So the indy doing front end work on my 99 XK says all 4 brake calipers are siezed and only wearing the pads on one side. I'm down to an 1/8" of pad and they want to replace all 4 calipers, rotors, and pads. I replaced all the pads and the front rotors about 15k miles ago and have 82K on the car. I asked if the calipers could be rebuilt and the mechanic didnt think so.

I have always had a buddy take the lead in brake repairs but am pretty comfortable with pads and rotors but have never done calipers. I understand it may just be the caliper pins siezed, I could ask my Indy mechanic to try to loosen them but why would they?

Autoparts warehouse and Rock have everything for about $650, but overnight shipping is $500!

I have read the threads on EBC reds, Akebonos and Hawk pads - I normally buy middle of the road stuff as I dont want junk and I am a pretty tame driver. I hate the brake dust.

I have had good experience with cheap rotors - especially in the last few years. Any experience with the remanufactured Cardone Calipers?

I suspect I either want cheap quick, or middle of the road next week and hold off on the brakes until I gather the parts.

I am leaning toward waiting a week and going back with EBC reds, cheap rotors, and Cardone Reman'd calipers but please talk me out of it any with experience!!

Really Appreciate the Help!

 

all 4..dont think i would trust that..1 maybe 2 if your very unlucky..4 no way

 

There's no way all four of your calipers are seized. I wouldn't trust that mechanic.

 

I find that hard to believe! Your calipers have one piston and the action of the caliper is controlled by that piston that allows the caliper to move on the guide pins. If the caliper piston was frozen on all four brakes you would have no brakes. If the piston moves but the caliper does not move then your slides are frozen. A good indication of this is that only one pad (inside) is worn. Now it could be that the piston is corroded and it is unable to be retracted back into the caliper. This is often the case when salt water is introduced to the outside of caliper or condensation developed in the brake fluid and caused damage (rust) inside the caliper. Many of the shops in my area pushing the brake flush to prevent that from taking place. I had one caliper replaced because the piston could not be retracted because of this. I hope this helps.

 

Mechanics are often afraid of brake repairs due to the potential liability involved. They also don't like comebacks. In their eyes, the car is 12 years old (and 69K miles); time takes its toll on brake parts. Many professionals always replace Jaguar rotors rather than turn them--thinking Jag owners can afford it.

I too believe in using good brands, however EBC, Akebono and Hawk pads can get especially pricey. I've found the prices, selection and service @ RockAuto.com to be tops. If you don't like disc dust, you might consider ceramic brakes.

My mechanic friends swear by Wagner pads due to virtually no comebacks. I caught them on sale @ Advance for my Jag with a large rebate by mail. Monroe has an especially great rebate right now--my recent Civic brake pads cost me $19 total after rebates. Most any major brand of pads are good.

I don't believe in buying junk rotors--like I used to have on my Taurus company cars. Decent rotors can cost a very few $ more than junk Chinese made rotors.

Jaguar XK's have ordinary, run of the mill brakes, and are actually very easy to change with minimal mechanical skill. I changed pads and turned the rotors @ 59K miles, as an auto machine shop said they still had sufficient metal for one turn. Too bad the electronic brake parts (ABS modules. sensors, etc.) don't work as well as the mechanical parts of their brakes.

Good luck to you.

 

The inner pad tends to wear more than the outer pad on floating calipers, so that is not a definitive clue.

To locate a seized caliper piston, take a drive, stop the car, feel the wheel at the hub face with your hands. The hot one is the bad caliper. If none are hot, none are seized ... or at least not seized closed.

A sticky caliper piston can sometimes be cured by working the piston in and out several times to free them up.

 

I think your mistrust is warranted.

If you only asked him to do front suspension repair, why did he do unauthorized work by testing your rear brakes? What was his motivation?

It seems to me that he should have pointed out the front brake suspicions, and asked if you wanted more investigation.

But, he is now in your front end as well, and has capacity to do damage. Personally, I would just quietly decline and find another mechanic.

 

I told the mechanic it would take a few days to get the parts so we should hold off on brakes for now. My buddy is pretty good with calipers and offered to take my car home one night and see if he could free them up. I did notice my drivers side front wheel was pretty hot at a fill up and then got distracted from further investigation. The brakes are working quite well, with minor feedback and a tiny squeal at the end of a gradual stop. Normally I would just spray some brake cleaner on them and wait for further feedback. I will pay a premium to buy American rotors - just not double. Any suggestions? Also - had my worst online purchase experience ever from PartsGeek. Ordered Jag parts OVERNIGHT and AFTER the transaction got an email from them that they couldnt ship to a non-billing address and I needed to send an email to their crack customer service who would reply in 24-48 hours(!). Scouring their website found an 800 number where all 3 extensions put you on hold then direct you to email customer service and hang up...

 

The heat on the wheel may or may not be a problem indicator so just hold off until you look deeper into the brake system. As for parts and prices jagforums.com has a few that you can call or you can go to my page, Forums and links I have several places you can call. As for the shipping, it seems several places are not shipping to an alternate location. I guess it is a security issue on your card.