I took my F30 330d for its annual service today. I was pleased to find that only a brake fluid change was scheduled, saving some money, or so I thought. It was booked as a waiting appoint, just a couple of hours, so got myself a coffee and relaxed in the showroom. After a while, the technician doing the work rolled up with an apologetic look on his face to inform me that a bleed nipple had sheared off a front calliper, and had failed due to corrosion. My reaction was to tell them to remove the broken nipple with a stud extractor and replace it. Response - no can do - BMW procedure is to replace the complete calliper, which I was told would cost £1110. On inspection the broken nipple showed only slight signs of corrosion (the car is in very good low mileage condition and lives in a dry garage when not in use). I said that it was more likely that the nipples had been over-tightened the last time the brakes were serviced, and anyway I had extended warranty which should cover the new calliper as wear and tear, but the warranty supervisor said not, as it was down to corrosion. The tech was sympathetic and did agree with me that the 330d was in excellent condition and very little sign of corrosion. The technician went back to the workshop to complete the work and get the car ready. Back he came, after some time, to sheepishly give me more bad news - a bleed nipple of the other front calliper had also sheared off, meaning that two new callipers are required at £2220! Talk about getting a kick in the ball cox!! My car is fitted with the high performance M Sport brakes with the blue callipers, hence the reason for the exorbitant repair costs. My advice to anyone that has this brake system fitted, would be to buy some good quality after-market stainless steel nipples and get them changed before they fail. It seems as though BMW have produced an expensive high performance brake system, but fitted cheap Chinese made nipples made of crap steel. Fortunately I know a local independent garage that are very good on doing repair work, so I'll see if they can remove the broken nipples from the callipers. Failing that I'll just carry on using the car as is. There are two nipples on each calliper, so it's possible to bleed the fluid to all callipers. The brakes still work well, and there is no air in the system.
I’d be inclined to say your first suggestion was the correct one and I wonder if it’s worth challenging the corrosion conclusion. If it was the technician working on your car you should have asked him what the correct torque of the bleed nipple was, I’d put money on the fact no tech knows that so how can they say it wasn’t over tightened last time. It’s tight and a tweak. That said I’ve got the same calipers on mine and for me my arch nemesis is those bloody slider pins that hold the pads in. Changed my pads a few weeks back and had to drill one of them out because nothing would shift it. Wasn’t much better the last time I did them although they did come out in the end.
The technician did say that the tightening torque was only 15 Nm. But I've never seen a mechanic use a torque wrench on a bleed nipple. So who's to say that they weren't overtightened? If the nipple is tight, any decent mechanic would use some penetrating oil to loosen it, and would also know how the limit to apply on a spanner to avoid snapping a small bolt. I don't have any hope of the dealership accepting any responsibility. I did try and put pressure on them, to no avail. I've done some online research and these particular calipers are prone to seized bleed nipples. I have found a couple of companies that specialise in repairing Brembo calipers and the charge for removing a broken nipple is around £40 - considerably better than being fleeced for £2220 by Lookers. But I'll contact my local garage first as I'm pretty sure that they can help.
That is grim reading. Sounds as though the “tech” has simply tried to undo the bleed nipple regardless of care/prep. Hopefully the specialist can sort that out easily.
He definitely looked it up first then. Bleed nipples never see a torque wrench, they can be a bit ropey then go with a crack but I’ve never had one that snapped, touch wood. It’s still just a hollow bolt really isn’t it so definitely get someone on the removal as you say.
A small spline bit tapped in and they come out easy. Done hundreds over the years have a new one in hand and you won't even get air in there.
This is why I moved on from Lookers to a local indy near me in S Cheshire. I suspect the dealer you mention may well be the one I used to go to. I stopped going there when they told me (1) tyres with less than 5mm tread on them were a safety risk and needed immediate replacement and (2) they needed £2000 to replace the front discs and pads because the pads were down to 4mm. My G30 is an SE with the standard brakes. 20,000 miles later, 2 MOTs and a recent service at the indy confirmed that the front brakes are good for another 15,000 miles or so but then they will need replacing at an estimated cost of £900.
Johnny, yes, it's Blue Bell BMW, Crewe. I did say that I wouldn't go back there when they botched the replacement of my A/C condenser by leaving half the bolts loose. But for convenience and to keep the service history record I continued to use them. So my own fault, I guess. Since Lookers took over, they seem to be prioritising new car sales rather than customer service of older models. Out of interest, which Indy specialist do you use?
Sounds familiar, @Mieke . Meanwhile, I've been taking the G30 to Hind Heath in Sandbach https://hindheathbm.co.uk/ . They update the iDrive records, etc., and so far only had very positive experience there.
If you don't find a local company, I've had stuff from Brake Caliper Solutions in Barwell, (South) Leicestershire. Very helpful small company who do their own refurbs there in their own workshop too. Re G30 pads, my G30 is approaching 60k miles now. Lots left on front pads but rears are down to 5mm or so now. I've got service & mot later this week, so expecting comments about rear pads. The tyres are all between 3mm and 5mm so expect they'll want to sell some tyres too!
