How should new brake pads act?

[bmwekim]

Hi, I have a 95 325is and had the brakes done due to wear. I had Centric Posiquiet ceramic pads installed front and rear with new rear Centric C Tek rotors. The brake fluid was changed. Now, when I want to stop quickly the brakes do not grab with normal pressure on the pedal. I have to push hard and they still do not stop the car quickly. Before the new brakes everything worked fine. The brake mechanic says this is normal but it is definitely unsafe. Can anyone throw some light on this? bmwekim

[Bobkitten]

Normal??? Dude.... are u by chance sleeping with your mechanic's wife?.... if so u should either cease and desist ... or get another mechanic. Those Ceramics are ugrades so you should be stopping on a dime now wid regular driving. They maybe installed improperly or the line has not been bled.... either way get yourself to another shop..... unless u comfortable stopping your car flinstone style.

[savage217]

Yea theres no reason this should be happening did he forget to bleed them? I would go back and tell him that is not normal. Breaks are suppoed to stop not eventually stop.

[bimmere46]

Yeh, these should act the same as they did prior to the new pads. Something isn't right.

[krafty]

incorrect. When driving with a new set of brake pads and rotors, there is a break-in period where the braking performance will be significantly decreased. This is because the new pads and rotors must be worn down a little so they can mesh exactly. this usually takes a week or two to do with normal driving. in this period you want to avoid hard stopping as well as really getting on teh brakes for extended periods of time (like going to the track) you don't want to heat everything up too much or else it can make uneven wear, which is not good. your best bet is to drive conservatively for the next couple weeks, slow down sooner at stop signs and lights, and take it easy. in a short period of time everything will be at 100% and you'll be loving your new brakes.

[bmwekim]

Thanks for the input! I am not comfortable with such an extended period of break-in, especially since my two daughters use the car. I did not feel right about it and couldn't persuade the techanic so the master tech at another location tried it out and agreed with me. They installed 'pbr' brand Deluxe Plus Organic performance brake pads. So far so good. They are a "long life, heat resistant pad with minimal squeal and dust for frequent stop and go and aggressive braking." We'll see. I emailed the manufacturer of the 'posiquiet' ceramic pad to see if the pads should have been paired with the posiquiet rotors.

bmwekim

[Pirate_copy]

Although krafty is right, and new pads need to be 'bedded' in, they should still stop you with minimal problems but will not be as good as then they are all bedded in and matched to the rotor (disc).

It sounds to me like the mechanic neglected to tell you about this period and should have told you to be a light as possible on the stop pedal for a few days. if you were to have braked hard after putting them on, you could have glazed the face of the pad and so the friction is greatly reduced. i did it once on my 318i and it was so bad i replaced the pads the same day....

Although posiquiet may come back and say they should be matched to their discs, that is only for optimal braking and i doubt you would feel a massive difference between them and another makers discs (as long as they are the same type that is eg vented/drilled......)