BMW E90/92 Brake Job Must Read

If you change your BMW brake pads and/or rotors, you must change both wear sensors at the same time. The BMW will trigger a brake wear warning if you only replace one sensor. I learned this the hard way.

I replaced my rear rotors and brake pads with Zimmerman Z-Coat and StopTech. For the brake sensor, I used a non-OEM brand named Bowa. Huge mistake. The Bowa sensors are one-third the price of OEM sensors for a reason. They have almost no shielding for the wire that plugs into the brake pads that rubs against your suspension causing breaks and fraying. I cannot recommend buying OEM brake sensors enough because the entire wire is protected. 

I'm certain that changing the rear brake sensor only tripped the warning light, but lets say I changed both sensors at one time. The light still would have triggered because the Bowa wires were frayed after a couple of drives. 

Please save yourself the headache and change all brake pads, rotors, and sensors at once and do a reset. It will save you the time of taking everything apart again.

Apparently the BMW computer measures the wear at both sensors at the same time. If one changes but the other is the same it triggers the brake warning light. 

Zimmerman Z-Coated Rear Rotor on E39 530i

Zimmerman Z-Coated rear rotor and StopTech street performance brake pads on a BMW E39 530i. H&R sport springs and Bilstein sport shocks shown as well.

Braking performance is amazing and I love this setup. Only downside is the amount of dust the StopTech brake pads generate.

StopTech Street Performance Pads & Zimmerman Rotors

I swapped out the old, cracked, warped OEM rotors and Akebono Ceramic brake pads on my 2002 BMW E39 530i and installed StopTech Street Performance pads with Zimmerman coated rotors. How do I know the previous owner had Akebono pads installed? I have some extra unused pads and the part numbers match up and they look identical. There is still plenty of life left on the Akebono pads but I want something more aggressive so I went with StopTech.

Let me tell you how great the braking now feels. No more annoying shimmy or vibrations during braking, especially on off-ramps or coming down from the canyons, just nice solid brake application.

I bought my 530i used and I believe the rear rotors are original and pads are Akebono so I can't tell you how the initial bite feels compared to OEM Jurid pads. All I can say is the speed sheds quickly and the bite is pretty strong. Performance is awesome and confidence inspiring in spirited driving, I haven't had any fading or sketchy issues and I believe the DOT4 fluid helps a lot. The response is such a night and day difference that I have never felt before in this car.

Another great benefit of the Zimmerman zinc coated rotors is the way they look through the wheels, no more ugly rust that screams for attention. It is unfortunate to see a perfectly detailed car with rusted hubs.

I highly recommend this combo for daily driving, light track duty, and canyon driving. If you are looking for low dust and no noise, I would suggest going with the Akebono Ceramic brake pads with Zimmerman rotors. I did consider getting Hawk pads but that would have been overkill. Let me know what brake/rotor combos have worked well for you and leave a comment below.

1 month update: 
The StopTech pads dust a lot, if I don't wash my car every week the wheels are almost black. Performance is still amazing with whiplash inducing force if I slam on the brakes. These pads inspire a lot of confidence in driving and I can't recommend them enough.

No wonder why I was getting vibrations and squeaking noises, the rotors are all scored and have cracks.

Zimmerman rotors looking good with Bilstein Sports.

Zimmerman Rotor packaging.

DIY: Infiniti QX4 (01-03) Caliper Slide Pins & Bolts

How to change the caliper sliding pins, bolts, and dust boots on an Infiniti QX4 (01-03). This DIY may apply to the R50 Nissan Pathfinder.

Tools Needed:

• 14mm Socket TEKTON 3/8-Inch Drive Torque Wrench, 10-80 Feet Pound
  
• Torque Wrench (up to 32ft-lbs)
• Screwdriver
• Penetrating oil (if caliper bolts are seized)  Blaster 16-PB Penetrating Catalyst - 11 oz. 
• Jack. I prefer 3 Ton Ultra Low Profile Steel Floor Jack with Rapid Pump Quick Lift 
• Jack Stands.  Torin 3 Ton Jack Stands (Sold in Pairs) 

Parts Needed: 

• Dust boots. Carlson Pin Boot Kit 
• 2x Caliper slide pins and bolts. ACDelco Durastop Front Disc Brake Caliper Bolt 
• Brake Grease. CRC Silaramic Brake System Grease - 5 oz. 

Removal Steps:

• Loosen six 21mm lug nuts and place wheel chocks behind rear tires with Camco Wheel Chock - Pack of 2 or something to prevent vehicle from moving backwards
• Jack QX4 and place jack stands underneath car. Look at the owner's manual for jack points. Relieve jack pressure so the car is resting on the stands.
• Remove wheel and locate top and bottom caliper bolts circled below.

• Use 14mm socket and ratchet to remove old caliper bolts. Use penetrating oil on the bolts if seized.
• Remove brake piston and support with bungee cord or place something underneath. Supporting the piston is important because the brake lines will be damaged if left hanging. I rested the brake pistons on a plastic container.   

• Pull caliper slide pins out. Moderate force may be necessary to remove pins. Gently tap with hammer and chisel if you cannot pull them out by hand. Old and rusted pins pictured below. 

• Remove old dust boots from caliper carrier.

Installation Steps: 

•  Grease new slide pins with CRC Silaramic Brake System Grease - 5 oz. 

• Place new dust boots over slide pins and install them in the caliper carrier.
• Reinstall brake piston and align holes over slide pins. You may need a C-Clamp to close the piston if brake pads were changed or if there is difficulty getting the piston over the brake pads.
• Install caliper bolts The ACDelco Professional Front Brake Caliper Bolts and OEM are 14mm. I believe the torque values are 32 ft-lbs.The picture below is from a Nissan service manual. 

 

• Reinstall wheel and safely remove jack stands, jack, and other equipment. 

Notes: 
Removal and installation is straightforward and simple, however this job can be very difficult if caliper bolt and pin are seized. There are Youtube tutorials available if the bolt and pin are seized.

Remember to use silicone grease on the slide pins.

Take all the necessary safety precautions and if you feel unsafe bring your car to the dealership or independent mechanic.