135i brake pedal pulsating and judder.

ash6r · 11-13-2021, 04:45 PM

Hi, iv'e been having an issue with my braking system for a while and recently its gotten worse. Iv'e had pulsating brakes and shaking steering wheel when slowing down from any speed for a while but i was able to get that slightly fixed by replacing the wishbones, droplinks and the bushes. The shake/vibration in the steering wheel is completely gone but my brakes still pulsate quite a bit whenever i apply them. I sometimes get abs, tc and tpms lights come on for a minute then it goes off. Could there be something wrong with my abs module or is it something like warped rotors? Also sometimes when i let go off the gas pedal it seems to pull for a bit. Has anyone had any similar problems and know what could be wrong. The discs and pads haven't been chnaged since I got the car which was last year. At low speeds (<15mph) it seems like the brake pedal grabs the brakes then let goes and re grabs it. At higher speeds its just a constant pulsating/vibration i can feel in the brake pedal as well as the whole car seems to vibrate.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

///Makis · 11-13-2021, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ash6r

Hi, iv'e been having an issue with my braking system for a while and recently its gotten worse. Iv'e had pulsating brakes and shaking steering wheel when slowing down from any speed for a while but i was able to get that slightly fixed by replacing the wishbones, droplinks and the bushes. The shake/vibration in the steering wheel is completely gone but my brakes still pulsate quite a bit whenever i apply them. I sometimes get abs, tc and tpms lights come on for a minute then it goes off. Could there be something wrong with my abs module or is it something like warped rotors? Also sometimes when i let go off the gas pedal it seems to pull for a bit. Has anyone had any similar problems and know what could be wrong. The discs and pads haven't been chnaged since I got the car which was last year. At low speeds (<15mph) it seems like the brake pedal grabs the brakes then let goes and re grabs it. At higher speeds its just a constant pulsating/vibration i can feel in the brake pedal as well as the whole car seems to vibrate.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I think above 40 or 45 is when the abs starts working if you brake hard. If your steering wheel is only shaking when you apply the brakes, I would say there is something wrong with the braking system.

If there's a log book or vehicle history book in the glove box, check when the brakes were serviced. I think you should buy brake pads and rotors and have a bmw indy change them and change the brake fluid and make sure they bleed the abs. I think you need inpa or ista or some bmw dealer software to bleed the abs module. Foxwell scanner allegedly can but when I tried to do it, the buttons were grayed out and wasn't able to.

The reason I say make sure they do the abs module is if there's air in the system, I think a symptom is shaking steering wheel when braking.

iminhell1 · 11-15-2021, 01:14 AM

I would sure think the shop that did the suspension parts would have mentioned something. They where right there.

ash6r · 11-15-2021, 03:26 PM

In 2018 the rear brake pads were changed and in 2015 the front discs and pads were changed at a BMW approved garage. That was when it was at 68,201 miles. Now its at 117,700 miles. So i guess well over due. I also checked the front discs and they seem to have a lip. Also the left pad is more worn down compared to the right pad.

I also have INPA but never used it, just have it installed. Will i be able to do the brake bleed of ABS module myself or is it more involved. I've done brake work on VWs before. Is it a lot harder to do on BMWs myself?

Yh i also thought they would find the issue but i guess they were travelling at low speeds? At low speeds you dont really feel the pulsation as much unless its been driven around a bit.

I guess my plan now is to do all the brakes.

fotontom · 11-17-2021, 08:30 AM

I had the same problem. Looked it up on this forum and advice given was to re-perform a typical bedding-in process. Get on an unoccupied road, get the car up to speed, brake hard but not to a full stop. Repeat 4 times.

Well, it helped, but the steering judder soon returned.

I had some wheel work done at a good shop I know, recently. Asked them to check the brakes, gave them the symptoms. It simply needed new front pads and the rotors resurfaced.

No more judder! The shop told me there was only like 2-3 mm left on the pads. Strange, but the brake code lights never came on.

11-13-2021, 04:45 PM	#1
ash6r 2010 BMW E82 135i N54 6MT 8 Rep 41 Posts Drives: BMW E82 135i Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	135i brake pedal pulsating and judder. Hi, iv'e been having an issue with my braking system for a while and recently its gotten worse. Iv'e had pulsating brakes and shaking steering wheel when slowing down from any speed for a while but i was able to get that slightly fixed by replacing the wishbones, droplinks and the bushes. The shake/vibration in the steering wheel is completely gone but my brakes still pulsate quite a bit whenever i apply them. I sometimes get abs, tc and tpms lights come on for a minute then it goes off. Could there be something wrong with my abs module or is it something like warped rotors? Also sometimes when i let go off the gas pedal it seems to pull for a bit. Has anyone had any similar problems and know what could be wrong. The discs and pads haven't been chnaged since I got the car which was last year. At low speeds (<15mph) it seems like the brake pedal grabs the brakes then let goes and re grabs it. At higher speeds its just a constant pulsating/vibration i can feel in the brake pedal as well as the whole car seems to vibrate. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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11-15-2021, 01:14 AM	#3
iminhell1 C2H5OH 3930 Rep 2,146 Posts Drives: 2010 SG 135i auto Join Date: May 2015 Location: Darwin, MN iTrader: (1)	I would sure think the shop that did the suspension parts would have mentioned something. They where right there.
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11-15-2021, 03:26 PM	#4
ash6r 2010 BMW E82 135i N54 6MT 8 Rep 41 Posts Drives: BMW E82 135i Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	In 2018 the rear brake pads were changed and in 2015 the front discs and pads were changed at a BMW approved garage. That was when it was at 68,201 miles. Now its at 117,700 miles. So i guess well over due. I also checked the front discs and they seem to have a lip. Also the left pad is more worn down compared to the right pad. I also have INPA but never used it, just have it installed. Will i be able to do the brake bleed of ABS module myself or is it more involved. I've done brake work on VWs before. Is it a lot harder to do on BMWs myself? Yh i also thought they would find the issue but i guess they were travelling at low speeds? At low speeds you dont really feel the pulsation as much unless its been driven around a bit. I guess my plan now is to do all the brakes.
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11-17-2021, 08:30 AM	#5
fotontom Second Lieutenant 180 Rep 264 Posts Drives: BMW 128i E82 M-Sport, 528i F10 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	I had the same problem. Looked it up on this forum and advice given was to re-perform a typical bedding-in process. Get on an unoccupied road, get the car up to speed, brake hard but not to a full stop. Repeat 4 times. Well, it helped, but the steering judder soon returned. I had some wheel work done at a good shop I know, recently. Asked them to check the brakes, gave them the symptoms. It simply needed new front pads and the rotors resurfaced. No more judder! The shop told me there was only like 2-3 mm left on the pads. Strange, but the brake code lights never came on.
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