I got quoted $1500 by the dealer to change the pads and rotors on my R. Would the rotors need to be changed at 34k miles too? I'm thinking I'll go to an independent shop for a cheaper rate.

 

Often, dealers and repair shops will replace rotors EVERY time. What they SHOULD do is measure the thickness and leave them if more than the minimum. But, THAT'S WORK.

Other posts in the past here, indicate that rotors will easily last until the second pad replacement.

For routine services like brakes, an indie shop is going to be cheaper...and you would be able to choose a brand of pad that generates less dust. Porterfield R4S (street pads) have a following.
But ask the shop if they know how to put the power rear parking brakes in Maintenance Mode, so that they won't force anything. A SEARCH will find the steps.

 

rear brakes are easy once you do the hoky-poky to get the electric parking brake released and into service mode. Parts, with new rotors, can be had for less than $200 for a non-track car. If you have ever done a brake job on another car, the jag is very similar. It is actually easier as you do not have to spin the back caliper piston inward once the electric parking brake is in service mode. The referenced hoky-poky is very easy to do and quite shocking when it works.

 

This document has instructions for putting the EPB in maintenance mode…
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uajlxghl1a...brake.pdf?dl=0

When I took my XE to a local independent, he wouldn’t do the rear pads without rotors, as he said when he tried that previously, he couldn’t find any way to make them not squeak/squeal.

 

I always tell my wife:

"If the brakes are squealing they are working."



You usually need to sand the rotor surfaces a little to bed the new pads in. Also, either a little brake grease on the back of the new pads, or in extreme cases some CRC Disc Brake Quiet will quiet them down.