[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Yes, quite normal. In fact, the brake pad life I get on average is probably a bit more than normal. Most 3 series owners get about 20,000km on the brake pads. Anything more than 20k km can be considered a bonus :-)

For more powerful BMWs such as the M340i, just about 15,000km of brake pad life is the norm.

To add to Dr.AD's F30 experience, in my G20 330i, I'm facing rear brake pad replacement alert at ~28K km.
@Dr. AD: at what intervals have you been alerted to change brake discs? Can you also put ballpark costs for the discs & both pads?

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

To add to Dr.AD's F30 experience, in my G20 330i, I'm facing rear brake pad replacement alert at ~28K km.

Wow! 28k km is quite a good life on brake pads for a 330i.

Coincidentally, even for me, the first set of rear pads lasted about 27k km. But later replacements were more frequent.

@Dr. AD: at what intervals have you been alerted to change brake discs?

For the brake discs, there are no alerts in the CBS, and we have to go with the assessment of the Service Advisor.

For me, the front brake discs were changed at about 67,000km mark. At that point, they told me I can drive on the rear discs a bit more (I was OK to replace all four discs in one go, but they said there is still life left in the rear discs), and eventually the rear discs were changed at 74,000km mark. Unfortunately, that point, they looked quite bad. So I guess I ran them a bit too long. Maybe ideally I should have changed them at 71,000km mark. But the problem is that with my frequent weekend drives and busy weekdays, I did not get time to go back to the SA and keep checking the brake discs. Another reason was that the SA said they will change rear brake discs when the rear pads need replacement (they usually change brake discs and pads together to avoid running new discs with old pads). And we went by the CBS alerts for rear brake pads. In fact, I changed the rear brake pads at 1,100km before they were due, but unfortunately by then it was probably about 2,000km too late for the brake discs. It is very tricky to match the brake discs change with the brake pads CBS warnings, especially because there is no CBS sensor for discs and one has to go purely by visual inspection and assessment.

In hindsight, I should have insisted on changing all four brake discs at 67,000km mark, when the front discs were changed. Better to change them a bit early than a bit late, since otherwise getting the perfect timing is going to be impossible if one does frequent long drives.

Can you also put ballpark costs for the discs & both pads?

Ballpark cost for one pair of brake pads (front or rear) is about Rs. 22k to 24k including installation (somehow the prices vary and I was never quoted the exact same price. BMW billing details still remain a mystery to me and my knowledge of finance is too poor to understand these complex bills ).

And ballpark cost for one pair of brake discs (front or rear) is about the same again, 22k to 24k.

Since they usually change pads and discs together, I paid for them together. Again ballpark numbers, but I paid about Rs. 45k when I changed front brake pads+front brake discs together, and again about Rs. 45k when I changed rear brake pads+rear brake discs together.

[Dr.AD]

Weekend in a Coorg Homestay

This weekend, we (I and my wife) drove around in Coorg and stayed in a homestay. This would have been a routine Coorg trip, but what made this memorable was the wonderful homestay we found (the perfect homestay for our requirements) and the gracious hosts we met. More on that later below.

But before reaching the homestay, we drove around a bit aimlessly on some of the scenic rural highways in that area, and enjoyed the lovely weather (we were lucky to do this trip before the current spell of heavy rains) and the lush green scenery. I had in mind some simple but scenic rural roads around SH121 which offer great views of the green hills and the windmills, and we drove around on those roads before reaching our homestay.

Somewhere on the rural roads looping around SH121:



We found a picturesque spot with a lake and a tree, and spent some time there enjoying the cool crisp and fresh air:



A customary car photo next to that tree:



Windmills! My favorite background for car photos:



We continued driving and exploring such rural roads:


After some fun driving around there, we visited a small but relatively well known temple called "Mavinkere Sri Ranganaathaswaami Gudi". It is a beautiful temple located on top of a small hill, and the road that takes you there has some pleasant hairpin bends and great views on offer. This temple is one of my favorite spots to visit on a driving trip.

The temple located atop a small hill:



360 degree views of the surroundings from the temple:



A lake on one side of the temple:



Lush green farms (plenty of them filled with water after the recent heavy rains) and some rock formations on the other side:



This is the small ghat road that leads to the temple, with nice views from the corners and hairpin bends:


After visiting the temple, we continued driving around a bit and reached a picturesque lake somewhere near Shanivarsanthe, Coorg. Credit to our friend BHPian @robimahanta for discovering this lake during his past drives.

