenly. If you're inner brake pad is wearing down faster than the outer pad, it wouldn't be easy to check its wear without either getting under the car or taking the wheel off.

It's worth mentioning that if the pads are not wearing at the same rate, there is probably another issue that needs to be solved (guide pin may need to be lubricated, excessive brake dust build up, etc.).

[Efthreeoh]

You can call people names all you want, but if your pad had only 30% wear when the sensor triggered the notification, then the sensor was loose and got jammed between the pad and the rotor. The sensor would have been FUBAR and it would have been easily discernable that the sensor was not installed correctly.

So what you are saying is not possible if the sensor was installed correctly and the system reset properly at that time.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by autoart

If the inner pad was worn you would not know, until you hear a grinding noise. Then you have to buy disc too.

This is incorrect. The sensor is on the inner pad. It could be possible to have the outer pad wear faster than the inner pad if the caliper is sticking. The pins are not supposed to be lubed per BMWs repair procedures.

To OP stated he got the pad light notification and found the pad only 30% spent, which is pretty much impossible.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

This is incorrect. The sensor is on the inner pad. It could be possible to have the outer pad wear faster than the inner pad if the caliper is sticking. The pins are not supposed to be lubed per BMWs repair procedures.

To OP stated he got the pad light notification and found the pad only 30% spent, which is pretty much impossible.

Guess it could just be failure of the sensor itself too if it wasnt replaced with the pads before or if it was a knock-off. Ive seen old sensors become quite brittle. Its why I replace them when I do the brakes, cheap insurance of having to get back in there.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Guess it could just be failure of the sensor itself too if it wasnt replaced with the pads before or if it was a knock-off. Ive seen old sensors become quite brittle. Its why I replace them when I do the brakes, cheap insurance of having to get back in there.

They are consumables, they are supposed to be replaced when the pads are replaced. The sensors on the E9X don't even start wearing for the first 3MM of pad material. I've not measured it, but I'd bet the 1st wire loop doesn't break until the pads are 50% spent. It makes logical sense to design it that way.

I've owned BMWs for 30 years. All 4 of the BMWs I've owned use pad wear sensors. I still have 3 of cars in my fleet. I've done at least 16 brake jobs over that time. I've never had a faulty pad wear indication.

The OP is telling everyone to bypass the brake wear system, which is BAD advice, based on his lack of understanding the system.

[N54Society]

Almost no other car manufacturer over engineers their braking system by putting shitty sensors on them. If it's a safety issue, how are they able to overlook this "grave" matter? A little common sense goes a long way. I've replaced sensors with pads every single time in my BMW cars and 2 out of 5 times something is triggered on the system despite doing a successful reset after the refresh.

[CTinline-six]

I've never had an issue with the brake wear sensors. TPMS system is another story.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The OP is telling everyone to bypass the brake wear system, which is BAD advice, based on his lack of understanding the system.

Yeah, and the way he is doing it is why I had no reservations about being honest regarding who this "mod" is for. He is trying to get clicks to his Youtube shade-tree mechanic channel. I see soo much of this crap in my Recommended since I have legitimately searched good guides for regular service procedures.

Pretty much anyone talking about a hack around a designed system to "save you money" is "full of shit." If you dont like spending money on brake pad wear sensors that warn you that you need to do critical maintenance than get what you should have got in the first place, an econobox.

[Black_e90]

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Yeah, and the way he is doing it is why I had no reservations about being honest regarding who this "mod" is for. He is trying to get clicks to his Youtube shade-tree mechanic channel. I see soo much of this crap in my Recommended since I have legitimately searched good guides for regular service procedures.

Pretty much anyone talking about a hack around a designed system to "save you money" is "full of shit." If you dont like spending money on brake pad wear sensors that warn you that you need to do critical maintenance than get what you should have got in the first place, an econobox.

How condescending of you. If you actually watched the video you would understand that I never once mentioned that I did this to “save money”, so I would appreciate it if you stopped making things up.

You must have to be a complete air head or not mechanically inclined to not realize when you need new brake pads for your car. You don’t need a sensor to let you know. Which is why I just bypassed it. It makes my life easier. On top of that I’ve dealt with faulty sensors that either break or are innaccurate and tell me I need to change the pads when I’m reality I don’t. I solved the issue to my problem.

Anyways, have a good day and thanks for your feedback

[Black_e90]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

They are consumables, they are supposed to be replaced when the pads are replaced. The sensors on the E9X don't even start wearing for the first 3MM of pad material. I've not measured it, but I'd bet the 1st wire loop doesn't break until the pads are 50% spent. It makes logical sense to design it that way.

I've owned BMWs for 30 years. All 4 of the BMWs I've owned use pad wear sensors. I still have 3 of cars in my fleet. I've done at least 16 brake jobs over that time. I've never had a faulty pad wear indication.

The OP is telling everyone to bypass the brake wear system, which is BAD advice, based on his lack of understanding the system.

Why is everyone so condescending in this forum��. We own bmws so it makes sense.

I understand how the system works, I’ve just dealt with too many faulty sensors. But thanks for your input

[mecheng77]

Count me for someone that has shorted the sensor, I own a flashlight and can look in my rims once in a while. Also, when I change my tires, I always have a good look. Both my wear sensors triggered at the same time, when only one was low but I'm still driving on the pads until spring rolls around. Maybe the P.O. tried resetting the indicators before they were changed but when my car light up like a christmas tree, thats when I broke out the soldering iron and am glad I never have to buy, or deal with that indicator as I feel they trigger too early.

Its great for people that never look at their car and drive. Not for me.