I'm planning to change the front rotors myself.
AZ BMW dealers charge $420 for the front pair (Inc tax and BMWCCA
discount).
bavauto charges $200 for a pair.
My question; are third-party rotors any good?
Who sells "TRULY"-OEM BMW parts other than BMW?
> I'm planning to change the front rotors myself.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Who sells "TRULY"-OEM BMW parts other than BMW?
Coupla quick points:
1) BMW does not make rotors, they buy them
2) The rotors on your BMW are nothing particularly special. You can buy
rotors from ATE, Brembo, Zimmerman, Balo, that are the equivalent to
whatever you get over the parts counter at the stealership.
3) You live in AZ. I have had very good luck with buying parts from
Autohaus AZ and I'm in NH and have to wait a lot longer to get them.
Check them out:
http://www.autohausaz.com/
You have to "join" to get the cheaper prices for some reason, but that
is free and well worth the hassle IMO.
PS- My choice would be the Zimmermann non-drilled disks at ~$63 per
front and $52 per rear. Cross drilled disks are for poseurs...

Signature
-Fred W
mcquarrie - 23 May 2007 15:44 GMT
> > I'm planning to change the front rotors myself.
>
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> --
> -Fred W
Fred,
Thank you for the healthy dose of common sense. It is just what I
needed.
I'm getting 2 front rotors by Brembo, from Tirerack, $250 shipped. I
bought Brembo for my Honda Odyssey 2 years ago and I've been very
pleased with them.
DM
I bought a set of rotors off the internet (eBay, R1 Concepts).
I did not get what I expected, but the customer service that resulted was
excellent. I bought cross-drilled and slotted rotors (for no particular
reason) that only cost $20 more than the standard rotors. They also came
with nickel plating that ought to prevent rust. In additon to the rotors,
the price included a set of pads. The rotors and pads covered all four
corners of my car.
My expectation was that the rotors come to me true and ready to install.
What I got caused immediate shaking under braking -- the long-story-short is
that the rotors were not true, they were warped. I complained to the
supplier, and they sent a new set for free. They were not true either.
I took the new rotors to a machine shop and had them trued (machined
straight) for $30, and went home and installed them. The brakes work
wonderfully. No shaking or screaching. Just reliable stops when the demand
is made. I have absolutely no hesitation to suggest you shop eBay,
specifically R1 Concepts. BUT, you have to take the rotors they ship to a
machine shop to have them trued. (My local Kragen will turn a rotor for $10
or $15 each, but they can not turn rotors that are slotted and drilled.)
I forget the price I paid, but it seems that it was in the range of about
$150 for all four rotors and the pads. Then I spent another $30 or so at the
machine shop.
> I'm planning to change the front rotors myself.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Who sells "TRULY"-OEM BMW parts other than BMW?
Jules - 23 May 2007 19:47 GMT
Why are brake discs called rotors? for one they dont rotate....
always wonderd this
> I bought a set of rotors off the internet (eBay, R1 Concepts).
>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> >
> > Who sells "TRULY"-OEM BMW parts other than BMW?
Jeff Strickland - 23 May 2007 20:06 GMT
You could open a dictionary and free up your brain cell for other pursuits
...
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/rotor
Main Entry: ro·tor
Pronunciation: 'rO-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: contraction of rotator
1 a : a part that revolves in a stationary part <a brake rotor> b : the
rotating member of an electrical machine
2 : an assembly of rotating blades that supplies lift or stability for a
rotorcraft
I'd like to point out that a brake rotor does rotate around the
spindle/axle/hub, and it rotates past the brake calipers that house the
brake pads.
> Why are brake discs called rotors? for one they dont rotate....
>
> always wonderd this
Jules - 23 May 2007 20:37 GMT
it was just a sudden brain loss moment, i have changed them before so i knew
that, i must have been thinking about something else, that didnt rotate
while thinking about a brake disk.
> You could open a dictionary and free up your brain cell for other pursuits
> ...
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> >
> > always wonderd this
Jeff Strickland - 23 May 2007 22:11 GMT
What are you saying, that you overloaded your brain cell?
<sorry>
> it was just a sudden brain loss moment, i have changed them before so i
> knew
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>> >
>> > always wonderd this
Oscar@nowhere.com - 23 May 2007 21:03 GMT
>Why are brake discs called rotors? for one they dont rotate....
Huh? Of course they bloody well rotate otherwise your wheels don't go around.
They only stop rotating when your brake pads stop them (hopefully).
>always wonderd this
>
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
>> >
>> > Who sells "TRULY"-OEM BMW parts other than BMW?
Fred W - 23 May 2007 23:39 GMT
> Why are brake discs called rotors? for one they dont rotate....
Your brake disks don't rotate? Mine certainly do. They rotate with the
wheel.

