Mike,

Did you ever solve your issue?

I have the same problem on my car (2007 550i). I am on the second set of rotors already. 2-3K miles into it and I am beginning to get vibrations during very light breaking. Last time I replaced brake pads (Jurid) and rotors (Zimmerman). I have also replaced thrust arm or lower control arm hydro bushings or bearings with OEM components. I have been searching the internet for a while now, but only found one person who had the bearings/hubs replaced by BMW dealer. The dealer claimed that these two are related and will cause vibrations if worn since rotors do not warp. The rotors wear unevenly or get uneven deposits. I have also tried to re-bed the brakes using all kinds of procedures with no success. Any help/feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Since my last post the judder has become gradually less, up to a point where I barely notice it anymore. I've been braking more aggressively than before but I can't say for sure that this is what made things improve.
I did disassemble my calipers but the cilinders and pistons looked as new so this didn't cause the issue.

I'm still very interested in a solution as well, because I'm sure that as soon as I replace my rotors (or maybe before) it will be back at its worst.

 

StasGS4,


Funny you brought this back up. I m actually having his issue AGAIN! Not as bad as originally reported, nor as violent. Not even in all brake applications. But yes the judder came back. I took a closer look at the rotor this past weekend after washing the car. Low and behold I have pad imprint on my rotor. This is my issue. This is what is causing the judder. Never had this issue on any other car I have ever owned. Starting to think my setup is not working. Or at least my pad choice. I am running Zimmerman Rotors and Jurid Pads. I think the issue is with the pads. However the rears are fine. Uneven pad transfer is the culprit in my case. I am going to try to re-bed the pads. Doubtful it will work. May go back to OEM Pads / Rotors. Never had this issue prior. Same roads, same commute and same driving style.

 

Sorry to hear that. I know you were thinking about replacing your front hubs/bearings, have you done that? Could it be that a slightly worn out bearing causes the rotor to slowly wear out unevenly, which later causes slight vibrations? Or a worn out bearing is what causes vibrations during breaking when the front suspension/components are getting loaded? This is kind of the direction I am going with my thought process.

Take a look at post 34 in this forum:

Front brakes warped, steering wheel vibration upon braking - Page 2 - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

 

Thanks! I checked the post out. Same symptoms as everyone else. Problem seems to come back after time. How is it this is so common, yet the problem is not affecting everyone? I have not replaced the hubs.? I checked them out and they appear fine. I have no play in the wheels. I have replaced everything in the front end except the tie rods. I see pad transfer on my rotors. I am in need of a wheel alignment. I believe I have some bent rims also. I guess any of these could contribute to the judder. I'll keep everyone updated.

 

Question: Are you greasing the guidepins? BMW says not to and doing so might contribute to your problem.

 

Hi Folks, I've been reading this thread with interest and suffering from the same problem for more than a year, and finally fixed it this week!! I'll share the background and solution in hopes that it helps someone else.

My car is a 2008 528xi with 117K miles. I normally replace pads and rotors with whatever seems like a good buy from the online parts stores, and last summer I bought a set of Bosch QuietCast low-dust pads and matching high-carbon rotors to replace the front brakes. I installed them properly, did not grease the caliper slide pins, and bedded the brakes as directed. They seemed OK at first but soon I noticed a slight judder or vibration in the steering wheel under moderate brake pressure, especially at higher speeds.

So I replaced the thrust arms/tension struts including the bushings and ball joints, which improved the judder but did not completely fix it. It seemed to worsen this summer, especially on hot days, and I replaced the pads with a new set, also Bosch QuietCast, and checked both rotors for any evidence of deposits or warping. This did not help either, and the judder really started to affect my enjoyment of the car.

Before chasing down anything more extreme like sticking calipers or bad bearings (not a simple fix on an XDrive car), I decided to go back to full stock brakes and ordered new OEM rotors (Zimmermann) and OEM pads (Jurid/ATE). I carefully brushed and cleaned the hub surfaces where the rotors attach, as well as the inside of the wheels where they contact the rotors. Finally, I decided to go against published advice and lightly greased the caliper slide pins with silicone brake lubricant, just to reduce the risk of a sticking caliper.

IT FEELS LIKE A NEW CAR AGAIN. The braking is perfect at all speeds, pedal effort is reduced and easier to modulate, and even the steering and handling feel silky smooth. I suspect that the old pads and rotors were transmitting a slight vibration to the steering wheel even when I wasn't braking, and the difference is very noticeable. The drawback is that my front wheels are already turning black from brake dust, but that's a small price to pay for the end of this year-long problem. Hopefully it's gone for good!

I hope this helps some of you who are struggling with this issue.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Greasing the pins is not difficult at all. I will give it a try to see if it helps.

On a side note, I did notice that the vibrations get a little better after a pressure car wash. I was thinking it was water getting into the worn out bearings, but maybe it is the pins.

One question for you - how many miles ago did you install your latest setup? My current set up is identical to your latest and at first there was no vibrations. But after 2-3K miles on the road doing regular driving it came back.

Thanks!

 

I have never heard of not greasing guide pins. You are suppose to grease them on every brake pad change (good practice). The reason why is if the guide pins freeze up you will get an uneven wear and the pad will begin to stick to the rotor. This will cause your pad to wear 3x as fast and also could ruin your caliper. Once a guide pin freezes its hell getting it out so you are forced to buy a new/used caliper. If a SA told you this or you read it in a manual it is wrong. You can get away with greasing them every other change but for good practice do it every time. Greasing will save you a lot of headache in the long run. This goes with any car.

 

Greasing the pins seems to be something the manuf can't agree on. I used to grease the pins. Other cars I've had the manufacturer recommend to grease the pin in the service manual. BMW says to not grease the pin. I did once have a Nissan that had a stuck caliper because of the guide pin. The guide pin boot was loaded with dried grease and dirt. What I can think about not greasing the pin is that it cuts down on the pin picking up dirt which will turn into crud later. Last few brake jobs on all my cars, I've not greased the pins with no ill affect.