As the title reads I am wondering about a clip/spring that is installed with the brake pads. I am getting a nasty chatter at low speeds and was told by jag it is my brakes. They are aftermarket pads and who ever change then left off this mysterious clip/spring. They said that I have to by new pads as Jag doesn't sell it by itself. Can someone shed some light on this please. Any jag tech happen to have one laying around??

 

Byron, it sounds like you are talking about the spring clips that keep tension on the pads. If these are the ones you are talking about, then yes, you will need to get new pads. Those clips are not sold for any vehicle that I am aware of. I wish the news was better, but that is the short of the story.

Granted, I would look at the mechanic (if you can call him that) that did your last brake job and tell him what kind of moron he is. Sounds like someone that was in a rush and couldn't get the brakes to just "fall into place". I will admit that our Jag brake pads are a little more difficult to put into place that other manufacturers, but they are not that hard. He probably couldn't get them to slide in, saw the "blockage" and decided to remove the clip.

If you want more info, let me know.

 

Now the next question is where is the best place to buy new pads? Do I need to buy OEM pads or will aftermarket pads come with a new spring clip?

 

Byron, if you are looking for good quality replacement pads, look up EBC Redstuff pads. You may be able to buy them at your local autoparts store, you can definitely buy them online at the EBC store. I will admit that they are a bit on the pricy side, but the lack of dust, great stopping power makes them well worth the money.

You don't have to go OEM unless you are someone that believes the dealership is the only place to get parts. There's lots of options when it comes to pads. Just understand that you are getting what you are paying for.

 

So Ive called around to find some new pads and it seems all the pads locally do not come with any type of spring/clip. WIth the pads you suggested, will these come with the spring/clip?

 

Byron, I can garantee that the brake pads are coming with the clips that you are talking about. The clips are also the "squealers" that let you know when you are getting near the end of pad life. If the pads are not coming with that, then you don't want those pads. Take a look at the pads at the local parts store. I bet you will find that they are there.

If not, then maybe a picture to help explain what you are after. What I am envisioning and what you are talking about may be different things.

 

Hey thanks for the help so far. Not sure if we are talking about the same thing. This spring from what I have been told put pressure on the pads and without them you get a nasty rattle/chatter. Sound like what you are talking about? Jag cant seem to pull this part up in a diagram so I have no idea where this clip installs or anything.

 

Byron, the only spring that I have seen on an S-type brake system is a piece that runs from the backing plate, makes a 90 degree bend going away from the rotor, rises about 1/2" or so, makes a 180 degree bend and runs down along the side of the pad and goes to about 1/8" beyond the metal backing plate. There are no other springs. This metal piece pushes the pad sideways, not into the rotor. It is meant to keep some tension of the pad on the caliper supports, minimizing noise.

 

Man thanks a ton for all the help with this. So I found two clips for 25 shipped or I can just buy new pads. My pads have atleast 10k on them. I am leaning towards just buying new pads. The dealer said I still have plenty of meat left on them but I cant see me getting much more than 15-20k out of pads? How bad does the s type eat up brakes?

 

Byron, as long as you are easy on the pads, should get atleast 30K miles out of them. You like to drive sporty, probably only get 20K miles out of them. You do lots and lots of highway driving, getting 50K miles is easy. To many variables to really give a good guestimate.

The best way to get a good feel is to get a new set of pads and a micrometer. Then you can measure the pad thickness and then say every 2K miles, pull off the pads and remeasure them. After about 10K miles, you should be able to get a pretty good feel for how many miles you will get. Granted, periodic checks should still be done to verify nothing unusual is happening.