Hello all, I just got this X from my dad and plan on doing the work on it myself. I dont have any tools yet but will start now. My first plan is to change the rear rotors and pads. I have also noticed that when driving at highway speeds if I have the throttle steady the cars feels like it is jerky. Almost like im dragging something. My guess would be the e- brake or something with the brakes or the engine. Any input would be great. Thank you.

 

Quinn, I am betting you have a rear caliper that is hanging up. My car seems to have a caliper a year to freeze on me as it relates to the e-brake. I bet if you pay attention to the car, the first half of the pull on the e-brake is really easy, then you will feel it "catch" and then get a little more difficult as the brake engages. This is a classic sign of the e-brake freezing on one of the rear calipers. If you pull the rear wheels off, you can look at the e-brake lever (will be on the back side of the caliper with a braided steel cable going to the end of the lever) and you will notice that at the end opposite the braided cable, there will be 2 bolts there. When the e-brake is not engaged, the lever should be up against one of the bolts. If it is not, then that caliper is sticking, leading to your problem.

Now, you are probably asking about the fix. The fix is two fold and it can be very cheap or can be more expensive. Don't fret. The expensive fix costs about $120 and getting a rebuilt caliper. You can find them around at car parts places that specialize in german/European vehicles. You can also look on e-bay for a caliper too. Replacing the caliper is pretty straight forward and if you can swap out brakes, you can probably swap out a caliper. Do not forget to bleed the brakes when you are done.

The cheap fix will literally cost you nothing the second and additional times. The first time, you will need to spend about $20 to obtain a 14mm pentasocket and possibly some other common hand tools. When I say pentasocket, it is just as the name implies, a 5 sided socket. Not the normal 6 sided that you are used to. This is mandatory as this holds a pin in place that pretty much holds the majority of the caliper together. I have a write up here that if you want to read into it more to learn, you can. It takes about an hour or so to dismantle the caliper, clean up the stubborn surfaces, re-lube the vital parts, then put the caliper back together. You may find having a $12 rebuild kit for a caliper (can be had on e-bay for that price) is nice to have around if you accidentally damage one of the seals.

If you need any assistance, let me know. As you can probably guess, I have tinkered with the brake system a little bit. If you are replacing rotors, you can get some decent slotted/cross drilled rotors with pads for fairly cheap ($200 for 4 rotors and 2 sets of pads). A few of us on the Forums have gone this way and I am running on 3 years, 35K miles with the same rotors and pads.

 

Thanks for the information. I will check those that cable and look into the some pads and rotors. I will be looking under the car in a week hopefully when I get a jack. I will make sure to respond with any findings or questions that come up.

 

Sorry for the late response. I finally ordered the rear pads and rotors and took it to a shop to have them put on. The slight hesitation had disappeared. It comes back seldom so I don't think it is the brakes. Also what we discovered is that there is splitting on one of the rear brake lines. I saw it when he took off the passenger rear tire. Is that a hard part to find? Do I have to take it to the dealer?

 

quinnjere, the line that is splitting, are you talking about the flexible line that ties into the caliper? If so, you do not have to go to the dealership, but you will have to work with your local auto parts store and have them order in the part that you need. I had to do this with my car when I had a tire come apart and it damaged the brake line.

As for your issue of the brakes binding, keep an eye on things. It may be that some dirt or whatnot got in the caliper and was causing a pad to not be able to release. So, it was being forced against the rotor, leading to the issue. new pads should be installed after cleaning the surfaces, which should correct the issue.

If you need anything more, let me know.

 

I wish it was that flexible line but it is one of the hard lines. Do i order that from the dealer or do i have to bend it myself. i know it is urgent to get this fixed

 

quinnjere, well, there is good news, there is bad news. How are you with a tubing bender? It could be an easy repair if you can make the right bends and you can get off fairly cheap as you can get a piece of tubing for fairly cheap. The problem is, if you have to start buying the tubing bender, the flare tool and anything else, you may be better off simply going to the dealership and getting the new brake line. Unfortunately, I don't think a local auto parts store is going to be able to help you out. You can ask, but don't be surprised when the guy starts laughing. Normally they will point you to the brake section and tell you to have fun bending some tubing.