E46 M3 BRAKES KAPUT!!

[anonymous-user]

15K miles in my 2nd set of discs have started wobbling like absolute mad under braking and they have only been on 5k (first set replaced for same reason) my question to you is why!

Dealer will not cover under warranty as i have removed the brake cooling ducts in the wheel arches and he says this is the problem?

One thing i will say is that they were perfect then the car was stood for 2 weeks after a good wash and it started after that , its immediatley noticable but more so when warm.

Opinions please , much needed!

Thanks

Brian

[blackspider]

If the discs were wet when the car was left then there will be a biuld up of surface corrosion behind the pads-this is very quick to build and once it gets into the surface gives you a high spot.
If you do alot of track days or fast road/heavy braking,then without the air ducts the discs can over heat(worp).
If you can,refit the airducts and take it to a different dealer

[rlk500]

Well basically the brakes on all BMW's are designed by accountants and not engineers.......I have two Bm's. On my E30 M3 Track car I got so fed up with trying to stop the disks warping that I threw them away and replaced with AP 4 pots. This is a vastly lighter car than the e46, so guess what, no amount of ducting and fiddling about will sort them out. You may be able to make improvements but ultimately the materials they are made from are poor in terms of heat control. Consider this, what is an Aga cooker made from ?? Yup, cast iron, same as your calipers, so guess what happens when they get hot, yup, they stay hot, for months..........(well not quite, but you get the point). There is a reason why Porsche and MB put ali 4 pots on many of their cars.....

[anonymous-user]

So basically , with or without them ducts im screwed anyway! AP here we come , sorry brembo , im not that rich!

Thanks fellas

Paul

[rlk500]

In a word yes. I think most people who track them go for one of the big brake kits from AP or Brembo, you will just get so much better longevity from the components. The guys I got mine from reckoned a set of disks would last a seasons racing, so for spirited road use and ocassional track use, they are going to last ages. Put it this way, I haven't put pads or disks on my car for 2 years and it gets driven properly (on track, of course...).

[rob05]

My discs have covered 32000 miles maybe more yes i agree the brakes are poor on the M3 but its how often and how you use them which will determine how long they last, same with the clutch,drive the car fast but with care and you really shouldn't have to change either.(Unless they are made by Porsche in which case the rot if they ever see rain)

[Vesuvius 996]

PAUL_ATOM_M3 said:

15K miles in my 2nd set of discs have started wobbling like absolute mad under braking and they have only been on 5k (first set replaced for same reason) my question to you is why!

Dealer will not cover under warranty as i have removed the brake cooling ducts in the wheel arches and he says this is the problem?

One thing i will say is that they were perfect then the car was stood for 2 weeks after a good wash and it started after that , its immediatley noticable but more so when warm.

Opinions please , much needed!

Thanks

Brian

So you have buggered about with the set up BMW probably spent millions getting right, and you wonder why your brakes are knackered?

"Oh, my conrods snapped and the pistons went through the bonnet, I took the revlimiter off though, and BMW won't replace them under warranty...."

Edited by Vesuvius 996 on Tuesday 14th November 13:20

[rob05]

I missed the important bit..........

Dealer will not cover under warranty as i have removed the brake cooling ducts in the wheel arches and he says this is the problem

Do you really expect them to pay after that