We spent some time here enjoying the weather and the views:



A view of the lake and the lush green surroundings:



Another photo of the car next to this lake:



Finally, a parting shot of the car there before we drove on and reached our homestay:

The Homestay

First of all, thanks to our friend BHPian @KarthikK for discovering this homestay and recommending this to us. He is our go to man for suggestions about homestays, and his knowledge of the homestays is immense. As usual, this homestay which was recommended by him, turned out to be absolutely perfect.

The homestay is called Green Pastures, Coorg. It is located in the middle of coffee plantations and lush green forest, about 7km away from the nearest town. It is a beautifully maintained house with a perfect combination of an old charm and modern comforts. We absolutely loved the place and loved our stay there.

The hosts, Hemanth and Tripula, were one of the most gracious hosts that we have ever met. Their hospitality and service was amazing. We loved talking to them and listening to the stories of the house and their coffee estate, and the life in that area in general.

Food at this homestay was fantastic too. We are vegetarians, and Tripula prepared some of the tastiest vegetarian dishes we have ever eaten in Coorg area. Loved all three meals we had there!

Turned out that we were the only ones staying there that weekend, and thus, I and my wife had the whole house to ourselves. We enjoyed the serene, peaceful settings, and just spent the rest of the day relaxing there reading books and just enjoying being there.

The entrance to the homestay is through this lovely stone path:



A charming house with a parking right next to it (I love when I can park my car right next to the place of stay):



Our room in the house. Spacious, airy, beautifully decorated, and most importantly, sparkling clean!:



The dining area in that open veranda (and the weather was just perfect for us to sit there and enjoy our three meals in the open air):



In the evening, with the lights on, the house looked quite beautiful (even the lighting was very tastefully done):


In the late evening it started raining (thankfully we faced no rain in the day during our drive). It got cold, and the rain increased in intensity at the onset of the night. The best thing to do in that setting was to have our own private bonfire, and sit next to the fire enjoying the warmth and listening to the sounds of rain all around. Thankfully, the homestay arranged the fire and we had a great time that evening.

Sitting next to the fire, reading a book, and listening to the music of rain = perfect evening experience:


As I mentioned earlier, the food at the homestay was one of the highlights. We are vegetarians, and traditionally the Coorgy food is most well known for some of the meat preparations. But here, the vegetarian food prepared for us was one the best we had in a long time. All the food was prepared by our host Tripula herself. She is really a MasterChef!

Fresh hot akki roti, brinjal curry prepared to perfection, upama, fresh fruits, and a nice dessert (this was our breakfast):



A close-up of that dessert. A fresh hot homemade jackfruit dessert:



To summarize the food, this delicious date payasam that we had after dinner:

A Short Morning Drive

After just relaxing in the homestay the previous evening, and after the sumptuous breakfast the next morning, we decided to visit a nearby viewpoint that Hemanth had suggested. The weather in the warning was perfect. Bright sunshine, cool breeze and crisp air!

Green meadows bathing in morning sunlight, on both sides of the road:



We reached this small hill, parked down, and climbed up:



Nice views all around from the hill:



A view of the hills in the distance:



Finally, a parting shot of the car parked there, on the side of the meandering rural roads, enjoying the sunshine:


After this leisurely morning drive, we returned back to Bangalore. The return drive was a routine and straightforward drive.

A simple weekend trip that was made special by the homestay. I would certainly go back there for sure.

That is all for now. Thanks for reading!

[majumon]

Nice travelogue and very good pictures, enjoyed reading through felt very good.

[ashivas89]

We have also stayed at the same homestay not once but thrice! it is super easy to get to from Bangalore (takes about 4-4.5 hours even if you cruise and not barrel down the road). The non vegetarian fare is simply excellent and Hemanth + Tripula are fantastic hosts.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by majumon

Nice travelogue and very good pictures, enjoyed reading through felt very good.

Thank you for the kind words.

By the way, while editing some of the camera photos again today, I liked this below photo (which at first I had not liked and hence not included in the report above). This was taken during the evening hour, just before lights in the hallways were switched on.

Thought of sharing it here now because on second look, now I am liking this photo.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

For me, the front brake discs were changed at about 67,000km mark.

And this is the first time you changing discs? So Typical disc life - 60-70k?

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Shubz

And this is the first time you changing discs? So Typical disc life - 60-70k?

Yes, this was my first disc change. So yes, for me, the discs lasted 67k km.

However, some of my friends also driving a 3 series had to change discs at around 50k km mark too. It all depends on factors such as driving style, driving conditions (long straight highways vs twisty hilly roads, city traffic with frequent brake use vs free open roads with minimal brake use), how aggressively and frequently the Traction Control system kicks in (TC system adds to the wear of brake pads and discs) etc.

