My local auto parts store gets me Balo rotors, made in Germany, and are rea= sonably priced at about $50-55/rotor.
For places to go, check out: pelican parts, ultimate garage and bav auto.
Note, if you want OE brake rotors - advantage is 2 year/unlimited warranty,= there are several dealers selling them at discounted prices - 20-35% off. = Check out passport bmw, pacific bmw, maxmillian imports (also bmw mobile tr= adition dealer) and tischer bmw.
Finally, pads are dependent on what you want. BMW OE pads have arguably the= best stopping power, but are very, very dusty. Otherwise, for OEM, check o= ut Repco/pbr, they have a variety depending on your driving condition. Good= Luck!
I have cheap eBay rotors on my car -- slotted and drilled, no less -- that were poorly made and had to be machined before I put them into service, but now that they are on they work fine. I bought rotors that weren't true, and because they're slotted and drilled, they cannot be turned on a lathe. I called the seller and asked if they should be used straighth out of the box or if I was expected to machine them first. He said they should be good from the box, so he sent me more. Having brand new warped rotors on my car, I was worried that the second set of new rotors would have the same problem so I had them measured, they were also not true. I had them machined on a flywheel grinder to make them straight, and them put them on my car. Then I took the first set and had them machined also, and put them on the shelf to be used later. Basically, I got a set of rotors for the cost of machine shop time, about $60. I bought the El Cheapo eBay brakes, 4 rotors and two sets of pads for $200, then got 2 more rotors for free, then paid 60-ish bucks for machine work. So, $260-ish got me 6 rotors and front and rear pads. Not bad...
What makes you state that the rotors wore out? What are the symptoms?
Basically, good rotors should run about $50 apiece, and good pads should run about $50 per axle set. That puts brakes on all 4 corners for about $300 to $400 for parts. I'm into my brakes, as I said, about $200 and they are fine, but I don't drive hard. Well, I don't stop hard...
Your experience is smililar to mine. We may have purchased from the same seller!
I bought two rotors for a cost of $100 and free shipping. They were cross- drilled also.
My friend (an experienced mechanic) helped me replace the front rotors and new pads.
For the first couple weeks my braking was smooth as glass. Then, even after a few weeks I started noticing a "shimmy" in the front when braking. Now, after three months it is unbearable. Had a different mechanic check it out and he said both front rotors are shot!!! He checked the suspension and other things to make sure nothing else was contributing to the problem.
Unfortunately I did not contact the seller, thinking I just bought junk parts.
I would really like to just buy something out of the box, put them on and be on my way!
For low dust and effectiveness on the e39, try the following pads in this order of preference:
PFC Z-rated
Hawk HPS
Hawk Performance Ceramic
Akebono Ceramic
Satisfied Pro Ceramic
Good brake pads aren't all *that* expensive, and poor quality cheap ones can spoil the car. One man's meat is another man's poison, though. Your mileage may vary. Etc., etc.
Why not buying original BMW? Take the 100 bucks for the chunk brakes and add the cost of a full gas tank. There you are and ride the next 100k miles without concerning.
BTW degreasing the rotors is the most important part. Start with dishwashing detergent, a brush and hot water. Then pass on to brake cleaner. If you think the disks are 100% free of residue, clean them one more time. Then clean them another 1-2 times. When white toilet paper finaly stays white when forceful whiping the metal surface, youre done.
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I have been using the NAPA ones. They last me on the average about two pad changes, which works out to about every two years. But, I don't do a lot of stop and go driving either. They are no Brembos, but I don't drive like someone who needs Brembos.
Buy from ANY legitimate seller. When you buy off of Ebay, you don't know what you are getting, and there is a good chance of getting counterfeit or used parts. Sometimes the price is good enough that I'm willing to run that risk. But for something that is a pain to install or something that is a safety item (like brakes), I'd be more careful.
I put a lot of value on my time. That's why at the end of the story about the crap brakes that I bought before I knew they were crap brakes, and I paid $200 for 4 rotors and all of the pads, I said that one should expect to pay about $50 per rotor and $50 per set of pads, to get reasonably good stuff, and way better stuff than what I got.
The only saving grace on my brakes is that I got a set of free rotors out of the deal that I paid $30 for machine work to make them true. Had I bought the crap I bought and NOT gotten a free set of rotors, then I would be no better off price wise than going down to the corner and buying brakes from AutoZone or Kragen.
So, if you want good brakes, be prepared to spend at least $300 for parts, and you should expect to roll into the $400 range. I don't think anybody on an Internet forum needs to spend more than $400 for parts UNLESS he has a specific need for really good stuff, racing, for instance. The poor sloggs that hang out here mostly rack up miles going back and forth to the salt mine, and $300 for brakes should work out fine.
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