Jeff, I just got a set for my car as well thanks for the info..

 

mmm, what country would that be?

 

The newer Ceramic pads seem to offer a good balance of stopping power, resistance to fade, and significantly less dust. Like any pad that dusts less, they tend to wear rotors a little faster than OEM organic pads. But the Ceramics are said to be less agressive on the rotors than the metal composition pads that are often sold as replacements for european cars.

I've used Akebono ceramics on my Volvo (Volvo OEM pads are filthy IMHO) and the Akebono's made a huge difference in reducing the black dust. I noticed very little difference (if any) in stopping power. I suspect the Axxis ceramic pads will perform similarly. I've also used the Axxis metal masters before and they were good too... But more dust than the ceramics.

I found doing a brake job, including pads and rotors (assuming you are mechanically inclined and have the tools) is a pretty simple job and takes at most a few hours if you have good instructions. If however, you find caliper problems during a simple pad/rotor job (like leaking seals, damaged rubber seals, etc), having a pro do the brakes is a better option. Brake jobs are no place to learn basic mechanics since it really is a good thing to be able to stop when you hit the pedal.

 

+2 ... Regardless of BMW or aftermarket brake pads a good waxing of your wheels won't keep them cleaner but will make them easier to clean.

 

Thanks for the inputs.
Final question, If you use after-market brake pads, does it void the warranty on the disks/rotors ?

 

+3...1) Clean the wheels, 2) Apply Rejex, 3) Clean again every week. Weekly cleaning for a year might not equal a few hours spent changing the pads. After all, we're all washing these fine machines every week anyway. Compulsive people might want to keep some instant detailer and a cloth in that little space with a net at the right rear of the trunk (US Models anyway)...and clean daily.

 

hahaha,dont wanna degrade the name of LEBANON( which by the way was voted most beautiful country in the Middle East for its natural sights) but yea thats my country,unfortunately that is filled with theft and robbery. this is due thx to our lowlife leaders.

 

hey jeff,appreciate the link a lot. can u just tell me which breaks should i order. there are three different kinds of ceramic pads. i have 520i

 

Same here VT...I've had the Portefield's and they are more high performance, but do not work best until they are pretty well heated up...which, on a street car, rarely ever happens on short trips....much less effective when cold and on shorter trips....but there was less dust...not worth the reduced cold/cool pad loss of performance IMO.

 

As i said before...go for EBC green stuff No 'warm up' needed and they have a special coating on top of the pad which means these pads don't need to bed in...forgot to say...they are low dust as well