All NAM;

I have an 05 MCa, w/ ~ 41K miles, the front rotors are heavily lipped / pads worn and I expect the brake pad sensor to go off any day now...

So I went to the local Mini dealer tp price the parts.....over $100 per rotor ! NFW !

So I got to Googling for OEM rotors....WWW's like BimmerSpecialist and ThePartsBin claim to have "real" OEM rotors for ~ 50-75% the dealer cost...

(FYI: My earlier posts to NAM on brake upgrades suggested stick w/ OEM rotors but U/G the pads....)

Are these guys legit? Anyone in NAM country bought their OEM rotors?

Thanks in advance!

 

No I haven't bought their stuff, but check out Tire Rack.

 

Brembo rotors are about as stock as you're gonna find and can be had for about $60 each for fronts from many sources ... of course rotors are also HEAVY so expect a good shipping charge
http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=53104
or

I needed front pads fast - the dealer was an hour away so I figured what the heck and stopped at AUTOZONE. They had 3 types of pads on the shelf for GEN1 including "OEM" .... I didn't ask but I'd guess they have rotors too.

The pads were under $30 each axle .... if you are going plane-jane why not?

 

Good advice.
I would go further and say get the Autozone (or local parts store you like) rotors. I have put the generic rotors on a couple of MINIs without a problem. The last set the owner picked up rotors at Autozone for $30 each.

 

point to note here is that many of us 'plankowners' - I had a very early 02 - experienced the joy of walking into a major parts store and asking for a simple maintenace part for a MINI and getting a 'deer in the headlights' look back. They didn't know WHAT we were talking about and it was not in the computer.

Well .... times have changed. We ARE in the computer and a good store has parts on the shelf.

You probably can go into AutoZone, Advanced Auto, Pep Boys etc etc and get rotors, pads or most certainly an oil filter .....

 

We only use either OEM rotors or the Freemax TSW rotors. They are the only ones I don't have problems with. I see several MINI's everyday and I can tell you when people use cheap parts from Autozone/Napa and those places. Because when I drive their cars the stopping power just isn't there. The pads and rotors they use just don't have the bit. Plus I've seen many the cheapO rotors warp. I'd spend the extra money and get quality stuff. Most people don't even realize how bad those cheap parts are cause they replaced worn out stuff that didn't stop any better. But put them in a MINI with quality parts and WOW its a difference.

 

Non-MIMI vendors? Where can I find those?

When I rotated the wheels on my '06 MCSc, I noticed that the OEM brake pads are supplied by Ate (one of the major German suppliers of brake components). So more likely the rotors are from Ate too.

Remember, BMW/Mini (like all manufacturers) design cars and have the parts supplied to them; BMW/Mini don't necessarily make these parts in their "own" plants. For most parts, these suppliers do sell the exact items for less w/o the Mini name/logo. I've had good experience using German Ate, Zimmermann and Brembo (Italian) rotors (all OEM comparables) on my VW/Audi/Porsche.

Here's where I buy them: http://www.germanautoparts.com/Mini/...6/5510/6496314

As for pads, if you like the way your brake feels with OEM pads, then stick with German pads (Ate, Pagid, Yurid) but they do give a lot of graphite dust. Others may have suggestions on low-dust pads.

One more thing, non-OEM rotors may not come with a coating to prevent rust, even though my OEM rotors do show some rusting. I usually buy a $4 can of high-temp spray paint and give them a couple of coats. Tape off the sweep area first.