In general, I would say 50k to 70k km is the typical life of brake discs.

[Shubz]

Strange are the ways of CBS & behaviour of the brake pads.

Before heading out to Mangalore - had checked the brake pad health etc - they all looked good for a good number of kilometres.

Return journey - Nightmare started from about the time we hit the NH 75 - Swarms of vehicles heading back to Bangalore - 3rd degree torture began post crossing Nelamangala toll and ended after crossing NICE toll.

and the perfectly healthy brake pads went into ICU and so did the engine oil.

Dr. AD sir - I hope it's ok for me to post it out here on your thread. _/\_

[HighRevving]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Yes, this was my first disc change. So yes, for me, the discs lasted 67k km.

However, some of my friends also driving a 3 series had to change discs at around 50k km mark too. It all depends on factors such as driving style, driving conditions (long straight highways vs twisty hilly roads, city traffic with frequent brake use vs free open roads with minimal brake use), how aggressively and frequently the Traction Control system kicks in (TC system adds to the wear of brake pads and discs) etc.

In general, I would say 50k to 70k km is the typical life of brake discs.

I agree with you. That is a good estimate 50k - 60k.

I would usually measure rotors in terms of brake pads changed i.e. I used to think one pair of rotors will last at least 2 brake pad changes and if I am lucky, 3. But after my experience with my G20 330i where I have lost the front rotors without even wearing out the stock pads, this math is somehow thrown out of the window for me. Some people say it is sheer bad luck and I have accepted it.

The worst part here is, the rotors may suddenly have tell tale signs of wear than a sensor alerting you. So after say 50k KMs or 2 pad changes, it may be better to check the rotor wear every 3k-5k KMs (or) before a long trip just to make sure you suddenly don't feel judders.

OT: This is where I again, believe it is better not to have BSI as you can change the rotors when you think is due, rather than BMW checking your rotor and trying to determine if it is actually due according to them. Another instance of BSI issue is when your car shows engine oil service in say, 1,200 KMs and you have a 1,500 KM trip coming up. They refuse to service the car because it is technically not due and that is somehow very stupid.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Strange are the ways of CBS & behaviour of the brake pads.

Unfortunately this happens all the time, and it is well documented by many BMW owners (including myself). I have faced this situation more than once.

Basically the CBS indicators for brake pad wear are highly nonlinear. You will see the brake pad life gradually going down till about 5000km, and then after that, it drops very fast and in very nonlinear fashion.

Once when my front brake pads still had 5000km left according to CBS, I had planned back to back drives to Chikmagalur and Pune. However, after the Chikmagalur drive (with some hard driving in the ghats there), which is just about 700km rout trip, the brake pad life decreased so fast that I had only about 800km left after that drive. That meant I could not drive to Pune before replacing the brake pads. I had to cancel my plans of driving and just took a flight to Pune. So yes, such "CBS surprises" are unfortunately very common.

and the perfectly healthy brake pads went into ICU and so did the engine oil.

The oil change interval drops quite linearly in general, so I am a bit surprised that dropped suddenly for you. But anyways, it looks like you still have 1700km left on the brake pads, and 1500km for service. So I will not call it "in ICU" for sure. You still have plenty of safety margin left to replace the brake pads well in time.

Dr. AD sir - I hope it's ok for me to post it out here on your thread.

Absolutely OK. The whole point of this thread is to share my experiences and learn from experiences of fellow members, so all these experiences are most welcome!

Originally Posted by HighRevving

I agree with you. That is a good estimate 50k - 60k.

Welcome to the forum! I think I know you and know your car! Great to see you in my thread. Thanks for dropping by :-)

I would usually measure rotors in terms of brake pads changed i.e. I used to think one pair of rotors will last at least 2 brake pad changes and if I am lucky, 3. But after my experience with my G20 330i where I have lost the front rotors without even wearing out the stock pads, this math is somehow thrown out of the window for me. Some people say it is sheer bad luck and I have accepted it.

I agree with you that 2 changes of pads for one disc in the usual equation. I also think your case is a bit unusual for sure. Hope everything gets sorted out in BSI.

OT: This is where I again, believe it is better not to have BSI as you can change the rotors when you think is due, rather than BMW checking your rotor and trying to determine if it is actually due according to them. Another instance of BSI issue is when your car shows engine oil service in say, 1,200 KMs and you have a 1,500 KM trip coming up. They refuse to service the car because it is technically not due and that is somehow very stupid.

