Long brake pedal cause!

[dc_wright]

There have been a couple threads where people have experienced a long brake pedal after a brake pad change. Not the couple of pumps required after the pads are installed, but a continuous issue where the pedal travel is longer the first time the brake pedal is pushed.
I lost an anti-rattle clip on the front right caliper at the last track day, and bought a set of AutoZone replacements. I installed the clip to replace the missing one and immediately noticed increased pedal travel on the first depression. I removed the clip and the pedal travel issue went away. In looking closer at this issue, the horizontal portion of the clip in the center of the body was much thicker (wider) than on an OEM clip, and it was actually pressing against the back plate of the brake pad and causing some "knock back". (Knock back is where some issue pushes the pads further away from the rotor than the usual couple thousandths of an inch, and it causes increase pedal travel to close the gap.)
Photo shows the AutoZone clip on the bottom and a genuine BMW clip on the top. The AutoZone clip is manufactured by Dorman and looks to be what you get at AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, and O'Reily's.
Something to be aware of next pad change if you're not using OEM clips.

[StickMon]

I gave up on buying brake parts at AutoZone, etc. long ago after having multiple similar experiences.
Duralast pads that were too thick, clips that almost but didn't quite fit, etc.
Stick to OEM or good brands like Akebono.
The only thing I would trust from Dorman would maybe be a plastic push-rivet.

[Over it]

Nice catch