Well you can just be unlucky and the nipples will seize in but also a cack-handed technician could snap one off by not taking enough care when they are tight. Or they could have been over tightened last time - but that often strips the threads in an alloy caliper. In my experience, what will cause them to seize in is not replacing the rubber caps on the nipples - down to the last service technician. First don't get stainless steel nipples for an alloy caliper. People do but it's a mistake. The electrochemical potential difference between stainless steel and alloy is greater than with mild steel. That means the corrosion will be worse, and it's the caliper that dissolves. Titanium bleed nipples are the way to go. Secondly - if you can manage without the car these people will remove the nipples properly https://pro-calipers.co.uk/services . I've not used them, I used Addiction Motorsport last time (who did a fantastic job, but don't seem to offer the service anymore). I did try a local engineering firm in the past once and they used all the standard techniques but it was a battle. Afterwards I wasn't happy with the thread that remained and got a TIme-sert. Someone who removes broken nipples for a living is the way to go.
Thanks for the feedback. I emailed Pro-callipers after I found them on the internet, and they replied straight away with a quote of £100 (incl P&P) to do both calipers. I was a little concerned - when I checked their address on Google maps, it's a terraced house on a residential street. Being a stress engineer, I know about the problem with stainless steel fasteners and dissimilar metals causing gauling and seizing up. So I shall fit the standard Brembo nipples. I talked to my local repair garage today, as the car was booked in for an MOT (passed OK). They said that because there is a good bleed nipple on each caliper (which has 2 fitted) it will be possible to bleed the entire brake system OK. All that's required, is to push the pistons back fully, which will empty all the fluid from the caliper. I'm inclined to think that is the best option as the calipers are Alloy so can be easily damaged. I will replace all of the old bleed nipples with new Brembo ones and a touch of anti-seize Nickel compound on the threads. That should prevent future problems. I intend to make an official complaint to BMW UK about Blue Bell BMW. I don't see why I should foot the exorbitant bill caused by their ham fisted workshop. We'll see what happens, but I suspect that BMW will back the dealership and put it down to corrosion. Below are the images of the broken nipples. One shows that the flats on one of the nipples have been damaged and rounded off - evidence of their ham fisted spannering.
To be honest I don't think those nipples look bad. Just using a 12 pointed spanner on them will leave marks, even a 6 pointed socket will leave marks at the torque needed to shear the nipple. With regular brake fluid flushes those nipples should have plenty of witness marks on them. Having double checked the use of titanium nipples it looks like both titanium and stainless steel nipples are a bad idea in terms of galvanic corrosion, and in fact the best solution is zinc plated steel (which I think is what is used by Brembo). Leaving them in, well yes you can still do brake fluid flushes, but if you ever get air in the caliper that bleed nipple was there for a reason. However, I don't think many garages even bother opening both nipples on the caliper for a flush. They almost definitely wouldn't bother pushing the pads back. So for a brake fluid flush probably no different. The reason I think they don't open both caliper nipples is that I've been told Mercedes don't even remove the wheels for a brake fluid change (so they can't get to the outer nipple...). And if that's what BMW have been doing then when a technician actually did it properly those nipples hadn't been touched for years - which is what the picture looks like to me (a hardly touched nut). If you leave the broken nipples in at least put some silicone in the holes. Otherwise they will fill up with water/saltwater and really corrode in.
Looking at Pro Calipers again, that is the address I sent my caliper to. A very big and expensive Brembo 6 pot and they did a superb job.
If the car has a full BMW history its got to be worth asking for some goodwill from BMW Customer Services before getting any work done ! Especially as its a common issue. Try getting it escalated to the "executive complaints team" or whatever they are called, as they seem more interested / ready to come up with a solution than the standard customer service call centre staff I fear however any complaint will be met with the standard response "dealerships are not owned by BMW and we have no control over how they operate"
This dealership went downhill after Lookers took it over. My old F11 came from there when my father bought new - was still Blue Bell then. Won't send my car there now. Halliwell Jones Wilmslow also happen to be closer or a trusted independent in Bredbury Stockport
I've purchased a new motorcycle from Blue Bell in the late 1990's when they were privately owned. They ere excellent and gave me the best discount deal. They were also superb for resolving any issues. You felt that they were working on your behalf, rather than BMW's. It was always an enjoyable experience calling into the Motorrad section for a coffee and a chat. Oh how things have changed.
Surely it would be cheaper to buy a second hand one off eBay although it was in the garage already things like this make me p**s
I've looked at second hand ones on Ebay and they look rough, compared to mine which are in great condition (apart from two broken bleed nipples ). There's no urgency as the brake fluid has been changed and brake function is still good. I have made an official complaint to BMW UK, so will see what happens.