Agree 100% on this. For those of us who make frequent long distance trips (it is common for me to make a 1000km weekend trip), the BSI and the constraints of that are a pain. I am honestly happier with the service experiences after my BSI expired, than when I had the BSI. Now I can service my car whenever I want (I never exceed the recommended period or the CBS indicators, but sometimes, I do service in advance before a long trip). Not having any BSI and simply paying as I use the services is a much simpler and cleaner method for me. I am happy with this now.

[sagarpadaki]

I have heard from YouTube university videos that skimming the discs before installing new brake pads will make the pads to break in right and also last longer. Just 'slapping on' new pads on existing rotors which has grooves and notches from the worn-out brake pads cannot provide the same performance as that of new pads on smooth finished rotors.

Further, if a different brand brake pad is used which has a different material composition, then having a fresh rotor surface is important for the max performance from the brake pads

[VineetG]

Hello everyone,

Looking for some advice. I have a 2018 BMW 320D LCI that has done 48,000 kms. Since some time ago, I noticed some vibrations creeping through the steering wheel when the car is stopped and at Idle. I showed it to BMW and they assumed it to be the most common culprits, the engine mounts. So they replaced both engine mounts under warranty.
However, the problem still exists. Some observations regarding the characteristics of the problem are
- Its is not a vibration that shakes everything in the car. It can be felt mildly through the steering wheel and ever so slightly through the pedals.
- The vibration is at idle and reduces as RPM increases
- The vibration frequency seems close to the engine frequency at idle.
- The idle RPM is steady, no RPM hunting or fluctuations
- Vibration remains same whether AC compressor on or off
- The vibration remains same whether the radiator fan is running or not.
- The vibrations increase ever so slightly when put in D or R, with foot on the brake pedal

Its not the wheels, tyres, brake discs as the problem is there at Idle.

The surprising thing is that say 10% of the time if I am stuck in traffic with transmission in either N or D, there are absolutely no vibrations at all. But then the vibrations re-start any time. Does not seem to be AC compressor as vibrations are there whether AC is on or off.

I also feel that sometimes the exhaust is louder than usual, but that could be my imagination also.

I will be taking it to BMW again after Diwali. Any pointers as to what it can be?

Rgds

Vineet
-

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I have heard from YouTube university videos that skimming the discs before installing new brake pads will make the pads to break in right and also last longer. Just 'slapping on' new pads on existing rotors which has grooves and notches from the worn-out brake pads cannot provide the same performance as that of new pads on smooth finished rotors.

This is probably more applicable when brake pads are changed after a lot of driving. However, in case of BMWs where brake pads often require change after less than 20,000km (I once had to change brake pads in just 18,000km, and I know of friends changing them even after 15,000km), disc skimming is not required. The discs will be too new to require any skimming in just 20,000km. Typically BMW owners need two sets of brake pads in the life of one disc, and I have never heard of service centers doing any skimming after the first brake pad change. I have changed my brake pads multiple times by now without skimming the discs (eventually changed to brand new discs when required) and there was no problem in braking any time at all. Every time I got new pads, even without discs skimming, I got good braking performance and the brake feel was always great!

However, if for some cars the brake pads last really long, say more than 50,000km and then the brake pads are changed, then for that case skimming the disc may be required as you say.

Originally Posted by VineetG

Looking for some advice. I have a 2018 BMW 320D LCI that has done 48,000 kms. Since some time ago, I noticed some vibrations creeping through the steering wheel when the car is stopped and at Idle.

Since you are checking multiple things anyways, can you ask them to check the rubber boot of the steering rack? That is prone to break, and when that rubber boot breaks, there is some noticeable sound and vibrations in steering rack. I had that problem and that rubber boot was changed under warranty. I was told that is a common problem, and easy to fix under warranty.

I am not sure this is actually the problem in your case, but just one pointer to check this as a possibility.

[VineetG]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Since you are checking multiple things anyways, can you ask them to check the rubber boot of the steering rack? That is prone to break, and when that rubber boot breaks, there is some noticeable sound and vibrations in steering rack. I had that problem and that rubber boot was changed under warranty. I was told that is a common problem, and easy to fix under warranty.

I am not sure this is actually the problem in your case, but just one pointer to check this as a possibility.

Thanks Doc.
Also, can you please confirm if there is a visible vibration of the engine cover at idle in your car? Also, does the exhaust tip also visibly vibrate at idle?

Mine does, so I wanted to check if that is normal.

Request you to please check in your car and let me know.

Rgds