So just before my warranty was up, I took the car in to a dealer close to home in Canada and paid for an hour labor to get things checked out. They came back with measurements on the pads as 2 mm front (and rotors below min. specs) and 2.5 mm's on the rear. The min. BMW requires is 3 mm, so I thought I would've gotten them replaced for sure.

So I drove to a dealer just south of the border (it was originally a US car, so brakes are covered) but they said they were at 4 mm's and therefore denied them. I don't understand how two different dealers can have such different measurements?

When I asked them, they said it could possibly be due to the fact they might have measured the outside pads only, and the inner ones were at 4 mm's. Even so, how does that make sense, on a safety component, NOT to take the lower reading of the two pads?

Am I out of luck? I'd have thought it would even be in the dealer's interest to cover them, as they'd get reimbursed by BMW USA for it...

 

If BMW were to ask for the pads for claim inspection, and they were above minimum, the dealer would get no money. This can cause dealers to lose the right to perform warranty work.

 

I realize that and they said the same (that they have to send them in), but I can't understand if the outer and inner pads are in fact different (2 vs. 4 mm), how they can't accept the lower of the two figures for replacement?

 

Because it costs them money to replace brake pads for "free", and BMW wants to save money whenever possible. I can't blame them for that.

I'm guessing that specific bit of language is buried somewhere in your sales contract.

 

It defies common sense, not to take the lower measurement, especially on a safety device. So to exaggerate, if one side is at 1 mm, the other at 4 mm, that's ok in BMW's books by that logic, even though your brakes will fail shortly thereafter on one side of the rotor? LOL.

 

as does 15,000 mile oil service intervals, NEVER changing transmission fluid, NEVER changing differential fluid, engines without oil dipsticks, I could go on and on and on..

Don't know what to tell you other than buck up and buy brake pads. BMW isn't going to. Support a forum sponsor here, and do the work yourself. Brake jobs on BMWs are very, very straight forward.

Good luck with your car.

 

Call BMW NA and express your dissatisfaction and concern. Who knows but they may do the right thing and replace your brakes.