[Bunny1985]

Hello everyone
I have M850i with about 67,000 km on it (40,000 miles). Warning indicator came on that pad need to be replaced. Showing front needs to be replaced, while rear will have to be replaced in about 1,000km. I am currently travelling with a car and won’t be able to do until I am back, so I would appreciate if you can help me please with these questions:

1) If new pad is 10-12mm thick, and I depleted up 9-10mm of it for 67,000km I drove this far - the proportional logic would suggest that that I could drive another 10,000km+ before I deplete the remaining 2-3mm. However, I know they wear out more the thinner they become, because of different composition and more heat accumulation.
My question is can I drive another 2,000km (1,300miles) like this? - this is distance I would travel to get back home from this trip. Assume I do not drive agressively and mostly on highway. What is the reasonable distance I can still cover after indicator goes on before they are critically depleted.

2) As they get depleted more, with there be another more critical warning indicator that will come on or no?

3) any other idea or suggestion for my situation?

Thank you very much for help

[TupperBMW]

Listen for the sound of brake screech and squeal for your second, more “critical” warning

[Bunny1985]

Thank you. Yea I figure that will start to happen if o drive long enough. But I was just wondering if anyone has experience with 8 series or newer five series in the same situation - how long can you actually drive normally after indicator goes on?

I read somewhere people drove another thousand miles and when they went to change them, the pads had a lot more left on than. But I also read once you get to 2mm they wear out much quicker. Any experience that could help much appreciated. It will decide whether I try to make the 1500km trip back or stay and wait for a service away from home.

Thank you

[Opie55]

If the warning you got is form actually triggering a wear sensor, you can go quite a ways on the remaining pads, especially on the highway. I drove an X3 that way for a month around town. 1,200 mostly highway miles probably equals 100 around town. I would not worry, but if you want extra peace of mind, go buy a small mirror at an auto parts store and confirm you have a bit of pad left. My 650 is getting close to triggering and I drove it 2,000 miles on road trip and it has yet to trigger.

[M8Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Opie55

If the warning you got is form actually triggering a wear sensor, you can go quite a ways on the remaining pads, especially on the highway. I drove an X3 that way for a month around town. 1,200 mostly highway miles probably equals 100 around town. I would not worry, but if you want extra peace of mind, go buy a small mirror at an auto parts store and confirm you have a bit of pad left. My 650 is getting close to triggering and I drove it 2,000 miles on road trip and it has yet to trigger.

IMO the above would be correct. They give you some lea way in order to give you time to replace them.

[Bunny1985]

Thank you. Yes I see that outside pad definitely has about 3mm left. Can’t see inside, but from experience on other models I suspect that inside may have more left.

[__AD__]

Changed rotors and pads on my own with 800 mile warning on rears and 400 mile warning on fronts at 45k miles. Had about 1.5mm on rears and <1mm on fronts left.