2004 BMW 745 rotors bad on car /it was bought certiified w/

Hi there,

This will be very hard to do, the dealer will claim due wear and you will have to prove otherwise, you can talk to the dealer and state your claim, do this and see how you get on.

Mark (mhpautos)

Hello -

Well Dulcie C, as for the rotors. . .. . .. . ...I don't see a problem at all with them. They have lasted 5 years on that car. That is fantastic. Rotors have wear limits. They start off new at one thickness, say � inch and then as you drive and apply brakes, the metal still wears down. Many times when brake jobs are performed the rotors are turned, not replaced. That means put on a metal lathe and some of the metal cut away to ensure the surface is nice and even to allow the brake pads to run smooth on it. Some can be turned several times; some depending on the wear cannot. They are measured each time to ensure they are within safety thickness standards. When they are checked, they can be good and within limits. Then the next brake job worn down past the limits. So for rotors to last about 5 years, that is fantastic.

As for the front being "unusual" I don't see that. The rotors were never replaced if I understand you correctly. Again refer to the top.

Now for front brakes. Most of the time the front wear more due to the weight of the car during stopping. So that seems normal and to last that long, that is great!

The only thing odd to me is you had the rear pads replaced in 2008 and then also in 2009. That is the only thing odd to me. The rear pads should have lasted longer than that unless there was a problem.

As for the cost. I have attached an estimate. They are almost right on with mine. So I don't see a problem there.

So I wouldn't worry about trying to have them pay. Again, the only question in my mind was were the rear pad really changed in 2008.

Does this help you. . .. . .. . ..

Also, it looks like you may have some recalls on your vehicle. The dealer may fix these for free. Please contact the dealer service department, give them the VIN number of your car and have them check on these to see if they apply to you.

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Hi there,

You are really relying on the honesty of the mechanic involved, all brake rotors have a min thickness and must be replaced if they are under size, I do agree that rotor wear is excessive under normal conditions, but with out the old rotors to measure you just can't say what they were like, rotors are only machined if they are scored warped or damaged by running out of brake material and you go metal to metal, natural rotor wear is minimal at best and you can get many years out of a set of rotors, I would be checking the official BMW policy on brakes & rotors, talking to a friend the other day I was surprised to learn that he had a BMW X5 in his work shop for brakes and BMW Australia recommended that rotors should be change with brake pads, now whether this is the same in the USA I don't know, so may be you should look into this as well. Just a thought.

Mark (mhpautos)

I would like to add my 2 cents worth here. I have been a BMW tech exclusively for the last 20 years and the level of service available at the dealer has changed over the years, mostly due to what I have determined is greed and laziness on the part of the management. Years ago if a BMW came to the dealer needing brakes, it got pads, rotors and sensors, period. Then BMW saw their "fortunes" being spent by unscrupulous technicians that did not spend the time to measure the rotors or inspect for warpage, because BMW is not paying them to do that. When the bean counters get involved with cost cutting, the first thing that is sacrificed is quality of service to the customer. So then BMW said we had to measure all the rotors, then they wanted us to send all the rotors back to them, and if the rotors sent back were still serviceable, they would debit the dealer and back flag the technicians. When this happens it has a snowball effect and I will leave it up to your imagination what that could mean.