Replacing the brake rotors, pads, and brake pad wear sensor on a BMW E39 5 series from 1996-2003. Supports 525i, 528i, 530i, 535i, 540i, AND M5. Check out our sister E39Source website: www.E39Source.com BMW E65Source: / e65source
Great video. Was able to change the rear rotors with help of this video last weekend. For me was a long and painful job due to limited mechanical experience and initially a lack of proper tools, but am really satisfied now that its done. Regarding the hex bolt that you had to drill out - I found that the previous owner had also ruined that and I guess rather than fix it, he decided to not replace the rotors and sold the car. However instead of drilling it, I was able to hammer in a torx bit into that now-circular hole and use that to get it out.
Hey Ryan, I finally got around to doing my brake pads last weekend. It was quite easy and I had no issues thanks to this video. A couple of notes though: 1. If your E39 has the mobility kit (cigarette lighter powered pump/tire sealer,) and no spare tire, then you will not have a jack. I learned this the hard way and had to go to O'Reilly and buy one. 2. You mentioned the pad wear sensor on the front driver's side but my 2001 M5 also has a sensor on the passenger side rear. They are different sensors because the wire on each is a different length. 3. Once you replace the sensor(s), you can reset the system by turning your key to position 2 and waiting about 20-30 seconds. The Brake warning light will then go off and you know that the sensor has been reset.
Glad things went well! 1. No M5s have jacks, and the included ones in E39s are not too great. So buying a jack is basically a must for any kind of DIYer. 2. Yeah there is one in the front and one in the back. I've replaced both of mine with the realoem.com part numbers. 3. That only works on the 2001+ models as far as I know, I think the older ones figure it out after some drive time haha
Great video. I will purchase myself an e39 m5 this summer, and do some maintenance myself. Really helpful these videos, as I dont want to break anything. Keep up the good work, thumbs up :)
what an easy and informative video....well done. just a point......here in the UK we drive on the left so any fellow brits- the brake fluid reservoir is on the opposite side to the video!
Good video...very helpful. A quick thought about the comments on brake dust: Yes you should avoid inhaling brake dust...HOWEVER, there were an estimated 260 MILLION registered passenger vehicles (not counting commercial vehicles) in the United States in 2014. Multiply that by 4 wheels each (I can't count that high). Where do you think all that brake dust goes as the pads and shoes wear down over time?? Yup, it's floating and swirling through the air and we're all inhaling it as we drive along. Food for thought...
Good Vid. Only thing you missed was cleaning the disk before install. They come with an oily residue for rust prevention that should be cleaned off before install. This will help me with my pad/disk change in the next couple of months. Thanks.
Hey thanks for your reply. Nothing else malfunctions. The speedo works fine as I know. I will get it checked soon. I noticed sometimes when I start the car its off but after I drive a little bit, It comes on when I hit the brakes. The brakes squeal for a second thats it. then it stays on from there and the brakes work fine with no noise whatsoever. I forgot to mention that both traction light and ABS light come on at the same instant time. I will get it checks and again, Thanks for your input
For anyone wondering what pads/rotors to get; i recommend brembo blanks and akkebono pads. its about $480 for a full set on fcp euro for my 540i wagon but they last quite a while and the akkebono pads have almost oem stopping power but VERY VERY little dust, which is great
Couple of tips: If your hex key set omits the 7mm one you can still get the job done if you remove the whole calliper via the two 18mm bolts. The little 6mm hex bolt on rotor should be put back with a little copper grease and little more than finger tight. It can't unscrew itself once the wheel is on and you'll be so glad next time.
I did the exact procedure as you guys did with the brake reservoir and a rag around it just in case and then compressed the caliper pistons. My question is did you guys bleed the front brakes because I didn't and it works fine.
Thank you guys so much! Always wanted to check and refill my brake oil reservoir! And you guys demonstrated how to disassemble the a/c left filter housing to find the brake oil reservoir! This video is very helpful indeed! Keep up the good work of the maintenance repair work, of the BMW E39! The Ultimate BMW 5 series model!
+Daniel Covington There is one sensor on the front driver's side, and one sensor on the rear passenger's side. You do not need to bleed your brakes for this job, but it is recommended to have a full brake fluid flush done every 3-4 years. -Bobby
My 2 tips, clean the caliper holder good. It can hold alot of dirt and rust pieces, as its metal. Also clean the guiding pens. Otherwise great video. And if you cant untied the screw that keeps the rotor on place. Just put the caliper holder on again and use the old pads and 2 clamps, so the rotor will block. Use an extender on the screw and then it will go easily. Put some copper on the screw before putting it back together, so you wont have a hard time next time. As this tiny screw wont do shit when the wheel is back on.
