Since buying my 2012 XJ SC in October, I have been AMAZED how soon after a car wash this gorgeous bright car looks as if it has been through a war as a result of brake dust. I have been counting the days until I needed to do the front brakes so I can install Ceramics and be proud of my ride again. Finally, the "brake pad" light has come on. In looking for brakes, there is so much misinformation about what fits and what doesn't fit this car. Half of the web sites show the same rotors and pads for this car as a base model car, which is incorrect. Most of the rest show that nothing they carry fits. For Ceramic pads, it looks like EBC or TRW. A look at Amazon or ebay show lots of options, too, but most of those are incorrect. Found a great video on Youtube showing the change on a 2010 XF-S, which appears to be similar. We'll find out this weekend!

 

Enosgl, from the discussions here, Jaguar does not recommend installation of ceramic pads on to a SC XJ. I do not know the exact reason, but I would have to guess it is due to the ability of the ceramics to hold the car still when they are cold assuming worst case conditions (ie, motor at a high RPM while the driver needs the car to remain still). Are there ceramic options out there? Yes. But, read the fine print. May be surprised as to what it says.

 

Thanks, Thermo, for the thoughts. Perhaps it has something to do with the higher speed capabilities of the SC car? SC motor too powerful to hold against the ceramics? The rotors have a deep ridge around the perimeters, so need to be changed anyways. I'll be cautious with the ceramics, to see how they are, and if they seem to perform inadequately, semi metallic options abound.

 

There are a few things this car does that I wish it did not. One is that it folds the mirrors in whenever you lock the car. Given sometimes there tends to be ice around them in Chicago winters, it seems to me a better option to disable that feature in the winter, to prevent them from breaking. Can this feature be disabled? The other default that I would like to turn off is that the heated windscreen and rear are ON by default at startup. Are they able to be set to default to "off"?

Thanks!

 

I would like to know if we can do this.

 

They're only on by default at start-up when the outside temp is at or below a certain temp (5 degrees Celsius in Canada).

 

Thanks!

 

Chris, I know that this is an XJ discussion, but just for grins, I'll throw my experience into the mix. I, too, was annoyed with the brake dust generated by the OE pads on our '09 XF (our previously owned, '12 XJ-L didn't create any significant dust). When replacing the pads/rotors on the XF, two years ago, I tried Powerstop ceramic pads. The XF is driven "year round", meaning cold winters, as well as hot summers, and I'm quite pleased with the brake's performance.


Having said that, I have no idea if they offer a pad for the XJs.......

 

leadfoot4, the problem isn't so much if you are driving and doing periodic stops. There is some amount of heat in the brakes still. The problem comes if you live in a cooler climate, if you were to start the car, let it idle up to temp and then do say a "burnout", the brakes may not hold the car still. Kinda like the fear is if you start the car and say the throttlebody fails and it goes to wide open, in colder weather, the brakes may not be able to keep the car from moving excessively, resulting in a crash (followed by a lawyer suing Jaguar because of their "unsafe" car). If the owner makes that decision, I will respect that. They know what they are potentially doing to their cars. It then becomes their responsibility. Do I really see a car doing what I mention above. No. But will people attempt to blame it on that even though it might be their fat foot that resulted in the incident? Hence why you will find that all brake pedals sit a little bit out in front of the gas pedal. That way, even if your foot is not centered on the brake, it won't allow you to press on the brake and the gas at the same time without major effort and twisting of the foot.

 

Powerstop makes no pads for the SC XJ. The TWO that I have found are TRW and EBC. I have a set of the TRWs waiting to be installed (I am awaiting the hardened Centric rotors) and will do them later this week. First impressions of the quality, though, are pretty high. I am supposing the OEM rotors are "soft" and based on the approx. 1mm ridge around the perimeter, should be replaced with each pad change. Rudimentary measure with a caliper tells me these are ready for the scrap heap. Thermo, I understand that this setup may not be the best for "protecting people from themselves". I hope that this setup feels good, lasts well, and keeps the wheels at least REASONABLY presentable. I'll let you know after I get them on and bedded in.

 

In my experience the rotors have always lasted through 2 sets of pads.

 

XJSS, good to hear. Have you used OEM replacements? If not, what composition do you use? The pads I removed are OEM labeled, and I assume the rotors are as well, given they are worn past the 34mm min. What sort of life do you get on your front/rear pads/rotors? Maybe in 40k miles, the original owner had the pads done, and the rotors are original. It is always nice when you've done it yourself, and you know what has been done and why.

 

I use OEM parts (pads, rotors, and sensors). While they are dusty the braking is excellent. Fronts tend to last @35k and rears @30k (rears wear faster as the traction system tends to "drag" the rear brakes when turning) for me.

 

Interesting. The car was a CPO and had the rears done recently, but I wonder if the fronts ever were. We'll see how these hold up and perform.

Thanks for the info!

 

I beleive, CPOs have to have more than 60% brake life left in order to qualify.

 

Maybe I should have taken it back to the dealer, then. Definitely a CPO car (verified with Jaguar NA), and after 3,000 or so miles, these are toast! Then again, It is nice doing things yourself, and knowing they are done right. Not sure if brakes would have been covered or not, but it DOES call into question the thoroughness of the CPO inspection. Maybe they really DIDn'T do a fresh oil change. There is NO WAY these lug nuts have been off this car in the near term past.

Thanks again for the input!

 

Enosgi, CPO Authorization is given and charged for when ALL requirements are fulfilled. If you need new brakes now, go to a local dealer and have them replaced for free and they will charge back the issuing dealer as they signed off on the CPO Authorization that all was in compliance.I've attached the CPO broshure and note the minimum brake pad thickness is 6mm and rotors have to have 50% or less ware. Also, you can call Jaguar NA and tell them you would like your local dealer to do a CPO reinspection. Jaguar NA charges a dealer for CPO certification and the dealer is required to sign off that the car is in compliance. So, IMHO, don't let it go hold them to their commitment as you paid extra for CPO.

 

Does anyone happen to have part numbers or specs (in mm) for both the pads and rotors needed for an X351 XJ Supercharged. Looking at a lot of parts websites results in some very nervous parts ordering. There seems to be some unknown with this vehicle is moving away from OEM pads/rotors.


Anyone happen to know if the addition of the sport and speed pack on a 2015 happens to change the needed parts from the non "sport pack" XJ Supercharged?

 

LantanaTXSuperXJ, the catalogs show it is the same as mine (2012 XJ SC), in which case it is 380mm dia., 35.8mm new thickness, and 34mm MINIMUM thickness. You do have to watch it, as several sources show these cars using the same smaller rotor (355mm) and single pot calipers as the base, which is not the case. If you go to Centricparts.com, you can search for parts for your specific vehicle, and they show great diagrams with dimensions and drawings. Then at you'll know what you are looking for, whether OEM or Aftermarket.

 

XJsss, thanks for the great informations. I wish I was not so fast to fix things, but the warning light was on, and I doubted the brakes would be covered. Thanks for the list, as I received nothing like it when I bought the car last fall. Really makes me worry how many OTHER things on the CPO list they blew off. Maybe time for a letter to Jaguar NA. Pictures of the pads are attached. I think you'll agree it is doubtful these wore from 60% to this in 4,000 miles. Thanks again!