Brake booster

In vacuum powered (traditional) brake boosters, the diaphragms are prone to failure—which leads to a loss of braking assistance. This usually presents as a very hard brake pedal.

As of us writing this information (January 2024) electric boosters have not begin to fail yet. However the construction seems to based off DSC pumps—so we wouldn’t be surprised if similar issues arise in a few years.

The brake booster is located between the brake pedal and the master cylinder. When the brake pedal is pressed, the booster uses engine vacuum (in traditional systems) or an electric pump (in more modern systems) to increase the force applied to the master cylinder—meaning less force is required from the drivers foot to apply the brake pedal.

There can be multiple, non-exchangeable types of brake booster within any given model generation—which is usually to account for different engines.

The best way to confirm fitment compatibility of a brake booster is to match the BMW part numbers from the catalogue. This can be done by decoding your vehicle’s VIN in a BMW EPC (electronic part catalogue.)

If you don’t have access to an EPC, provide our team with your vehicle’s 17-digit VIN—and we’ll check our stock for a compatible match.

There is a high-amount of interchangeability between vehicle with similar platforms.