Oh well…another ‘coz it’s not being used’ problem

[X5Sport]

Going into work this morning and got the dreaded steering shimmy again. Hope it was a wheel weight missing but as it was coming and going I feared brake callipers once more.

Pulled up the the office gate and upon opening the window was greeted by ‘Eau de cooking brakes’. Checking each wheel and sure enough the front left wheel was much warmer than the others so it seems the sticky calliper syndrome has struck once more.

These single piston callipers really don’t like not being exercised. I had to change the offside one just before lockdown so I guess ut was a matter of time before the other one joined in.

Indy will change it as soon as he has space in the workshop. Given he only wants to charge £60 plus the part (£110) I’m not going to mess about diy. I’ll get him to change the brake fluid as well given it’s due in a few months anyway.

So I guess the moral of this story is exercise the car more often, especially in wet months.

[Leslie]

They stick even when used I found, it's not the pistons either as when removed they were mint and appear to have some sort of Teflon coating so I coming to the conclusion the seal dries out so I put red rubber grease behind the dust boot on one of the ones I changed.

[StuBeeDoo]

They stick even when used I found,

Same here. I've not, yet, had to replace calipers on the X3, but both the E30 and E46 had replacements - and they were used daily, each averaging over 12k/year.