I installed new front brake pads on my 2005 S-Type 3.0 this past weekend and simply wanted to remind our new owners/members how easy this job is. After jacking up the front end and pulling the wheels, you simply unclip the ABS sensor harness from the brake lines to allow some slack, remove the lower caliper bolt (12mm hex), then rotate the caliper assembly upwards using the upper caliper bolt as a pivot. The old pads will then be staring you in the face. Slide them out, use a C-clamp to retract the twin pistons, install the new pads with their appropriate end clips, and put everything back together in reverse order. Pump up the brake pedal until it is firm again, then take the car out for a spin to properly seat the new pads. Each side is literally a five-minute job once you have the front end up in the air and the wheels off....

I went with another set of Wagner ThermoQuiet semi-metallic pads ordered from rockauto.com for about $33 plus shipping. I got just under 56,000 miles out of my first set of these replacement pads and I was very happy with their stopping power and tomb-like silence. I have ThermoQuiet pads on all three of our vehicles now....

All in all a very easy job, even for someone who has never done a brake pads job before....

 

What's the overall mileage and the thickness of the front discs now?

 

The factory front rotors are pushing 87,000 miles. Haven't measured their thickness, but they do have a bit of life left in them....

 

Not saying otherwise - but if not measured how do you know?

 

I've been changing brake pads since the late 1970s. I can tell when a rotor is about to give up the ghost....

 

They look fine at the discard thickness so without measuring I wonder how you know. I'm struggling to see how anyone could!

 

Experience and audible grating sounds when the rotors are done (assuming the pads are still in good shape)....

 

It's also a good idea at each pad change to remove, inspect and lubricate the two pins that the caliper slides on. A seized pin will cause braking efficiency to drop tremendously and accelerate pad wear.

Takes five minutes.

 

Have to disagree here. Using sounds or visual cues will not reveal a rotor that is worn below it's minimum thickness

 

You're way below min thickness by then!!

 

Disagree all you want. I've never missed a worn-out rotor and I've been driving since 1969....

 

Your definition of worn out sounds to be rather thinner than the min spec.

 

I think this rotor is a touch under minimum spec! But by the looks it must have been doing its job when the picture was taken.

 

OMG, that's scary!!

 

Now that's what I call getting your money's worth out of a part....

 

GREAT Reminder.... while im pretty mechanically inclined its truly a job that a novice could easily learn to do, and the tool requirement is minimal... a floor jack from Napa is pretty handy to have and will save quite a bit of time... i did my rears this last spring... pads rotors the whole thing for $260 im pretty sure a shop would be up around $1000. on a side note... the pistons on my calipers screw back in and not push back in like on my 70 mustang when i was a kid....My buddy had a nice little set for doing just that....

 

Only the rears screw into the caliper I believe. Fronts push in correct? Just to clarify for any newbs that come across this thread.

 

Yes, except with Brembos where both just push in.

 

+1 on judging by experience.

Only got my micrometer last year.

 

Hi Jon,

I think you need to add a recommendation to replace the Jaguar supplied lugnuts with better quality ones that won't strip (assuming you were able to get them off to begin with). Other than that, good write-up.