Signature
-Fred W
Jules - 23 May 2007 23:51 GMT
like i said, i had a brain drain moment, i have changed brake discs...whos
not had a brain drain moment?
> > Why are brake discs called rotors? for one they dont rotate....
>
> Your brake disks don't rotate? Mine certainly do. They rotate with the
> wheel.
Dean Dark - 24 May 2007 00:34 GMT
>like i said, i had a brain drain moment, i have changed brake discs...whos
>not had a brain drain moment?
You talking about just today, or the last year or so? :-)
When one's brain farts like that, it's best just to do what you did
and say so. The people who try to make a hoo-ha about it reveal more
about themselves than they will ever know.

Signature
Dan.
dizzy - 24 May 2007 00:36 GMT
Jules top-posted:
>like i said, i had a brain drain moment,
Anyone stupid-enough to be a top-poster doesn't have much brain to
drain.
Dean Dark - 24 May 2007 00:43 GMT
>Jules top-posted:
>
>>like i said, i had a brain drain moment,
>
>Anyone stupid-enough to be a top-poster doesn't have much brain to
>drain.
QED.

Signature
Dan.
Oscar@nowhere.com - 24 May 2007 19:10 GMT
>like i said, i had a brain drain moment, i have changed brake discs...whos
>not had a brain drain moment?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>> Your brake disks don't rotate? Mine certainly do. They rotate with the
>> wheel.
It's a showing of age --- a "Senior Moment"
mcquarrie - 24 May 2007 18:50 GMT
> I bought a set of rotors off the internet (eBay, R1 Concepts).
>
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -
So you bought cross-drilled and slotted rotors. Then you had them
machined true. Where did you have them machined? Obviously not at your
local Kragen. I'm confused.
Jeff Strickland - 24 May 2007 19:47 GMT
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> So you bought cross-drilled and slotted rotors. Then you had them
> machined true. Where did you have them machined? Obviously not at your
> local Kragen. I'm confused.
Sorry.
I had to take them to a machine shop and get them turned on a flywheel
grinder. Normally, rotors are turned on a lathe, but the slots and holes
cause the cutting tool to bounce, so I had to get them ground flat (true)
with a grinder that turned the rotors on a turntable while polishing them
with a spinning grindstone at the same time.
Fred W - 24 May 2007 19:52 GMT
>>> - Show quoted text -
>>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> (true) with a grinder that turned the rotors on a turntable while
> polishing them with a spinning grindstone at the same time.
Just one more in a long list of reasons *not* to get cross drilled or
slotted rotors.
I buy rotors that are true out of the box. Saves on trips to the
machinist.

Signature
-Fred W
Jeff Strickland - 24 May 2007 20:06 GMT
>>>> - Show quoted text -
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> I buy rotors that are true out of the box. Saves on trips to the
> machinist.
As true as that is, I did score a second set of rotors for free that are in
perfect condition after I had them turned too.
I don't get why the seller didn't turn the parts before he shipped them; it
only takes a few minutes, and he spent more on free shipping and the free
parts than the minor machine work would have costed.