Rotor Replacement Challenge

Usually, replacing the brake pads and rotors an any late 90s BMW 3 or 5 series is pretty easy.

1. Remove the wheel - 5 bolts
2. Remove a spring clip
3. Remove 2 7mm bolts holding the caliper
4. Remove the 6mm rotor retention screw.

That's about it
Unless the rotor retention screw won't come out.

These screws get stuck more often than anyone likes. Here are some links to some videos on the topic:
How to Remove a Stripped Rotor Locator Bolt
Drilling Out Stripped Brake Rotor Screws
Removing Brake Rotor Screws That Won't Come Out

While replacing the front pads and rotors on the 98 M Roadster I found a rotor retention screw that had been badly mauled. My best guess is that someone had trouble removing the screw and then re-installed it for me to learn from - how nice.

I didn't remove the screw. Here's what I did:

You may wonder why I didn't use an "easy out". My experience with using an easy out has been all bad. I broke an easy out in a drilled out bolt and found myself in worse shape than when I started.

It does bother me that I left that screw in the hub, with a little work I'll get over it.

Cool Carbon Brake Pads

Yes, they really are good. There is a dramatic difference in braking between these and the metallic pads I was using before.
The metalic pads had a grinding feel to them, these are smooth. The metalic pads took more foot preasure to engage than the Cool Carbon pads.

the box came with four pads, the instructions and a sticker.
The bedding instructions that came with the pads were crazy - at least they seemed crazy to me.

From the instructions

• Perform a series of 10 to 12 partial stops from 70 to 20 mph with the first 3 under moderat braking, increasing to 75% to 90% of full braking during the series of stops"
• Performance should increase somewhat during this process and fall off toward the end of this cycle.
• Do not come to a complete stop during this cycle, if at all possible, as this may interrupt the material transfer proces to the rotor surface; Note: material transfer process will take longer with new rotors.

There is more but you get the idea.
So what is crazy about this?

• Finding a road where you can do 10 to 12 accellerate to 70 and then brake down to 20 mph is not easy
• The instructions go on to recommend "Repeat the above sequence, including the cooling section" so I'm suppose to go through the cycle twice.
• When you are trying to find a stretch of highway deserted enough to do 10 to 12 runs to 70, brake to 20 and then cool down it's easy to lose count - was that 8 or 9?

I should have checked the website they have new instructions that indicate a long term break in method along with a modified fast break in.

All that aside, I like them.

How Does an M Roadster Sound?

I think it sounds better at idle than at high RPM
About half way through I experiment with picture in a picture mode on my video editor