DIY - Did new brake pads, and painted calipers over the weekend

[rennis]

I wanted to get rid of the horrifically dusty OEM brake pads, and decided to paint my hubs and calipers while I was at it.

First, changing the pads is very easy if you have the right* tools, and even a little bit of mechanical aptitude. If you can get your rig up on jackstands, you can do the brake pads. I essentially followed this how-to step-by-step and it guides you right through the process:

*NOTE: nowhere on the net could I find this information, but the front calipers on the X5 (at least on the 50i) have NINE millimeter hex bolts that attach the caliper to the carrier. Every DIY on the net says 7mm. THIS IS WRONG AND YOU WILL GO CRAZY LIKE I DID. Also, it's nearly impossible to find a 9mm hex wrench or socket, so source that tool before you begin!!!! (you will not find a 9mm hex socket at Harbor Freight, for example)

Otherwise, I went with Posi-Quiet pads which claim to have OEM bite with very low dust. So far they seem to perform at least as well as the factory pads did, and were easy-peasy to swap in. I sourced them through Achtuning, but you can find them online pretty easy.

I used some high-heat engine enamel on the hubs after a wire brush attachment on a high speed drill took off all the rust. And did a brush-on caliper paint kit, went with semi-gloss black.

Before and after pics:

[joe_planet]

Hey, that looks great! I will take a look at your videos later as I'm at work, thanks for posting those! I do my own brake jobs and the like so this will definitely help, but I do have a fully stocked tool box so finding a 9mm hex wont be a problem, lol. I'm at 41k on my ride and 50k will creep up pretty soon.

[rennis]

Right on!

Disclaimer: not my video, but one that I found that was very helpful - I followed all the same steps.

[socale39]

How are you liking the posi-quiet pads? Compared to OEM how is the initial bite and overall experience?

[BaseM3]

I did the same thing this Saturday on the X5 without the pad replacement. I went the spray can route with rustoelum hi temp primer and duplicolor black caliper paint. Came out really good.

[yoandry]

Nice, I'm planing to do the same but I will have to change the discs too. I guess I will go with red paint for the calipers as I have a carbon black one.

[socale39]

^^^ joking right?

[yoandry]

Originally Posted by socale39

^^^ joking right?

Why
Haven't you see any x5 with red calipers?

[BaseM3]

Went with black so it won't show the black brake dust

[Bigtimekegger]

Heres my opinion... having painted like in the range of 40 - 60 rotors and calipers on various vehicles over the years.

I never remove the pads.. I never tape the rotors or calipers. I spray everything... I try to avoid the face of the rotor the best I can... but obviously there will be overspray.

Some people claim that if you get overspray on your rotor it will contaminate your pad... I seem to disagree... a few minutes of aggressive braking seems to clean the rotors up rather quickly.

With my X5 I actually prefer painting the calipers and rotors silver as to try to mimic the factory look. It definitely gives it a fresh clean look

[socale39]

There's only one right way I'm my mind, complete removal, sandblast, paint and reassembly. I'll be doing this on the X very soon. IMO silver looks great as it looks like OEM and is not flashy. Frankly our calipers look like ass in any other color than black or silver. I think 4-pot or other BBK calipers are the only ones that look good in an actual color.

[mitch808]

Agreed. Proper prep is key. You can't beat sandblasting.

But a good cleaning with lots of chemicals, brushing, cleaning again, then paint is sufficient for a general cleanup of the look.