[JUSTIN335]

So my car said I needed front brake pad service. It wasnt vital so ive been putting off for a few weeks (like 2) and today i started my car and there was no light. i checked the service menu and now it says my brakes are good for another 6000 miles. What is it based on? Anyone know why it would do this? (btw i did search for this problem, but all i could find was people asking how to reset the service light)thanks for any help

[CJ421]

Pretty sure that light is tied to the sensors. I have almost all of my brake pad material left yet my red BRAKE light has been on in the dash. I got the car in for service yesterday and BMW replaced the sensors and reset that light. Problem is gone.

It's not uncommon for sensors to go bad. If you have plenty of material I wouldn't worry about it.

[JUSTIN335]

I get the amber BRAKE light. And actually now that I think of it, I think it said brake sensor error and showed the little picture of the car on a lift. But I guess I just thought it was telling me I needed new pads or something. It could be the sensor. Thanks

[CJ421]

Look at your caliper and see how much pad is remaining. Can you see the pad?

My brake light was first amber and then it turned red; the car on a lift icon in red also showed up when I started/stopped the car. In my case the sensors were defective.

[kiwi29]

The same thing has just happend to me, my sensor was on and for some reason after all the rain we're having, it shut off, my rear pads seem to still be good enough for 3600 miles(according to the computer). My driver side seems to be low but my passenger side is still thick, could uneven wear cause it to set the sensor off?

[e90pilot]

The sensor only triggers the red light. If you get an amber brake light and the car on a lift it must means the car is estimating your brakes are almost worn. The pad wear sensor is an on/ off switch but the mileage estimate is based on several things (g-meter, brake pedal pressure, speed, etc).

[JUSTIN335]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

The sensor only triggers the red light. If you get an amber brake light and the car on a lift it must means the car is estimating your brakes are almost worn. The pad wear sensor is an on/ off switch but the mileage estimate is based on several things (g-meter, brake pedal pressure, speed, etc).

thats why i was confused. on the idrive it said i needed to get new pads soon for like a week. but then one say it decides that there good for another 6000 miles. im pretty sure that it did say there was some error with the sensor, so ill just have the dealer check it out.

thanks for the suggestions everyone

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

The sensor only triggers the red light. If you get an amber brake light and the car on a lift it must means the car is estimating your brakes are almost worn. The pad wear sensor is an on/ off switch but the mileage estimate is based on several things (g-meter, brake pedal pressure, speed, etc).

I didn't see a amber BRAKE light, it showed yellow for me. After pulling out the gas station, I went for a canyon run and after I came home, the next morning starting up it disappeared. I was confused, happy, tripped out, and worried all at once, I wasn't sure what to do but I don't wanna take my car to the stealership cuz they might say something like "you need new sensors and pads and rotors and brake fluid etc." I hate it when they say bs like that cuz I'm no longer under warranty and don't wanna hear fake bad news. But luckily, my SA is honest and he talks to the tech regularly being as its his good friend. How much does it cost for a check up? Btw, what does the car on the lift icon mean? Idk what happend to my manual

[e90pilot]

The car on a lift means service in general. When it's coupled with the amber "brake" indication (US spec) it means your brakes are almost worn. It will show the approximate mileage remaining under the car on the lift. If both the car on a lift and "brake" indication are red, the pad wear sensor has been tripped.

[alp1newh1te]

justin335,

Did you get your brakes resolved? I'm having a similar situation. Just this morning, my brake pads worn indicator went off. The brake light is on and red with the ebrake disengaged. I also have the car on the lift but now red as well. The car on the lift used to be yellow and I have about 800 left on the OBD for the vehicle check.

The interesting part is that the OBD is saying that both front and rear brake pads are worn to the minimum thickness. Also, there is no miles indicated beside the brake service now. Just " ------ " for both front and rear brakes. It suprised me this morning because I thought it was only the vehicle check i had coming up and everything was ok. oh btw, there is no noise when stopping.

I haven't gotten the chance to check it with my BT cable but do you think it could be faulty sensors?

Also, does anyone know if it's safe to drive for about 215 miles on the highway with this "brake pads worn to minimum thickness" ?

[JUSTIN335]

Originally Posted by alp1newh1te

justin335,

Did you get your brakes resolved? I'm having a similar situation. Just this morning, my brake pads worn indicator went off. The brake light is on and red with the ebrake disengaged. I also have the car on the lift but now red as well. The car on the lift used to be yellow and I have about 800 left on the OBD for the vehicle check.

The interesting part is that the OBD is saying that both front and rear brake pads are worn to the minimum thickness. Also, there is no miles indicated beside the brake service now. Just " ------ " for both front and rear brakes. It suprised me this morning because I thought it was only the vehicle check i had coming up and everything was ok. oh btw, there is no noise when stopping.

I haven't gotten the chance to check it with my BT cable but do you think it could be faulty sensors?

Also, does anyone know if it's safe to drive for about 215 miles on the highway with this "brake pads worn to minimum thickness" ?

I didn't fix this yet so sorry i cant be of much help. My car is alllll fucked up right now with multiple cylinder misfires and crap so I really need to go get service. Im under warranty so when they fix it, they probably wont bother explaining it to me... Ill still ask my service rep about the brakes so maybe i cant get a good answer for you, but he never seems to know much... Good luck with your fix!

also (don't quote me on this) but i think driving 215 miles on the freeway if your sensors just came on is fine. i doubt they come on right as your brakes are about to fail. but if you can get service, better safe than sorry i guess.

[chirp-1]

This why I always defeat the sensors. They can be an annoyance. Probably good for alot of BMW owners who do nothing but put gas in thier cars and drive, but I ocassionally check my brakes and will notice when they start getting thin.