As a new person to the forum I was just informed how to make a signature and all that stuff so I'm re-posting my question.

Does anyone know of any quality mechanics to do front brakes on a 2011 XKR in the Baltimore area?

Thanks!
Don

 

There is nothing special or mysterious about the brakes on these cars. Any junior mechanic should be able to remove the wheels, pads, measure the rotors and turn them if required, retract the brake cylinders, drop in new pads, and put the wheels back on. It usually takes me less time to just do the job myself than drive to a shop and back home again.

 

As I understand it you don't turn the rotors on these cars. You replace them every time. Also there is an electronic tool needed to put the brakes in "maintenance mode".

 

"Some People" say you need to put the Electronic Parking Brake into a maintenance mode, but that mode is merely "OFF". Only on the rears anyway. So basically, don't engage the E-Brake when you shut the car down and you're fine.
As for the rotors, as long as the thickness is within tolerance, a turning is all that is required. As long as there are no weird wear patterns or deep grooves, you may be able to use the originals for two brake jobs. No reason to remove a lot of material when they are turned if the surfaces are mostly flat. Break the glaze is all it's for.
These brakes are Nothing Special as far as maintenance is concerned. Nor for design or operation.

 

Unless the rotor surface is significantly damaged there is no reason to turn rotors. This bad habit is something we all got fooled into following doesn't seem to exit outside of N. America.

The only other criteria is observing the rotor minimum thickness.

 

Also for the rears, from what I was reading when you reset the caliper with the tool the eBrake won't know how far to release and you need to either reset it with through the electronics or pop the battery cable off. There's a link in my build thread to where I found that bit of info since it's missing from the X150 service manual.

You will need a tool to retract the rear caliper due to the eBrake pawl being in use. Autozone loaned me one for a $60 deposit. Not sure about the fronts.

 

The rotors don't 'need' to be turned IF the glaze is broken by some other means, like a pad grinder. The new pads NEED a non-glazed surface to bed into. A mere "Pad Slap" won't break this glaze and therefore the new pads won't properly break-in.

 

What is a pad grinder?

 

I think you mean rotary abrasive disk for the rotor surface and not the pad surface. That's more reasonable alternative and is what I use.

 

Pad slap worked for me at 30k miles. Now at 40k with no issues, except for the OEM brake pad dust. (Alcon brakes).

 

There is NO reason not to turn the rotors on these cars, IF they need it (warped) and are within spec after turning.

For the rear brakes you need to release them electronically. This can be done through the OBD interface with some of the more sophisticated readers.

 

Sorry, by Pad Grinder I meant a grinder with a relatively soft, although highly abrasive, material.... as in NOT a stone. Something like a flapwheel would work great, or what I use, a very firm Scotchbright-type of woven abrasive wheel.
NOT a Grinder-for-Brake-Pads.

 

Cee Jay how do you like the 3m line. I was seriously considering them, but put off by plastic.

 

I've never had a mount break off, and the abrasives are very consistent and durable. I over-use each pad probably, they get pretty frayed on the edges and still cut remarkably well. Course then I swap to a new one and then think "Man, I should have changed this 20 minutes ago."