BMW 3 Series Brake Pads: Specs, Fitment & Wear Symptoms
On the 3 Series, once the wear sensor's first internal wear event triggers, it genuinely cannot be reused, even if it still looks intact — plus a useful fix for failed resets caused simply by the handbrake not being fully released.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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A Part Everyone Owns but Few Understand
Almost every BMW 3 Series driver knows brake pads wear out eventually. Fewer know what the early warning signs actually sound and feel like, which is exactly why so many pads get replaced only after they've already started damaging the disc underneath.
OEM Part Number: 34106888777 (genuine front pad set — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket front pads Brembo P 06 070 / Bosch 0 986 494 689
| Front brake pads (aftermarket) | Brembo P 06 070 (156 x 62 x 18 mm, wear sensor prepared, ATE/Teves/Continental system, WVA 25506/25507); Brembo P 06 099 (126 x 95 x 20 mm, wear sensor prepared, Brembo system, WVA 22425); Brembo P 06 106 (125 x 117 x 20 mm, wear sensor prepared, Brembo system, WVA 22392); Bosch 0 986 494 689 (155.7-156.8 x 61.8 x 18.2 mm, wear sensor not stated, WVA 25506); Bosch 0 986 494 940 (128.5 x 70.8-76.1 x 18.35 mm, wear sensor not stated, WVA 25617); ATE 13.0460-3866.2 (155.7-156.7 x 61.6 x 18.2 mm, wear sensor prepared and not included, Bosch system); ATE 13.0470-2601.2 ceramic (129 x 70.1-75.1 x 18.5 mm, wear sensor prepared and not included, TRW/Lucas/Girling system); Textar 2561701 (129.2 x 70.1-74.6 x 18.6 mm, wear sensor prepared, TRW/Lucas/Girling system, WVA 25617) |
|---|---|
| Pad sizes & variants | Four sizes. 156 x 62 x 18 mm (base brakes, ATE/Teves system; Brembo P 06 070, Bosch 0 986 494 689, ATE 13.0460-3866.2, Ridex 402B0745), 129 x 70-75 x 18 mm (TRW/Lucas/Girling system; Bosch 0 986 494 940, Textar 2561701, ATE 13.0470-2601.2), 125-126 x 94-95 x 20 mm and 125 x 117 x 20 mm (Brembo-system calipers; Brembo P 06 099, P 06 106, ATE 13.0460-4897.2) and 219 x 85 x 18.8 mm (Bosch 0 986 424 849, WVA 25900, M3/M340 size). |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | 34106888777 (genuine front pad set number previously quoted for this model — confirm via VIN) |
| Fitment notes | The Brembo-system pads and the 219 mm Bosch pad go with the larger brakes; Valeo 302269 is the only set with an integrated sensor; the others are only prepared for one. No Ferodo, Pagid, Mintex or Delphi front sets are listed, and TRW appears only as a system label. |
The M Sport brake package, a common option across G20 trims, uses genuinely larger, higher-performance brake hardware than the standard setup — check whether your specific car has the "S2NHA" M Sport Brake or "S3M2A" Red M Sport Brake option codes (visible on your build sheet) before ordering, since fitting standard pads to M Sport brakes, or vice versa, is a straightforward but easy mistake to make.
BMW 3 Series Brake Pads: Watch: Replacing It
G20 pads and rotors, front
BMW 3 Series Brake Pads: What They Do
On the BMW 3 Series, brake pads clamp against the discs to convert the car's momentum into heat, slowing it down. They're a deliberately wearing part — designed to sacrifice themselves gradually rather than let the far more expensive disc take the damage.
Common Sizes
| Standard trims (front) | Varies by engine — confirm via VIN |
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A Genuinely Important, Technical Finding Worth Knowing — BMW 3 Series Brake Pads
If a brake pad wear warning won't clear despite fitting new pads, this is genuinely worth knowing: the wear sensor works through three internal electrical stages, moving from a fresh state through a first wear event, triggering a yellow warning, and finally to a fully open circuit, triggering a red warning. Once that first wear event has genuinely occurred, the sensor cannot be reused or reset again, even if it still looks physically intact and undamaged.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that aftermarket and budget sensors, particularly cheaper ones bought online, have been documented as genuinely hit and miss when it comes to resetting properly — worth sticking with a genuine sensor specifically for this reason.
BMW 3 Series Brake Pads: Wear Symptoms, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Brake Pads Guide for warning signs to watch for, confirming fitment against your VIN, and R90-certified aftermarket brands worth trusting.
More BMW Brake Pads
The same part, covered across other BMW models.