MINI & BMW Brake Service in Portland, OR
Brakes, they’re what stops your car, and stopping is good. Stopping in a timely manner, in the direction intended and without drama is what we all want. Anything else is undesirable and potentially unpleasant.
How Your MINI & BMW's Brake Systems Work
The braking system operates by converting kinetic energy, the movement of the vehicle, to heat energy through the application of friction. The components of this system, pads, and rotors in a modern caliper and disc brake set-up, are designed to degrade and wear as used. The dark dust visible on a car’s wheels are remnants of the brake pads, and, to a lesser extent, the brake rotors (also called discs) as they wear down from use.
Why Routine MINI & BMW Brake Service & Maintenance?
The engineers that designed your car took many factors into account when determining the braking system that was eventually used, including vehicle weight and wheel and tire size. These components must work in concert to accomplish their task, and periodic maintenance and replacement of worn parts are required to ensure proper long-term operation. These engineers specified certain manufacturers, ones with which they have confidence and experience, to make the brake parts used in BMW and MINI automobiles.
Why MINI & BMW Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Brake Parts?
These are the same brands that we use here at Pacific Motorsports, as we believe that deviation from the intended design and operational parameters is unwise. We don’t believe that re-engineering an already optimized safety system in order to save a few dollars is prudent. That is one of the reasons we use only Original Equipment Manufacturer brake parts. The brake component manufacturers worked with the vehicle makers to create what is on your car. That’s why we utilize the factory recommendation(s) for what a brake job entails, which is the replacement of the pads, rotors, and sensor*. We don’t think that anyone, well-intentioned or otherwise, should mess with that.
Pacific Motorsport’s Best Practices Approach
Our job here at Pacific Motorsports is to keep them all functioning in a predictable drama-free fashion, as intended. This is part of our Best Practices philosophy and how we can provide A Higher Standard of Service.
*Most people understand that brake pads wear down and are “consumed” a tiny bit almost every time that the brakes are applied. So, replacing them makes sense. Brake rotors are also consumed during brake operation, albeit less dramatically and obviously. They are made of a metallic compound that is designed to degrade in concert with the pads, becoming thinner. Worn rotors that are not replaced cannot properly dissipate the heat generated by hard braking, as they no longer have the mass required to perform the job they were designed for. Brake sensors are one-time use parts that must be changed, as they can no longer function after they trigger the brake light indicating that brake replacement is due.