At least that's what my dealership tells me, and that it'll be $578 to replace them, that seems awful quick for brakes to go. Also, They said that the "grinding" noise I described to them was the cause--that wasn't the noise I said my car was making, when I apply the brakes it sounds like a cable being tensioned, but up front, not at the rear. So, I really don't feel like paying my dealership $600 to do the brakes when could do it myself, anyone have any advice?

 

You should do it yourself if you are able. There is a very good 'how to' description here on the forum with step by step instructions for the XF. Several people here have done it.

 

Thanks, I did take a look at that thread, it doesn't look too difficult. I called them back and they told me that all four of my wheels are bent, I have no idea how that's even possible, but they're bringing in a company to see if they can straighten them.

 

Actually, 19k miles for the rears is not unusual. I just replaced my rear pads with Akebono Euro ceramic ($60 at Rockauto) + $90 installation at an independent shop.

 

That's not bad compared to ~$600.

 

Definitely get your own pads and go to an indy shop. Did all four for less than two and got EBC Red pads To boot!

 

Yeah, I think that's the route I'll go. Quick question though, have any of you ever had the noise I am describing? The brake pedal feels firm and as I said, it sounds like a cable being tensioned. It just seems very strange to me; under normal braking everything feels normal until that last bit of travel.

 

You said that they told you that all four of your wheels are bent?
Wow, thats kind of hard to believe, but could be true, you ever notice feeling anything abnormal while driving?


Does your Jag have any kind of warranty left on it?

+1 on getting some better pads and pay an local trusty Indy shop.

 

Yes all four, it just seems too hard to believe. It had 19,306 miles on it when I dropped it off on Friday. I feel like they're going to say I'm low on headlight fluid next. I know the front right wheel is out of caliber but I didn't feel anything from the other wheels.

 

What wheels and what size have you got? Mine are the 20inch which don't leave much rubber for foregiveness... And the alloys seem to be made of butter. 2 or 3 of mine are apparently bent too - a couple on the inner edges. Doesn't seem noticable in driving (I can't feel anything unusual) and they seem to balance out ok when tyres are swapped, so I just ignore it. There have been photos on the forum in the past with people having very bent wheels from (apparently) little impact.

 

Mine are the 20" Hydras; I'm leasing the car and have it until next July, so if they say I have to replace the wheels now who's to say I wont again by the time it's due back? That just seems absolutely ridiculous to me, if that's the case I'll never get a Jag again, that is way above normal wear and tear.

 

I'd guess that most people with 20inch rims driving sometimes on poorer roads will have some bending - search around the forum, it seems to be very common. So I'd challenge them if they say you have to replace them. Straightening might be possible - but as you say you might want to wait until you're returning the car.

 

I just don't see all four being bent to the extent that they said they were. They had an independent company come in to look at them but I haven't heard back yet.

 

Hitting just one pothole, speed bump, or curb can do it, even seemingly minor bumps. The difference between the 19's and the 20's is night and day, if you can't completely avoid bumps you don't want the 20's. Blaming the automobile manufacturer for careless driving seems misplaced.

 

I've had 20" rims on for over a year now, approx 20,000 km or 12,500 miles, and the roads in Adelaide are crap, full of metal inspection/manhole covers that are up to 6" below the surrounding road surface. You can't see how low they are until it's too late, and then when you hit one it sends an almighty jolt through the car.
No rim damage at all so far.
Maybe the Coventry Whitley rims are made of sterner stuff than the OEM Jag rims?

 

Well, I called the dealership since they didn't call me, they said all four are bent and cannot be repaired, so now I have to find the time to go with an insurance agent to go look at the car. Fantastic.

 

I'd get a independent diagnosis for the problem and repair.

 

It's not that I don't trust all dealerships, but this one...

When I got the car back in 2013 it was late in the day and they gave me another XF to take home while they got mine all shined up, anyway, not 5 miles from the dealership as I'm about to get on the highway some idiot kid runs a red light and hits me going about 40mph. So, the car is a loss; I can't prove it but I almost think they're trying to take it out on me, but it wasn't my fault to begin with.

 

With regard to brakes, do our XF'S have wear sensor warnings. I have just over 20k miles and mine seem to be noisier than I recall.

 

Yep, one wear sensor on the left (driver side) front and one on the right (passenger side) rear. Not the old fashioned 'prong' on the pad backing which starts scraping the rotor and making a racket when that pad is worn, but an electrical wire which clips into a slot in the top of the brake pad and then triggers a warning message on the dash display. They can sometimes be problematic and easy to break when you go to install them, I put new brake pads on all round three weeks ago and managed to break the front one and the rear one would not clip in properly! No biggie, I just zip tied them up out of the way (they need to stay plugged in to prevent error messages), I as prefer to visually check my brake pads once a month or so rather than rely on any wear sensor warning.