Just did my '97 328i. Breaking the switch did not work for me because I started to bend the bracket. Taking all the suggestions I:

1. Start the engine, push the brake pedal all the way in and wedge something against it. I used a scrap board and wedged it against the seat mount.
2. Use a flat blade screw driver to pop out the red sleeve a little bit.
3. Grab the red sleeve with a pair of needle nose pliers and pull the sleeve out as far as it will go.
4. Once the sleeve is all the way out you can squeeze the locking tabs and the switch pops right out.

Thanks for this post and all the comments ... it was a big help.

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This post was auto-generated based upon a question asked on our tech article page here: Pelican Technical Article: BMW Brake Switch Replacement

Thanks for additional information. I'm sure this will be helpful to someone inthe future.

- Nick