Hey I have a question. I took my car to a auto clinic to get the brake pads replaced but the brake pad light is still on even though fresh pads were installed. How do I get rid of the light?
Was the brake pad wear sensor replaced as well? This is critical since once the sensor is tripped, it must be replaced. After replacing the sensor, the code needs to be cleared from whichever module stores it. I believe it is either the LCM or IKE (cluster). You'll need someone with BMW software to do that. If you are local to San Diego, my shop can easily do this for you.
Hi guys! I LOVE my Blk/Blk, 2003 530i/Sports Package, and have a question. Will changing out the wear sensor reset (eliminate) the Amber "Check Brake Pad Wear" warning in the middle of dash and the little, red "Brake" light on right side of cluster, or will I need to take to a BMW shop after done to reset those? Secondly, do I have to replace that sensor at all, or can I leave in factory unit upon swapping rotors/pads? Thanks in advance! -Dave
1970borntorun That sensor must be replaced when doing brakes if it trips the light, otherwise it will not go off. The light and message will go off after replacing the sensor.
Yes it would be, though bleeding the clutch can be done separately from the brakes. While they use the same fluid reservoir, there is a separate compartment/chamber inside the brake fluid reservoir especially for the clutch fluid.
Great vid, I got a 2003 Range Rover HSE. It's got Vanos problems. How do you recommend in tackling this problem considering that most of the bmw parts would fit a range rover that age.
Actually you dont always have to clean the disk, some disks have a residue that Will disapere after some use. Read your intructions that comes with the disks as this may vary
So there is only one brake pad wear sensor for the whole car and it located on the front driver's side, correct? Also, no brake bleeding is required for this work right?
hello guys! I left you a comment on another of your videos where I asked if in the future to please NOT cut in between the scenes. Please show us EVERYTHING that you're doing without cutting out anything. Thanks a bunch!
Thanks for the feedback. We cut our videos to clean them up. No important footage or steps are ever cut out, just the in-betweens of finding tools, picking up the parts, or working to break bolts free.
Hi thx for the great vid, I have a question, after I finished changing my rotors n pads, I spun my rotor n my outter break pad (the one without the clip) was slightly touching the rotor, n it wasn't rubbing evenly, just one side of the rotor, n it's like that on both sides, r my rotors not even? Can u help pls
So for the brake fluid reservoir, all you did was loosen the cap and tighten it back on? You didn't really explain what to do after you compressed piston back into caliper. When do you tighten the reservoir cap back on?
***** Brakes should be bled every 2-3 years. If it's been less than that, don't bother replacing it just because you did pads/rotors. If it's been longer, definitely do it.
Hello good vid but was wondering if all the rotors are the same? Or is the front different from the back ones? Same with the break pads? Same or different?
Could be an ABS sensor or something else, unfortunately we can't diagnose your car through the internet. Take it so a BMW dealership or independent BMW garage and they can diagnose the issue for you.
Thanks for the info! Presumably you didn't use any grease? I have never done brakes before and seem to have read some conflicting information about applying grease or lube when changing brakes. I will be changing mine soon so any info on this is appreciated , cheers!
Thanks for this great video as usual Ryan. I need to replace the pads on my M5 -- this makes it look like a pretty easy job. I've never replaced pads myself before but it doesn't look like rocket science. Think I'll tackle it myself.
That is the wheel hub with bearing. For an 01 525i, the part number is 31221093427. There are obviously two of these on the car. Rear hubs are 33411093371 and rear bearings are 33411095652.
What an awesome video guys. I was kinda nervous about tackling this since I haven't wrenched on a BMW since I had my E36. But you have given me confidence. I will be doing the fronts and oil change next week. Any suggestions for some inexpensive rotors for a daily driver (no track)?
Thanks for watching! We're glad you enjoyed and found our video useful. But... brakes are without a doubt one of the most important things on a car, especially a tighter car with power. It never pays to buy 'cheaper' or 'budget' parts in this category. I would sternly recommend the OEM rotors, they are worth their weight in safety and performance on these cars. Same goes for pads.
Would also like undo rotation on the bolts please as this ole girl been euro I'm not sure if I'm undoing or tightening the caliper bolts, kind regards 96 e39 528i
Hi!! Thanks for a great video! I guess that you just put back the Cap on the brakefluid container, after when everything is back on? How much comes out?
***** thanks!! Now im done after using this guide.. when i pressed the pistons back in, brake-oil spilled out. Is this normal? I just put the cap back on when i was done. Do i have to refill "add" brakeoil?
