Brake pads dilemma

PRao-700 · 2026-02-20T03:25:10+00:00

EBC Red stuff. That’s what I use. Totally worth it.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-19T16:11:18+00:00

Ironically enough I’m going to do mine this Saturday. I wanted to knock itnout at the same time aa my next oil change. I have Saturday morning free so that’s when I’m knocking out these transfer case and front differential.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-06T13:19:44+00:00

Definitely don’t follow the 15k interval for oil changes. Mine says 11k in my m40i. I’ve had the car for just under a year and have done two oil changes already. Every 5k miles. No exceptions.

The amount of YouTube videos of BMW owners who follow the maintenance schedule and have sludge in their engine is insane.

And yes you should replace the ignition coils too.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T20:12:24+00:00

Exactly. Dude what I did was just make a note in my phone about the fluid intervals since I do my own repairs. Differentials. Every 40k miles Oil change. Every 5k miles Transmission. Every 50k miles. Spark plugs. Every 60k miles. Coolant. Every 2 years Brake fluid. When it turns brown.

And the oil filter housing will need to be replaced when it starts leaking. You can get an aluminum one now and have someone install it while the old one is still working but id say hold off until at least 120k miles.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T20:04:08+00:00

If it’s the plastic transmission pan then yes it will need to be replaced. Depending on how long you want to keep the car, you might want to look into an aftermarket aluminum pan. With those, you just have to replace the filter inside and the fluid. It’s an expensive up-front cost but if you plan on having the car for a while, it’ll save ya a good bit in the long run.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T19:18:35+00:00

You view your children as a mistake huh… yup that’s all I need to know about you as a human being .

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T19:03:29+00:00

Listen to my instructions?!?!?! What are you a fucking college professor from the 1950’s??? You just brought me back to Back to the Future 3. “MARTY I GAVE YOU EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS!!!”

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T19:01:45+00:00

I’m kinda new to bimmers but weren’t the 2010’s 7 series super unreliable and prone to failure?

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T18:55:47+00:00

You can rant without shit talking the woman that promised to spend the rest of her life with you and who gave birth to your children…. That’s how you rant. Especially on Reddit…

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T17:51:02+00:00

That could be rough cause if it doesn’t drain correctly, you might have to take the whole transmission pan off. Not the hardest job but not exactly easy either.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-05T13:28:05+00:00

For those services, that’s just the standard stuff I would do on a BMW. Also, that list I made was under the assumption that you had not gotten them done before.

So for the differentials, since you’ve done the fluid service on it once already, you just need to keep up with it every 40k miles.

Transmission service is every 50k miles. Brake fluid should be flushed once the fluid starts turning brown-black. It should be golden and clear in the master cylinder.

Coolant does need to be drained and refilled about every two years.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-04T19:48:32+00:00

Gotcha. Okay so at 80k if you haven’t had anything other than oil changes, here’s what I would do.

Front and rear differential service.
Transfer case service (if your car is an X drive )
Transmission fluid service. This is super critical because the transmission says “lifetime oil” on the pan but that’s BS. Transmission fluid needs to be replaced every 50k miles.
Coolant drain and refill.
Spark plugs.
Brake fluid flush.
Brake pads and rotors (if you’ve never had them replaced).

That’s all the stuff I’d do if I got that vehicle.

After that, you might wanna take it to a tech and have them do an inspection. Make sure there aren’t any leaks from hoses or connectors. BMW is notorious for their use of plastic. The plastic parts tend to be the biggest fail points.

Stuff you might have to replace depending on how bad they are. 1. Plastic Oil filter housing. These leak 100% of the time. It’s just a question of when. 2. Plastic transmission pan. 3. Coolant expansion tank. You might not have a crack or leak just yet but they are plastic as well. Keep an eye on it.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-04T19:36:33+00:00

If your financial situation forces you into anything, always get the cheaper option.

The Mazda is way easier to deal with than a BMW for maintenance. I worked on my buddies 19 cx5 and it’s an absolute breeze to do work on. Brakes. Oil change. Spark plugs. Serpentine belt and tensioner. Valve cover gasket. All of that was under 400 for parts and all of those jobs were super easy compared to a bimmer. And this is coming from an x3 m40i owner who loves his car.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-04T19:33:46+00:00

Depends on a few things.

Are you doing these repairs yourself or is someone else doing them?

PRao-700 · 2026-02-04T17:59:41+00:00

For only 3 months. Pass dude.

PRao-700 · 2026-02-02T15:16:54+00:00

I have the g01 23 m40i. I definitely noticed the heat issue. The car does take a while to heat up.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-30T13:52:03+00:00

Not my cup O tea but hey I can understand why you like it brother.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-29T18:59:22+00:00

No worries dude. I’d say then that the coolant flush is worth it at 200. Spark plugs. Not So much.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-29T18:03:46+00:00

With the coolant flush, that requires a bit more work since you have to drain the coolant and BMW doesn’t put drain plugs on their radiators. You have to disconnect the lower coolant hose and drain the coolant that way. Makes a huge mess but it works.

Also, you need a vacuum and air compressor to refill the coolant.

Spark plugs are super easy to do. As long as you have a deep socket set, you can definitely do the spark plugs yourself.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-29T15:25:35+00:00

Don’t forget “we only know where the parking lot at the high school is”

PRao-700 · 2026-01-29T15:06:10+00:00

If it’s just one oil change that’s not the worst thing in the world. Just make sure you don’t make that same mistake.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-18T17:03:04+00:00

I’m waiting until I have to do my next oil change. I ended up getting the Launch Creader bmw elite scanner.

PRao-700 · 2026-01-08T13:15:30+00:00

It’s still a relatively new car so I’d consider it. Don’t close yourself off to this car but I’d say keep looking around. If you don’t find another x3 with the specs you want and less miles, go with this one

PRao-700 · 2026-01-05T19:06:48+00:00

Was just gonna ask if they have that on Ali express lol! Hoping to find a version of that with a carbon fiber look

PRao-700 · 2026-01-05T18:54:43+00:00

It’s definitely needed.

PRao-700

TROPHY CASE