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EnglishOperation, care and maintenance -> Disc brakes for your BMW 5 Series 1995-2003
Disc brakes
123n
Disc brakes furnish optimum decelera-
tion and braking control and greater
fade resistance under heavy use.
If engine braking should prove to be
inadequate, you should still avoid
Driving notes
While driving on wet roads or in heavy
rain, it is a effective to apply light pres-
sure to the brake pedal every few miles
extended, continuous braking. Instead
of maintaining low to moderate pres-
sure over an extended period of time,
you should decelerate the vehicle by
applying more substantial force on the
pedal (watch for following traffic).
Pause before repeating the brake appli-
cation. This staggered braking tech-
nique allows the brakes to cool in the
intervals between active braking
Infrequent driving, extended periods
when the vehicle is parked, and driving or kilometers. Watch traffic conditions
conditions in which brake applications
are less frequent all promote an
to ensure that this maneuver does not
endanger other road users. The heat
increase in corrosion of the brake disks which is generated by the brake appli-
and contamination of the brake pads. cations helps to dry the brake disks and
This occurs because the minimal appli- pads.
cation force that is required to clean the
Maximum braking force is obtained
disks is not reached between the pads
and disks.
while the wheels continue to rotate,
peaking when the wheels remain on the
If the brake disks are corroded, they will verge of locking without actually doing
phases. This prevents overheating and
ensures that full braking capacity
remains available at all times.
tend to respond to braking with a
pulsating effect which even extended
application cannot correct.
so. ABS maintains this state automati-
cally. If the ABS fails, you should revert
to the staggered braking technique
described on page 126).
Do not coast with the clutch
depressed, with the shift lever in
neutral or with the engine shut off. The
engine does not provide any braking
effect with the transmission in neutral or
with the engine shut off.
For your own safety: use only
brake linings that BMW has
Extended or steep mountain descents
should be driven in the gear in which
only minimal periodic brake applica-
tions is required. This avoids excessive
strain on the brakes and possible
impairment of the braking effect.
released for your particular vehicle
model. BMW cannot evaluate non-
approved brake pads to determine if
they are suited for use, and therefore
cannot ensure the operating safety of
the vehicle if they are installed.<
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any
other objects to protrude into the area
around the accelerator, clutch and
brake pedals and obstruct their move-
ment.<
The engine's braking effectiveness can
be increased even more by progres-
sively shifting down – clear into first
gear, if necessary.
124nDisc brakes
Brake system
Dynamic Brake Control (DBC)*
Brake fluid level
Brake linings
If you apply the brakes rapidly, this
system automatically generates
maximum braking force boost and thus
helps to achieve the shortest possible
braking distance in "panic braking"
situations. All of the benefits of the ABS
system are exploited under these
circumstances.
The warning lamp for the The message "CHECK BRAKE
brake's hydraulic system comes LININGS" appears in the Check
on or the message "CHECK
BRAKE FLUID" appears in the
Check Control:
Control:
The brake pads have reached their
minimum pad thickness. Proceed to
the nearest BMW center as soon as
possible to have the pads replaced.
The brake fluid level is too low in
the reservoir (refer to page 142).
If the brake fluid level is too low and
brake pedal travel has become notice-
ably longer, there may be a defect in
one of the brake system's hydraulic
circuits.
Do not reduce the pressure on the
brake pedal for the duration of the
brake application. When the brake
pedal is released, the DBC is deacti-
vated.
For your own safety: use only
brake linings that BMW has
released for your particular vehicle
model. BMW cannot evaluate non-
approved brake pads to determine if
they are suited for use, and therefore
cannot ensure the operating safety of
Proceed to the nearest BMW
center. Higher brake application
In the event of a malfunction,
the yellow warning lamp comes
on. Conventional braking effi-
ciency is available without
pressure may be necessary under these the vehicle if they are installed.<
conditions, and brake pedal travel may
be significantly longer. Please
limitations. Have the system
checked and repaired at your
BMW center as soon as possible.
remember to adapt your driving style
accordingly.<
The warning lamp also comes on when
the message "CHECK BRAKE
LININGS" is displayed in the Check
Control.
Refer to the "Information for your
safety" covering the ABS system
on page 122. This information also
generally applies to DBC.<
