Had the car in to the dealer today for oil change, warning light fix, and battery replacement. They also recommended brake fluid flush/replace at about $200 and rear brake pad replacement since they are at 3mm (parts $350 labor $160).

$350 seems steep for pads but the dealer said it was because these were Brembo.

I declined the brake servicing for now but was just wondering what others have done--bite the bullet and go with Brembo pads from the dealer or ?

Thanks,

Doug

 

I can`t say about the pads, but I had my brake fluid flushed and replaced at the dealer in Columbia SC for $139 last year.

 

Parts are a "profit center" for dealers, and Brembos are more expensive, but for just pads that is pretty steep. Your other options are to select a different brand, buy the parts on line and DIY, or find a reputable independent shop near by that will put the brand you want on.

My local Jag dealer recently offered to replace both rear shocks for $1140 (no thanks), so I went to a local indy shop and got it done for half the price.

 

Doug, I have the brake fluid in my 2005 XKR changed out every two years and about two months agao it cost me $90. As regards the brake pads, I would pass on the Brembos. I replaced the Brembo pads with Hawk high performance street pads and they have been excellent...very low light colored dust, no noise and very good stopping performance. And, the Hawk pads were much less expensive. When I changed out the pads and rotors I had the callipers thoroughly cleaned and was careful to breakin the new parts before spirited driving. That was about 10,000 miles ago and all is well.

Hope this info will be helpful.

Tim

 

Thanks for the info. I am sure the dealer (if I go that route) will only want to use the Jaguar (Brembo) pads. There are several independent shops within a few miles of me and I might check with them to see what they suggest.


Doug

 

You can pick up a full set of pads for about $150 from what I saw when I bought my ceramic Akebonos (which are street pads, little less bite, but zero dust and zero squeaks).

Parts are a large source of markups for dealers and local shops alike, so I usually get my parts online and do it myself, or find a shop that will use my parts.

You could also just do it yourself, once you take the wheels off its maybe 10 minutes per caliper to change the pads.

 

I have always heard of how easy it was to replace brake pads but this is just one of those things that I never tried on my own. I guess in the past the price was just reasonable enough that I felt it was worth having it done by the mechanic.

Doug

 

How does one go about sending a private e-mail on this forum?

 

In a post by the person your want to send the PM to, click his/her name and a menu drops down. Pick send PM.

 

I agree with Tim on this one Doug. I went with the Hawk brake pads and installed them myself...and I'm an idiot!! Not a hard job in the slightest. Probably the hardest part was getting the wheel off!! (always use copper based grease between the wheel and the hub)

Danny

 

Question: I had the brake pads replace and rotors replaced on my XK8 (non-R).

Learned two things: 1. There were no low brake pad sensors, so you need to measure the pad wear periodically. 2. The rotors could not be resurfaced, because the metal was already worn below spec.

Hopefully these rotors will last, so next time I can just change the pads.

 

I would give it a shot once and see. Worse case, you get your hands dirty and can decide to go back to having the mechanic do it. Personally, before I did my pads I felt like its one of those things maybe better left to the mechanic, but once I did change the pads myself I realized how there's really not any room for error - once you have the caliper open (one or two bolts) you kind of notice the pads just either go in or don't, super easy. Then I just shook my head at not trying it earlier and saving all those labor costs . And besides, it's not even the few hundred in labor I save each time, as much as the fact I kind of enjoy working on the car.

 

I have had Hawk HPS pads installed for over 40K miles now and they still have a lot of life left and @ 60% less cost. Note: there is a lot less dust and better stopping power but they do have to warm up a bit before they really start to bite.

 

Thanks for the replies. So it looks like Hawk pads are the ones to consider. Are these typically available in auto parts stores or easier to get on the web? And also, any problems with mixing manufacturers (Hawk pads with existing Brembo rotors)?

Doug

 

I put Hawk ceramics on my XKR. Got 'em from Tire Rack and they were a lot less then the Brembos. You can do the work yourself if you have a Jack...especially if you just replace the pads. Maybe take you an hour the first time you do it.

 

Any DIY's on how to do this or is it mainly intuitive and obvious?

Doug

 

I would just google "brembo pad change" or similar. It's pretty intuitive. Quick search resulted in this link, which should give you a quick idea of the work involved.

http://g35driver.com/forums/brakes-s...embo-pads.html

And for your earlier question, for most applications, having a different brands of rotors and pads is fine, you'd just want to make sure you are consistent per axle (ie, right is not different then left, and same performance type pads in front and rear (ie: not ceramics in front, and race carbon pads in rear) ).

 

I've been told that you can't resurface / "turn" the rotors because of the way they are made; the hard base rotor is coated with a softer metal for increased pad bite. if you try to "turn" the rotors, you'll remove the soft metal coating. You could probably do it anyway or buy replacements at PepBoys but then what's the use of having the jag in the first place ?

My 2003 XK8 has the best brakes i've ever had in a car, but it comes at a price (like everything else). I keep my car OEM. Just my opinion, but these are not the kind of cars people should "cheap out" on but, like i said, it's just my opinion ....

 

Before removing the calipers and starting the swap, I'd measure the thickness of your rotors...or ask a brake place to give you the 'free inspection' for that, save you some time if they are gettign thin. The xkr starts out with less 'meat' than our XK8 does. If its near or below min, i'd consider ordering new rotors while you're getting the pads. Easy to change while you've got your front apart for the pads...don't forget the copper grease betweenrotor and hub. You can still find Brembo rotors out there, for not much more than other good manufacturers, if you want the original.

 

Anyone try EBC redstuff brake pads?