Hi all, can anyone tell me the usual amount of time that brake pads should last? I have a 09 mini FIRST with almost 30000km on it. I had it serviced just at the start of the year at a proper mini garage as part of my TLC package. They never told me that the cars brake pads were that badly worn. The car is now telling me that it needs new pads and brake fluid. Is this not the sort of stuff they should be checking in a service??

 

You're supposed to change your brake fluid every 2 years. I believe your generation of MINIs has a countdown built in so it will tell you when it's time. It may be the same light as the brakepad wear light on your dash. I don't believe brake fluid flushes are part of the TLC package, but I'm no authority on that (being in Canada).

MINI/BMW brakes stop really well in pretty well all conditions. The main reason is because the pad material is pretty soft. Soft brake material mean lots of brake dust and the pads wear fairly quickly. By experience, my pads last about 3 years. Your mileage may vary. That seems about average with any car I've owned that has ABS and Traction control.

MINIs also have brake wear sensors so it is also possible the wear sensor wasn't adjusted properly the last time pads were installed. Just a possibility. Whenever my car is in for oil service or inspection, they always measure and tell me how much brake material I have left on all four wheels.

 

don't trust the countdown for the pads .... that's just a guess. If the pads wear to activate the sensor you'll still be good for a thousand miles or more. (adjustment on the sensor???? that's a new one on me. I've changed sensors and know of no adjustment...)

Get someone who knows what they are doing to check the pad thickness. When the pad material is less thick then the pad backing plate it is time to get thinking about new pads.

here's a pad with some white added to highlight the backing plate


and here's a similar, but worn pad


BMW makes a special tool for measuring the pad thickness, but it just does the same thing.... look to see how much pad material you have left - with some wheels you don't even need to remove one.

That top picture is a nearly new OEM GEN2 front pad; note the bevel on the pad edges. Note that if you still see bevel in a worn pad, it is still thicker then the backing .... no bevel means it is time, or soon anyway. Not all pads have this bevel but the factory pads do.

How long pads last is very driver specific. Hard braking wears 'em out .... dragging the brakes wears 'em out .... living in a hilly area wears faster then living in flatlands. My 07-S has 30,000 miles on the pads and they look fine for now. About 40% material remains on the fronts. Fronts typically wear faster then rears. Plenty of MINI drivers report needing pads around 20,000. I ran original pads on a Miata for nearly 100,000 miles! It varies . . .

 

I've seen somebody bend something that causes the sensor to be mounted wrong. That would be the adjustment I'm talking about. You are correct. When the brake sensor triggers the warning light, it does not mean your brakes are going to fail immediately. It's just a warning.

I may be wrong, but I think the R56 generation of MINIs have countdown on the brake fluid flush. The R53 does not.

 

I believe that the CBS Counter (condition based service) has a set milage that you are supposed to check the pads at, ~32,000 US miles mine went off. But neither the sensor nor the pads were worn. Fast forward 8,000 miles and my sensor did trip and it was time to replace the pads. When the pad sensor trips the parking brake light stays on (stays on even with the brake disengaged & while driving) along with the MINI on a lift symbol at start up.

Hope that helps!

 

Yes the CBS for this is every 2 years. And it is recommended to be done because brake fluid is hygroscopic and therefore absorbs water. Which reduces your braking ability.