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Re: Are Your Brakes "Grabby?" (archive)
[ Follow Ups ] [ 5-series (E39) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Posted by Jim Cash on August 20, 2001 at 10:25:29:

In Reply to: Are Your Brakes "Grabby?" posted by Nameless 01' 530iA on August 19, 2001 at 15:52:33:


When I pull up to a stop light in my 530i it is difficult for me to make a smooth stop. I can approach the light with smoothness. I can slow the car from one speed to another without problem. It's those last few feet that I just can't get a grip on. The brakes make a little low tone vibrating noise and then grab the end too much so the occupants in the car are jerked alittle. It's annoying. Can anybody here tell me what his is?


It has nothing to do with a 6 or V8, and probably not much to do with a manual or automatic, although manul drivers "may" also be moe agressive drivers (and brakers) - which is the main factor here.

If your brake are grabby when stopping and starting it means there is not a constant coeffiction of friction.

Usually caused by:
- contamination on the pad or rotor surfaces
- glazed surfaces
- slight mismatch surface between pad and calliper or pad and rotor.

Usually it is contamination or glaze - because you never brake hard enough to really heat up and clean the braking surfaces.

And this occurs on other cars as well but the BMW combination seems to be prone to it.


Try 3-5 repeated stops from higher speeds (60 mph) Do hard stops - but not necessary to do it so hard as to activate the ABS. You just want to heat up the surfaces and provide lots of friction at the same time to clean and reseat the surfaces.

Drive about 1 minute between stops so as not to overheat the brakes.
And when you stop do not sit still with you foot on the brakes (which means all the heat is transferred to the rotors at one spot and can cause warping). Drive slowely till brakes cool down

This will make a big improvement - but probably not entirely eliminate the condition. you will probably hve to repeat this from time to time - and not a bad idea anyway to make sure the brake surfaces are always in good condition.

Cheers
Jim Cash


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