Brake work done in Raleigh?

[Milena]

Hi all,
I moved to Raleigh a few months ago and I understand that there is a dealership in Charlotte and in Winston-Salem. I have about 52,000 miles on my car and am now needing to replace my brakes. Is there a trusted place in Raleigh to get my brakes done, where the place has experience with Minis, or is it safer to go to the authorized dealer? I always went to my dealership in CT because it was close by, but I thought I would ask if anyone had advise about a good local place versus driving a couple of hours to a dealership here. If it was engine work, there would be no doubt to go to the dealer. Seeing as it is brake work, thought I would check your opinions.
Thanks!

[MidnightDave]

Dan at Grassroots Garage has done all my mods and maintenance outside of service work.

I had him set up my brakes for track days one time before a VIR event...He's the best!

http://www.grassrootsgarage.com/

[BlimeyCabrio]

I HIGHLY recommend Dan as well for your out-of-warranty service - it's a bit of a drive, but he'll work with you to accommodate your schedule, and he's nice and honest and experienced and professional and certified and friendly and entertaining... and *gasp* you can actually stand there and watch and ask questions while he works on your baby... instead of being locked away in some waiting room somewhere, hoping the tech knows what they're doing...

[Milena]

Excellent!
Thank you both so much for the information. I will give Dan at Grassroots a call. You are so right, I have anxiety attacks whenever Milena is at the garage and out of my sight with people under her bonnet. It is nice to hear that Dan respects our babies!!

[minianni]

Hey Twister is on his way to Dan's today to have brake work done. I'm tagging along for poops and grins.

[Milena]

Oh nice!
Let me know minianni if you like Dan as well. I am curious as to how much it will cost me to have my front brakes replaced. I am thinking about $500. Does that sound right?

[minianni]

Dan is a pro when it comes to Minis.(and BMW). He is BMW factory trained and was a tech at Flow Mini before opening his own shop. He does do work on our Mini that is not under the warrantee. He is straight up and honest. You won't find anyone better.

Give him a call @ 336-476-8551 and he can get you set up with what you need. It will be worth the trip.

mr.minianni

[TWISTER]

Installed Hawk pads today and they feel great! Hope the low dust is a reality.

[BlimeyCabrio]

Installed Hawk pads today and they feel great! Hope the low dust is a reality.

Did you to HP+ or Ceramic? Both are very good. And yes, low dust is reality. You'll be amazed.

[TWISTER]

I got these over a year ago and just now put the fronts on.
http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance/hps.php

[BlimeyCabrio]

I got these over a year ago and just now put the fronts on.
http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance/hps.php

Sorry - I meant HPS, not HP+ - good pads, I know several folks running them who love them. Never have REALLY been able to understand the difference in performance characteristics of the Ceramic and HPS pads - hawk's descriptions are a bit ambiguous... perhaps HPS has a little more bite and the ceramics have a little less dust - but they're pretty close...

[onefastmini]

I am curious as to how much it will cost me to have my front brakes replaced. I am thinking about $500. Does that sound right?

Milena, Welcome to NC. The front brakes won't cost more than $275, that includes OEM pads, new rotors and new sensor (if you need them). I keep these parts in stock and can get lower dusting pads on request (for a slight premium).
Cheers,
--Dan



Did you to HP+ or Ceramic? Both are very good. And yes, low dust is reality. You'll be amazed.

The HPS is what most of us would want from a street pad. The HP+ is for autocross and light track use (may be noisey and produce some dust), and I don't recommend the ceramics on an "S", they have a good initial bite, but fade quickly. I just put Carbotech ceramic "AX6's" on my own car for a track day at Summit Point, and they were incredible, but sqeal horribly with normal use (I can live with that:D)

--Dan

[BlimeyCabrio]

I don't recommend the ceramics on an "S", they have a good initial bite, but fade quickly.

Wow - I guess I need to try a pad that *doesn't* fade quickly, so I can tell the difference. :D

I'm the LAST guy you'd usually find disagreeing with Dan - so I'm baffled on this one. I've driven the Hawk Ceramics HARD for over 20,000 miles - including several Dragon runs - and have never felt what I consider to be fade... now, that said, I have not tracked the car yet, and MidnightDave and HotRodPilot might say that I don't really USE the brakes :rolleyes: ... so maybe my driving style has something to do with it. I'm thinking about going with HPS pads next time just to see what's different.

Related note... How "ridgy" should I expect the stock rotors to get? I have about 25,000 miles now - tons of pad material and rotor thickness left, but the rotor surface is DEFINITELY not *flat* anymore - Not even close if you run a finger across it... I've certainly seen this on all my other cars, just want to make sure this is also "normal" on the MINI...

[MINI Rog]

Paul, I've got 37,000 on my OEM rotors and pads and the rotors are smooth except for a very noticable shoulder. Pads are getting thin and will be replaced at the next inspection (I got the extended warranty so it should be relatively painless).

[onefastmini]

the ridge is normal (more so, for an oe pad) which will wear the rotor smooth. Ceramics are easier on the rotor, but wear it with the grooves that Blimey mentioned.
Paul, if you like the pads, and don't feel as if they are fading, I would not change them. I use a set of ceramics (Morse brakes) on my S-10 and have not noticed any fading, even when towing, and I have used them on several Coopers (non-S) with only one complaint from someone who drives hard, that they stop great during normal driving, but will fade when being aggressive.
With that being said, if you were to change to say, Carbotech (Bobcat for the street), this is a ceramic pad that will outperform the HPS, but it will cost you :) about $130 per set. There is a lot of technology that goes into modern friction materials and Hawk is a leader. Perhaps I was too harsh on their ceramics, but they do not match my personal requirements.
--Dan

[BlimeyCabrio]

Perhaps I was too harsh on their ceramics, but they do not match my personal requirements.
--Dan

Heh, heh - I get it... "Real men need more friction"... :rolleyes:

OK, I'm a wuss. Fine. :p

Nah, that makes sense - I tend to brake less and hold momentum more - no reason to build all that extra speed in the straights, if you're just gonna burn it off in the corners... at least that's my style. So I don't need brakes, really. heh heh

That said - I'm all about a set of Bobcats next time... just because... :cool:

[oznogonzo]

You guys use your brakes?!?

I never touch mine :cool:

muahaha funny ;)

ok I will stop now...

[onefastmini]

You guys use your brakes?!?

I never touch mine :cool:

muahaha funny ;)

ok I will stop now...
Funny you mention that... I took part in a conversation where Tony Nuzzo was asked about his brakes (Hawk HT-10, race pad on stock rotors/calipers), if they were any good? His reply, "You don't need brakes if you know how to drive the corners" HAHA.... Typical racer!:rolleyes: