brakes

[OllyH]

Hi, I've been driving my MINI for nearly 1000 miles (car already had 18,000 miles on the clock) and am hearing noises from the brakes, like rubbing or binding, and feel that pedal travel has increased until the brakes bite. Does anyone have any idea what is happening? I am not heavy on the brakes or do any track work, and there is no brake warning lights flashing up.
Any help would be appreciated!

[L14MWY]

it sounds like your pads on teh brakes are worn down, you need to take it to the dealer or a lcoal garage for a brake check, but because youll have let the pads grind teh disc, the discmay need replacing aswell

[OllyH]

Cheers for that - I will definetly take it in asap. Im sure I'm not heavy on the brakes, but isn't this an early time for brake pads to be replaced? Will I be covered under warranty?

[L14MWY]

well if teh car has 19k on teh clocok id say that was about average, i did mien when it had around 19k, you need to go carful tho as they might not work.. meaning its just metal on metal so be careful when your dirving teh car that you dont go into teh back of anyone, id take it to a normal dealer aswell as BMW will rip you off and you dont particuly need genuine parts

[L14MWY]

also no they wont be covered by warranty, its just a wear and tear item, they wear down same as tyres, windscreen wipers etc

[SteveM3]

If you bought your car from a dealer they should have replaced the pads if they were worn
enough for another 1,000 miles to get through to the metal. So if it is onto the metal I
would ask for some new pads fitted free. Of course the noise may be from another source.

[MINI-Morgan]

if the pads arent worn away try stamping on the brakes a couple of times in a controlled manor to clean all the salt off.

[OllyH]

I noticed it start when I first washed the car. I know it's probably a long shot but is there a chance the car shampoo I used to clean the car didn't rinse of the brakes? Because the next day, backing it out of the drive I definetley started hearing the brake noise...

[Mini Me GB]

Quote: Originally Posted by OllyH

I noticed it start when I first washed the car. I know it's probably a long shot but is there a chance the car shampoo I used to clean the car didn't rinse of the brakes? Because the next day, backing it out of the drive I definetley started hearing the brake noise...

Yes water and shampoo have an effect on your brakes.. If I wash my car and don't drive it anywhere the next day the brakes hold for a second without the brakes applied before finally giving way - normally because a layer of rust builds up that is soon gone when you apply the brakes a few times.. Doesn't have too much effect in the harshness of braking though - but you can hear noise from them when they are wet..

If you can feel it in the pedal it's prob best to have them checked out - they should look at your brakes for free even if it won't be covered - just talk to your Mini dealer if they try and charge you just for looking at them..

[St00ge]

hey i get squeaking from my rear brakes only, especially the left one. I flush them out pretty much every day with a high pressure hose, and it makes the problem a little bit less worse. Will this stamping on the brakes thing fix that up u reckon?

[ChallengeRacer]

Your brake pads may indeed be worn, and should be checked. But if the pedal is also going down, you need to change the brake fluid. Be sure to have the ABS cycled on while the bleed process is occuring, as you want to ensure that there is no air in the system (you bought the car used, so you never really know). Also, your brake lines are rubber which means they are porous...it's not much, but over a year, they can absorb enough moisture to contaminate the fluid. Washing your car, especially with any high pressure, will make it worse.
You may well have another problem, which is your rotors. With the brakes cold, run your finger from the hat to the edge of the rotor, feeling for large ridges. Then simply look at the material left on the brake pads. If you have a lot of rotor wear, you can get them "turned," or ground smooth...the minimum thickness is, if I recall, 24mm...anything less than that and you need new rotors. Sorry, I don't remember the spec on the rears.
If you are using the OEM pads, they are easy on the rotors but generate a fair amount of brake pad dust. If you go to aggressive pads/race pads, they will wear the rotors faster. So chances are that you have worn pads, moisture in the fluid, and/or marginally worn rotors. I suggest the visual inspection, replacement/regrinding of worn parts, and definitely replacing the brake fluid.

My 2 cents....

Stephen.

[St00ge]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChallengeRacer

Your brake pads may indeed be worn, and should be checked. But if the pedal is also going down, you need to change the brake fluid. Be sure to have the ABS cycled on while the bleed process is occuring, as you want to ensure that there is no air in the system (you bought the car used, so you never really know). Also, your brake lines are rubber which means they are porous...it's not much, but over a year, they can absorb enough moisture to contaminate the fluid. Washing your car, especially with any high pressure, will make it worse.
You may well have another problem, which is your rotors. With the brakes cold, run your finger from the hat to the edge of the rotor, feeling for large ridges. Then simply look at the material left on the brake pads. If you have a lot of rotor wear, you can get them "turned," or ground smooth...the minimum thickness is, if I recall, 24mm...anything less than that and you need new rotors. Sorry, I don't remember the spec on the rears.
If you are using the OEM pads, they are easy on the rotors but generate a fair amount of brake pad dust. If you go to aggressive pads/race pads, they will wear the rotors faster. So chances are that you have worn pads, moisture in the fluid, and/or marginally worn rotors. I suggest the visual inspection, replacement/regrinding of worn parts, and definitely replacing the brake fluid.

My 2 cents....

Stephen.

wow, that's given me a lot to think about, thanks a lot for that.

Couple questions:

the car is only 5 months old, so surely rotor wear shouldn't an issue?
i totally believe you when you say it could be the brake fluid, but could you explain to me why contaminated brake fluid would cause rear brake squeaks?

Just came back from a drive, so i have to wait for the brakes to cool down...

I didn't a couple of hard ABS stops, and that seemed to do a little bit to help....

Thanks again!

Elie

[ChallengeRacer]

Quote: Originally Posted by etalj

wow, that's given me a lot to think about, thanks a lot for that.

Couple questions:

the car is only 5 months old, so surely rotor wear shouldn't an issue?
i totally believe you when you say it could be the brake fluid, but could you explain to me why contaminated brake fluid would cause rear brake squeaks?

Just came back from a drive, so i have to wait for the brakes to cool down...

I didn't a couple of hard ABS stops, and that seemed to do a little bit to help....

Thanks again!

Elie

Elie, the brake fluid will not cause rear brake noise/squeal. If the car was purchased new, you are right...the rotors should not wear that quickly. If you have the stock pads, that is certainly true. Question: Do you drive through water puddles often? It's possible to get water on hot pads/rotors and if you glaze the pads, they can squeal. The way to set that right is to perform a few very hard stops (be careful of traffic/pedestrians!) and then see if things are better.

And unless you are driving through water, you should not have a problem with the fluid after 5 months, but you should completely change it every year anyway.

Good Luck!

Stephen.

[St00ge]

thanks very much, i think perhaps you're right, maybe some water got onto my discs when they were hot, i've heard of that happening before.....I'll try some hard stops tomorrow, and see if that does the job. I'll report back tomorrow.

Appreciate the help very much mate.

Cheers,
Elie

Quote: Originally Posted by ChallengeRacer

Elie, the brake fluid will not cause rear brake noise/squeal. If the car was purchased new, you are right...the rotors should not wear that quickly. If you have the stock pads, that is certainly true. Question: Do you drive through water puddles often? It's possible to get water on hot pads/rotors and if you glaze the pads, they can squeal. The way to set that right is to perform a few very hard stops (be careful of traffic/pedestrians!) and then see if things are better.

And unless you are driving through water, you should not have a problem with the fluid after 5 months, but you should completely change it every year anyway.

Good Luck!

Stephen.

[Richard Crofts]

Sounds like worn pads...mine lasted 25k in the cooper though....18k is a bit poor?! And I drive it like its a stolen car!