Lars von trier pung Brake fluid came of where? The reservoir? If it were super worn before I guess that could be possible. Just get the level right for now and you should be set.
So, in your experience, which rotors do you recommend. I've been looking at zimmermann (which people say are oem), meyle, and brembo. I also found some drilled zimmermann rotors that fairly similar in price to the blank ones. I'm looking for overall durability and not to change them every so often. High braking power isn't of my great concern since my 530i isn't a track car...
In my experience, the best combination is OEM rotors paired with Hawk HPS pads. It's a great mix of reliability, longevity, and performance. Plus the Hawk pads don't dust NEARLY as much and help save your wheels from pitting, as well as how often you have to clean them.
oem was Lucas, as most of the braking on the E39. The brake booster is Lucas, the mastercilinder is lucas, the brake pads are and the rotor. But Lucas doesnt exist anymore. Was bought in 1999 by TRW. And TRW was bought in 2014 by ZF (yes from the gearboxes). But it doenst matter much, TRW, Brembo, Bosch, Zimmermann. Its all good.
It's one of those, I am not sure which. I would recommend having both on hand because I think the rotor set screws may be one size smaller than the caliper guide bolts!
+E39Source right! Thanks a lot. The video is super helpful. I believe 7hex for caliper bolt & 6 for rotor screw. Thanks anyways! I'll watch the video once more before I work on my car.
I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this … I just replaced my rear brake pads, and after I put the new pads in, and screwed the bolts down - the retaining bolts, as he calls them in this video - they wouldn't cinch down in their bolts beds, or whatever they're called, nearly as far. So the top of the bolt was really close to the rim of rubber dust cover boot thing after I had screwed the bolt in as far as it would let me. Now, when I had removed that bolt? to take the old pads off? That bolt was in way further - way below the rim of the dust cover rubber boot thing. I am cconfused because it seems like I got the brake caliper back on right, and I screwed the retaining bolts in right, and everything went smoothly, but that would be a huge mistake! if that bolt was not applied correctly. I figured the bolt was deeper in the bed (as I call it) because of the piston being compressed towards the rotor due to the pads being so worn down. So (if that was understandable) my question is simply whether my sense is correct. Has anyone experienced this before? Thanks
It sounds like these are the caliper carrier retaining bolts that you're talking about. It sounds like you might have it cross-threaded. Remove the bolt, clean any debris off of the bolt threads or the tapped holes that they thread into. Start the bolts without a socket wrench, just with the socket and your hand. Then torque them down and they should seat properly.
never put copper grease on the slider bolts, as it gets sticky over time and it wont move anymore. Use what was invented for the job like 100 years ago its called Brake Grease, its simple as that. TRW has it for example.
Word of advise for those DIYers at home, use brake cleaner to clean the rotors when you open the box. Clean any contaminants that can be on there, just to be safe. Also do NOT touch the rotors with your dirty hands like they did. If you do then clean it before installing the new pads. In this video they touched the hell out of the rotors with dirty hands like they were gropping women. But besides that, good video.
You are right and not right at the same time. Do not use brake cleaner on this disk. The instruction clearly tell you do not to use brake cleaner on this disk. The disk is coated, called Z coat and that coat preventing the disk from rust etc. But I agree with you. The disk sould be kept clean, free of oil etc.
kriszml you are right and not right at the same time. Rotors do come with with anti-rust coating... but that's to keep them from rusting while waiting around to be sold. Clean them off with brake cleaner. And yes do not smudge and dirty them either.
you guys should invest in a good pair of video sunglasses or something, so you dony need to carry the camera around and have both hands free possibly also mount some LED lights on the sunglasses to illuminate whatever you are looking at
None of those are any good though. We need a) better lighting. b) a tripod at the correct level for the brakes or whatever and c) to do work during the daytime!
Coach Wilson I beg to differ, back in days, the old brake pads were made out of asbestos and were carcinogenic but not the pads now days, they are made out of organic materials, metals and ceramics. Since everything is carcinogenic now days those are probably too by a certain degree, but not as dangerous as old asbestos pads
My concern in addition to cancer is the effect these super microscopic particals might have if they are inhaled. A mask & gloves are two tools you should have when working on any brake system, but especially around the brake pads etc.
Yea dude, or hands are so dark u almost qualify fur a loan. U need to use gloves so u don't get cancer when u grab a quick snack when working on ur car.
They didn't come with instructions. I ran across a few bedding procedures online. Luckily these parts are from FCP so lifetime warranty. Thanks for your input though
