Quick Q, do your new pads have retaining clips? -m (archive)

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A mechanic friend of mine always tells me, where you think the sound is coming from is seldom where the it actually is.

Well, last week, I started to get a squeal on the front right when turning slow turns. It was only once the car had been driven for a while,(ie warmed up). So I took it in to have it checked and fix some other issues,(fuel gauge and burnt out lamp, low fuel mileage). Well, b/c of my A032R's and the swapped upper camber plates, they wouldn't work on it. It is BMW policy to not work on modified cars. (let me clarify, they looked at the fuel sender and replaced the bulb, etc.. but wouldn't touch the wheel bearing issue).
Now don't pull out the Moss act, for this is not aftermarket. I am working with BMWNA to see if we can resolve this issue. I am about 90+% positive that it is the wheel bearing. I can see where they would feel that my sticker tires and swapped plates could cause the failure. I flatly reject the assumption on the plates, b/c it they have only been swapped for two weeks,(now three). And the drivers side has 3 degrees, with the pass side at 2.2. Before the swap, they were 1.5 driver and .9 pass, and were that way for over 22,000 miles. If that were the case, the drivers side would be the one that would have failed, not the pass side. I was concerned that with their knowledge that I have been out at two local PCA D.E.'s and two autocrosses,(the only "racing" ever in this car), might taint any future service on some parts. Hard to say if that is the issue.
I will agree that my two drivers educations and autocrosses contributed, but I have a really hard time beliving they were the main reason. I drove this car for nearly 8k miles in NYC crappy roads and traffic, and many other situations. I am notoriously hard on brakes, and am on my third set of pads,(those of you here will not find this odd for our cars). This last set is 90 compound pads, ie a more aggressive pad,(another concern of theirs). At the time I made that swap, I also put on the euro rotors. I was concerned about the massive heat that was generated by the brakes, and was looking to minimize the impact on other parts. (I feel the overheating of the brakes may have contributed).
So where am I going with this? I don't know. BMWNA is looking at the issue, but I am not so confident it will work out. So who is ultimately responsible? Me of course, for it is my pocket. I think a fair solution would be for them to split the cost with me, ie I pay parts they pay labor, or vice versa. I feel that my racing may have contributed, but this car has nearly 23k miles. And it had 21k before I ever raced once. This is one of those hard issues.
Any thoughts? I understand the dealerships position, while I may not agree. And I also belive the A032R's put a heavier load on the bearings,(stock rims). The ultimate question is did they cause the failure or merely accelerate it? My position is that they accelerated the failure. So is it my responibilty b/c I caused it to happen sooner? Is there any way to prove this? No. And that is what makes this such a hard issue for me.
I appreciate your thoughts.
-Bob Hanvey
'00 M Coupe

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