My convoluted brake change tale...

[hugo_nz 166]

So the 6-er has been an...interesting car so far. This is the tale of my recent rear brake change...

The rear brakes were getting on, with the little orange car showing up every time I start the car. Now, I have driven top-shelf German cars for the longest time and know full well the maintenance cost associated with them, but BMW New Zealand is taking this piss when it comes to part prices. Rear brake pads and a sensor for almost $500, I think not...thank you very much. With the F12 not being all that popular in NZ none of the spares places have any brake pads for them, nor for the F10 it would seem, so I went the eBay route (which I have done plenty of times before). I bought these: EBAY LINK. $250 for front and rear pads...sweet.

Then I get a letter from Auckland Transport in the mailbox. "Dear so and so, your next WOF is on us!"...yep, the WOF that was done on my car when I purchased it was done by one of the now-suspended inspectors, and I need to get it re-checked before the end of January 2019. No worries, brake pads are on their way so once that's sorted the car will be good as gold.

Shipment "with" pads arrive from the UK...tracking status updated to "shortage" which means that the pads were on the manifest, but not in the cargo. Great, no I have to lodge a claim with eBay. Fine, I'll get a refund, but now my car is screaming "330km to go until the brake light turns red". I consider the BMW route again but decided to reference the HELLA PAGID catalogue for OEM part numbers, and I find them. As luck would have it an Aussie store sells them: LINK for just over a hundy. Order, pay and delivered i 4 days flat. #Winning!

Now in the meantime, I had my car's wheel balance and alignment done, after getting the front tyres replaced. This was done by Beaurepairs Takanini. All good, car feels much better afterwards. On Monday I finally get the ISTA+ software working on my Mac (needed to put the electronic park brake into service mode, else you have to disassemble it in order to wind it back for the brake pad job). Ready to rock and roll...let's get the wheels off. Nah, not happening. Bolts are on so tight that my bar won't budge them. Go up to Beaurepairs so they can loosen them...super surprised that they are on so tight. Can't get the one rear locknut off. After trying for 45 minutes they give up...so off to BMW I go. They tell me that the inside shape of locknut is damaged...how? Because Beaurepairs used a rattle gun on the bolts. BMW try for 45 minutes and give up. The bolt is screwed (pun intended) and the lock nut simply slips out when you apply pressure. They recommend getting it drilled out...but the place they use is closed until mid-January. While I was there I picked up 4 new regular wheel bolts to replace the locking ones ($55).

On the way home I call Beaurepairs head office and speak to the area manager, who is very apologetic and helpful. She calls me back having found a place that could help me on Friday morning. I call them and explain the situation in detail, nah...beyond their skills. Recommend I go to Pitstop Botany. Call them, and they ask me to bring the car in today (Thursday). Go there this morning and an hour later the bolt is out. They welded a blob onto it in order to get it out, with no damage to the rim ($200).

Get home, get the wheels off and replace the pads and sensor. 90 minutes all in. Not a bad effort and floating callipers make it a super easy job. 

Moral of the story: do not let anyone with a rattle gun near your car if you have lock nuts.

-The End-

Edited December 27, 2018 by hugo_nz

[BozzaFC 300]

That sounds tedious! I always get so nervous with new people touching my car for this exact reason. Glad it’s all sorted and Beaurepairs was helpful with it, did they pay the $200?

Edited December 27, 2018 by BozzaFC
Typo

[hugo_nz 166]

1 minute ago, BozzaFC said:

That sounds tedious! I always get so nervous with new people touching my car for this exact reason. Glad it’s all sorted and Beaurepairs was helpful with it, did they pay the $200?

Yes, they are refunding the new bolts, the removal of the stuck one as well as what I paid for the wheel balancing that started all of this.

[NZ BMW 368]

Glad to hear it all got sorted, those pads are looking fairly close to the bone.

A couple of moons ago I had Beaurepairs do four new tyres on an E39 I had. 

They made a point that they rattle gun the first bit and then always do a final hand tighten for that exact reason. This was the Newmarket branch, don’t know if that makes a difference but I was left with the impression that this was their operating procedure. 

[Eagle 1662]

Your average tyre shop is like a zoo, many breeds of monkeys present. 

[KwS 2425]

If they dont use a torque wrench, tell them to get farked and go somewhere that does. I dont know why but it seems tire shops attract low IQ muppets now days, and no one gives half a sh*t there.

[NZ BMW 368]

6 hours ago, KwS said:

If they dont use a torque wrench, tell them to get farked and go somewhere that does. I dont know why but it seems tire shops attract low IQ muppets now days, and no one gives half a sh*t there.

Can you not set the gun to a specific torque?

[KwS 2425]

34 minutes ago, NZ BMW said:

Can you not set the gun to a specific torque?

[GorGasm 563]

Sterling Brake has F10/11 parts in stock, would likely have had yours.

Blair is a good guy to deal with.

http://sterlingbrake.co.nz

[hugo_nz 166]

On 12/28/2018 at 7:30 AM, GorGasm said:

Sterling Brake has F10/11 parts in stock, would likely have had yours.

Blair is a good guy to deal with.

http://sterlingbrake.co.nz

Good to know. ISTA+ recons my front pads are at 26% so will be doing those soon. Will give Sterling a call. 

[dirtydoogle 383]

Just had the same drama with our e70. I welded a studay to the lock nut and slide hammered it off, then welded a wheel nut to the spliced section. 

What a PITA! 

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

It's hard when it's you who is the monkey with more muscle than brains... I once pulled some studs out of a hub trying to undo wheel nuts. Turns out they were left hand thread.?