E39 - Brake wear sensor?

Lord Nikon

Okay, bare with me....

So I needed a brake wear sensor, and picked one up yesterday from the dealer. I was a bit surprised at the price €23.50, and I'm not sure it is the correct one either, but the guy was sure about it in the parts department though.

Attached are pictures, if someone can confirm the part is right would be great, and also was I overcharged? 23 quid is alot for a sensor.

Also, should the sensor be BMW part stamped, because the part I have is not.

Darragh29

LOL, you should be surprised that it isn't €235.00!!!

That's a very good price for a brake wear sensor. And that pic is the correct part... As for the BMW stamp, BMW don't manufacture brake wear sensors.

Lex Luthor

ya it looks very familiar alright


do you have to do the pads aswell? Because they normally happen to need to be replaced together

I found this site extremely helpful whenever I needed to get parts for my old E39
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?PHPSESSID=1ead2770cc8bad7f131fda77f662bc0c

unkel

neuromancer wrote: »

was I overcharged? 23 quid is alot for a sensor.

€23 is nothing! You don't want to know what Belgard charged me for a couple of wheel speed sensors recently!

Darragh29

unkel wrote: »

€23 is nothing! You don't want to know what Belgard charged me for a couple of wheel speed sensors recently!

See what I'm talkin' about??? :eek:

Darragh29

Lex Luthor wrote: »

ya it looks very familiar alright


do you have to do the pads aswell? Because they normally happen to need to be replaced together

I found this site extremely helpful whenever I needed to get parts for my old E39
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?PHPSESSID=1ead2770cc8bad7f131fda77f662bc0c

Well the brake wear indicator would hardly be needing to be replaced unless the pads were worn. This is why the brake wear indicator is on, because the pads are worn. Are you sure you actually need a brake wear indicator replaced??? How do you know this if you haven't taken out the brake pads yet???

cianclarke

..can't believe you're surprised at €23? I'd have expected upwards of €100 from a dealer..!

unkel

Darragh29 wrote: »

LOL, you should be surprised that it isn't €235.00!!!

Darragh29 wrote: »

See what I'm talkin' about??? :eek:

Hehe, yeah you beat me to it

When I worked for a global white goods manufacturer (mid 90s) I got an insight into prices charged for spares bought from our own factories and sold to the public via our customer services departments. It was not uncommon to have a £0.10 item (internal transfer price, which was a lot more than manufacturing cost) be sold for £20.00

Darragh29

unkel wrote: »

Hehe, yeah you beat me to it

When I worked for a global white goods manufacturer (mid 90s) I got an insight into prices charged for spares bought from our own factories and sold to the public via our customer services departments. It was not uncommon to have a £0.10 item (internal transfer price, which was a lot more than manufacturing cost) be sold for £20.00

I've never heard of anyone coming out of a main dealer complaining that 23.50 is a rip off! I know the part probably cost 20 cent to make, but if you get out of a BMW dealership of all places with change of 100 Euro, you should bring all your mates out for a pint to celebrate! :D:D

cianclarke

Darragh29 wrote: »

Well the brake wear indicator would hardly be needing to be replaced unless the pads were worn. This is why the brake wear indicator is on, because the pads are worn. Are you sure you actually need a brake wear indicator replaced??? How do you know this if you haven't taken out the brake pads yet???

Darragh29 wrote: »

I've never heard of anyone coming out of a main dealer complaining that 23.50 is a rip off! I know the part probably cost 20 cent to make, but if you get out of a BMW dealership of all places with change of 100 Euro, you should bring all your mates out for a pint to celebrate! :D:D

In this case I'd imagine a bit more than 20 cent tbh, I mean it's an optical sensor to be fair!

Darragh29

cianclarke wrote: »

In this case I'd imagine a bit more than 20 cent tbh, I mean it's an optical sensor to be fair!

It's not an optical sensor, it's just an incomplete conductive/metal circuit that acts a bit like like a switch, with the brake disc (which is conductive/metal), completing the circuit when the brake pad wears down to the brake pad wear sensor terminals.

To call it a sensor is even misleading, as it doesn't "sense" like other vehicle sensors do. It's literally a hidden earth in a brake pad. As the pad wears down, the hidden earth in the brake pad eventually comes into contact with the brake disc, and you have continuity then and you get your brake wear light on at the dash. This is how simple it is at sensor level, there is a little more to it up at the ECU, you have a transistor circuit that keeps the light on and handles the signal up to the dashboard but down at the brake pad, the set up couldn't be simpler.

Lord Nikon

Well, an aquitaince offered to give me a spare sensor he had for his BM, and at that price I wouldn't expect anyone to just give it away, which is why I was questioning the price.

