Brake Squeal / Powerstop Z32

[jab23]

Hi All....so I've had my 2017 F85 for about a week and loving it. I was aware of the brake squeal issues these cars have and I figured it couldn't be that bad, but boy was I wrong. It's ear piercing and emabarrasing. I have read through about everything on the internet about possible fixes including all of the helpful posts here.

Based on all of that, I think I'm going to skip trying a warranty claim (which seem to have varying levels of success) and just swap my pads out for the Powerstop Z23 and see if that mitigates the issue. Less brake dust will be nice too. My question is, where is the best place to get the pads? Prices vary accross sites a bit and I'll likely just go with the least expensive, but thought I'd ask if anyone had a source they liked. Thanks for any info.

Edit: Been saying Z32 the whole time. Z23! Z23!

[SakM_5]

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Stop-Z2.../dp/B086M7J4DV


https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-BMW-X5-...-/283996613846

[bmwx5er]

The new compound is supposed to fix the squeak, warranty claim might be worth a shot.

[jab23]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

The new compound is supposed to fix the squeak, warranty claim might be worth a shot.

Yeah. I'm torn. I think the low dust aspect of the Powerstops is appealing too.

[jab23]

Originally Posted by SakM_5

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Stop-Z2.../dp/B086M7J4DV


https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-BMW-X5-...-/283996613846

Thanks. I'm looking at Rock auto too. Probably end up using Amazon like everything else in my life!

[Yuille36]

I had brake squeal on my E63 AMG, then went to PowerStop Ceramics and never looked back. It cured my awful squeal, so I also purchased them for my X5M. I can't wait until my current rotors and pads wear out, so that I can replaced them with the components I have sitting in the corner, just itching to be installed. I'm fairly confident, that it will solve your issue, once bedded in.

[SakM_5]

Originally Posted by jab23

Yeah. I'm torn. I think the low dust aspect of the Powerstops is appealing too.

I live in NY, long island and I've taken it to two dealers about the squealing and both wouldnt do anything. (mine is a 17) They said it is normal for high performance brakes. They said ever since BMW got rid of the maintenance with brakes included they wont warranty it for that. I showed them the service bulletin for it and they still wouldn't do anything. They said most people don't ever heat the brakes up enough or bed them properly. I gave up i just deal with squealing every where i go.

[Yuille36]

Well, I can tell you with 100% assurance, that these ceramic pads solved my squealing issue with my AMG. And I'm quite sure it will also fix my minor issue with my X5M. My squeal occurs at about 3 mph, just when you come to a slow stop. All other times it's fine.

And I think that this will take care of your issue as well. But I would suggest, when you change pads, you should also change rotors. I honestly don't know what effect, this will have with existing rotors. This is why, I'm waiting for my existing rotors and pads to wear out.

But you might be totally fine, as it seems that others just changed their pads and called it a day.

[jab23]

Just pulled into garage. My wife, who was in the house, just said to me "I think a lot of the things you buy for cars are silly, but brakes for that car will be smart. That squeal is awful". We live in a townhome community. I would drive my neighbors nuts.

I had already ordered the Powerstops and wear sensors this morning. My Indy BMW mechanic said my rotors were fine. Car has 35k miles. He thinks first owner must have had them done under the maintenance umbrella. Front pads at 50% and rears looked new. I should probably replace the rotors too, but don't want to spend the money. Pads arrive next week. I'll report back after I have them installed.

[Yuille36]

Just make sure their properly bedded in, that is the key!!

[Klienfeld303]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

Just make sure their properly bedded in, that is the key!!

How does one properly bed the brakes?

[Yuille36]

HOW TO BED BRAKES
1
PICK YOUR SPOT
Find an open stretch of road that will allow you to safely stop your vehicle multiple times.

2
SPEED UP, THEN SLOW DOWN
Accelerate to 35 MPH and apply moderate brake pressure to reduce your speed to under 5 MPH.

3
REPEAT AS NECESSARY
Repeat this process 2-3 times, accelerating back to 35 MPH and moderately braking.

4
TEST AGAIN AT 55 MPH
Next, increase speed to 50 MPH and strongly brake down to 5 MPH. You don't want to brake strong enough to activate your ABS or lock up the tires. You should be able to come down to 5 MPH within a few seconds.

5
REPEAT AS NECESSARY
Repeat this process 4-5 times, then drive an additional 1-2 miles while very lightly braking to cool down the brakes.

6
PRO TIP:
It's important to avoid coming to a complete stop during the hard-braking stage as it's possible to melt brake pads against hot rotors. Of course, should a deer, pedestrian, or Sasquatch run onto the road, feel free to mash the brake pedal. Safety first!

[jab23]

Love the last part. Thanks for all of the info. Pads should be here tomorrow. Hoping my mechanic can throw them on Thurs or Fri.

[Yuille36]

Let us know, how you like them after bedding them in. I have my new rotors and pads sitting in the corner, for almost a year now. Just waiting for the current rotors and pads to wear out.

[jab23]

Alright, pads are on. Initial impressions after bedding in are positive. I honestly didn't have a lot of seat time on the stock pads as I've only had my car for a few weeks, but I think these are equivalent in pedal feel. MAYBE a tad less initial bite, but that may be just because of what others have said here making me biased.

Anyway, not a peep out of them so far which was amazing in the stop and go traffic on the way home and pulling into my garage like a ninja. Obviously need to get some miles on them to see if the squeal stays away, but I'm ecstatic so far!

[Yuille36]

The squeal should be no more, after a good bedding in procedure.