Strange that for all it does, the price is a bit extreme, but then again BM prices are hardly ever cheap.

robbie99

Cost for our UK cousins is £14.39

http://www.cooper-bmw-parts.co.uk/browse-parts/5-series_295/e39-saloon-1996-to-03_939/520i_940/brakes_941/front-brake-pad-sensor_30510.html

Darragh29

neuromancer wrote: »

Well, an aquitaince offered to give me a spare sensor he had for his BM, and at that price I wouldn't expect anyone to just give it away, which is why I was questioning the price.

Strange that for all it does, the price is a bit extreme, but then again BM prices are hardly ever cheap.

I can't think of anything I ever got from a main dealer that cost me less then 20 Euro. Count your blessings OP, you got away very lightly. Wait 'til you have to replace wishbones, a crankshaft pulley or a cam position sensor and you'll know the story!

Darragh29

neuromancer wrote: »

Well, an aquitaince offered to give me a spare sensor he had for his BM, and at that price I wouldn't expect anyone to just give it away, which is why I was questioning the price.

Strange that for all it does, the price is a bit extreme, but then again BM prices are hardly ever cheap.

Did nobody tell you that you can usually transfer this sensor over from the old brake pad to the new one??? Sometimes they are damaged but as you haven't even looked at the brake pads yet, I think buying the sensor is a bit premature to be honest...

cianclarke

Darragh29 wrote: »

It's not an optical sensor, it's just an incomplete conductive/metal circuit that acts a bit like like a switch, with the brake disc (which is conductive/metal), completing the circuit when the brake pad wears down to the brake pad wear sensor terminals.

To call it a sensor is even misleading, as it doesn't "sense" like other vehicle sensors do. It's literally a hidden earth in a brake pad. As the pad wears down, the hidden earth in the brake pad eventually comes into contact with the brake disc, and you have continuity then and you get your brake wear light on at the dash. This is how simple it is at sensor level, there is a little more to it up at the ECU, you have a transistor circuit that keeps the light on and handles the signal up to the dashboard but down at the brake pad, the set up couldn't be simpler.

Ah, ya learn something new every day! Is this the case with most break pad sensors? My saab has been occassionaly flashing break warnings when there seems to be shag all wrong with them...

Lex Luthor

try GSF in Dublin. or OTTO in Ranelagh

You might get it a bit cheaper

kikel

£6.50 ex vat from GSF

Darragh29

cianclarke wrote: »

Ah, ya learn something new every day! Is this the case with most break pad sensors? My saab has been occassionaly flashing break warnings when there seems to be shag all wrong with them...

Check the braek fluid level. If it happens when you are turning corners, this could be the cause.

Seth Brundle

kikel wrote: »

£6.50 ex vat from GSF

They are a similar price from Euro Car Parts.
I'm fairly sure that I paid a similar price to this in GSF here (but in Euros!) when I last replaced mine - I'll double check when I get home!

Lex Luthor

kbannon wrote: »

They are a similar price from Euro Car Parts.
I'm fairly sure that I paid a similar price to this in GSF here (but in Euros!) when I last replaced mine - I'll double check when I get home!

kb, I cant remember but was it a sensor for each wheel on teh E39 or one at the front and one at the rear?

Seth Brundle

Front left and rear right IIRC

DublinDilbert

AFAIK the sensors & connectors are the same for the front & back, what's different is the cable length and the moulded rubber covering (from memory).

From what i've seen is that people tend to re-use the sensor for a few sets of brake pads, and eventually the sensor gives in before the pads actually need changing.

At the cost of the sensor from BMW, its roughly the same cost as a set of brake pads from a motor factors!

To the OP, imagine the cost if you had got BMW to fit it

Lord Nikon

Well, considering I couldnt get the damn caliper bolts off yesterday, I might leave it to the pros. I have an offer for help the next time I try to replace them though:)

Nothing worse than jacking up the car, removing the wheels and then not being able to find that silly 7mm allen key, and that was two weeks ago.

DublinDilbert

neuromancer wrote: »

Well, considering I couldnt get the damn caliper bolts off yesterday, I might leave it to the pros. I have an offer for help the next time I try to replace them though:)

Nothing worse than jacking up the car, removing the wheels and then not being able to find that silly 7mm allen key, and that was two weeks ago.

Ummm a standard allen key won't really cut it.... You'll need a decent 7mm allen socket with a 3/8 or 1/2 drive in the back. If your around D7/D15 you can borrow mine if you like....

Lord Nikon

Might be out near Blanch on Wednesday, not sure what time though, evening most probably.