FL2 Brake Pads

[inside]

Anyone got any prices from LR to change the brake pads? The local dealer wanted $350 or something supplied and fitted for the rear only. I rang them to get a price for just the pads and they were $108 for the rears and $235 for the fronts.

I've ordered a genuine set for $265, front and rears delivered from the UK. I'll see how easy they are to fit but it does make me wonder why they charge so much here. It's probably because they can.

[mikehzz]

I'm on 71000 k's at the moment but was told the pads were still ok. You would think they would be getting low soon. Interested to hear how the UK pads turn out. Mike

[reklaw47]

For what it's worth I've bought pads for all my landy's from Anthony at British 4wd (Melb). He's quoting $111.65 Front pads $90.65 Rear pads. Email: british4wd@bigpond.com. I have no connection with this business but found his pads superior to OEM.
Rob

[inside]

I wanted to use genuine for no other reason than it's only a bit more expensive and it's stopping well now so should continue to do so. Not that I have anything against after market pads I'm sure they're just as good if not better.

BTW the FL2 has done 50 000km in a lot of start stop traffic. Strange thing is I'm used to this after owning a string of European cars.

[djhampson]

I got the rear pads from BMI and fitted them myself. Easy job. Hardest part is removing the wheel.


I think I paid around $100 for the read pads.

[inside]

Put the rears in this morning, job done in under an hour and that included stopping to have breakfast. Very easy.

[hashi]

Did anyone had to change rotors with their break pads?

My FL2 has done only 36000km with a lot of interstate driving and my dealer said there's only 3mm left in the rear and quoted $550 to change pads and rotors.

im a bit confused why change rotors at 36000km

[inside]

I asked the service guy about the discs when he said the pads needed doing and he said they were fine. I didn't measure them but when I was changing them they didn't look overly worn.

My suggestion would be to take a wheel off and measure the thickness yourself. I know the rear discs had the minimum thickness stamped on them, near the wheel bolts somewhere. 36K seems low to me, although European cars generally wear pads/rotors quite quick, I'd expect to get 2 pad changes for each rotor change.

[cdn_downunder]

I asked the service guy about the discs when he said the pads needed doing and he said they were fine. I didn't measure them but when I was changing them they didn't look overly worn.

My suggestion would be to take a wheel off and measure the thickness yourself. I know the rear discs had the minimum thickness stamped on them, near the wheel bolts somewhere. 36K seems low to me, although European cars generally wear pads/rotors quite quick, I'd expect to get 2 pad changes for each rotor change.

Just got quoted for new pads and discs form Alto Service, MY11SD4 with 66k ams on it (which is pretty good for first pads) but they say the discs have to be replaced too. Asked what the measurements were:

Front Pads: 2mm left
Front Discs: 26.03 mm left (apparently minimum is 26mm so they are shot)
Rear Pads: gone (this was why I took it in, making a grinding noise)
Rear Discs: 10.56mm (minimum is 10.0mm but as the pads gone they too have to be replaced they said)

Alto LR Front Discs & Pads: $764
Alto LR Rear Discs & Pads: $723

Bloody Outrageous! rang Graeme Coopers in St Peters

Front Discs & Pads: $491
Rear Discs & Pads: $446

So my question is: Is this a design point that LR have made the brake discs so thin that they only last one set of pads? I'm also used to getting at least 2 sets of pads for a set of rotors. I'd be interested in others experiences?

[Ten]

In the old days discs lasted the life of the car, but now without asbestos in the pad material the discs wear very quickly are now considered a consumable just like the pads.

The good news is they are not expensive to buy and can be changed easily by anyone without much mechanical ability. I just did the rears on my wife's FL2 (31k) and the discs were $90 (for both) and a bit less for the pads.

The only tool required is a Torx bit for the large screw which locates the disc. I bought a full set of these bits from Repco for $16. Do this first before starting the job.

Ten.

[mikehzz]

I'm on 184K and never changed the rotors. My mechanic machined the rears not long ago and put a 3rd set of pads on the rear. My first set on the front lasted 120K probably because I don't do a lot of stop start city driving and I use engine braking where possible. A lot of my kms have been open road touring. That's probably why my battery has lasted so long as well I suppose. The down side is that high kms mean the car is worth nothing... :D

[multiLuke]

At the last service my mechanic let me know that the discs and pads will need replacing at the next service, around the 60K mark. Since I didnt own the car for the first 35K, I dont know how it was driven then but assume allot of Melbourne city driving. My old diesel Pug lasted around 140K but that was with 2 years of highway driving. Pads and discs done there too. Mechanic says is typical of the euro cars.

Your doing well with your discs Mike. Lets hope I can emulate those figures when I get onto the new set.
BTW, quoted 730 for complete brake change (which is only 100 more than parts from UK, not including shipping) so seems very reasonable.

Are there any better pad options available or are the Bendix HD pads the best?
cheers

[Phideaux]

I was a bit horrified to get only ~78,000k from my rears - another 5000 or so from the fronts, I'm told. Apparently that's good. Prices quoted:
NRMA: $735 (rears only, fitted) - they said, it was over $500 parts from Lennock. Higher prices for non-genuine parts. (!??)
From this thread, I decided to ring Graeme Coopers and was told ~$450 rears ~$505 fronts.
Bridgestone (Tuggeranong, Canberra) quoted me $600+ for Bendix and another OEM, $587 for genuine parts (fitted).
Almost worth the trip to Sydney! - and I'll probably plan ahead for the fronts, double up and deal with Coopers again.
Incidentally, Bridgestone also said they were getting their pads/rotors via Lennocks, so there's some 'who speaks truth?' there.

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

I went over the top when it was time to do the brakes on ours.

Honestly I think the braking system is undersized on the Freelander 2, they seem to literally eat brakes. The volume of brake dust says it all.

The situation is worse with a diesel (the petrols have bigger & thicker discs)

Even more concerning if you consider it can tow 2 tonnes, plus a fully loaded vehicle, would be 4-1/2 tonnes or so on the road, with these wimpy little brakes.

So I upgraded.

Volvo XC90 calipers/pads on the front, along with bigger 336mm discs off a Volvo V70, high-carbon Centric discs from the US, and EBC Redstuff ceramic pads. The rears stayed the same size disc & standard caliper (don't forget I have a 3.2L), again with Centric discs & Redstuff pads.

And I fitted some braided brake lines as well.

Pictures speak more words, the before & after;

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/536.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/537.jpg

Brake dust is greatly reduced, the pedal feel is improved (less jerky, more linear), the wear is considerably better (after 10'000kms of city driving there's hardly any wear at all) and I don't have to worry about over-working them if towing.

If you have a diesel it might be worth considering upgrading to the petrol spec at the very least, this also gives you options on the US-sourced discs.

Petrol
Front 316x28 Vented
Rear 302x28 Vented

Diesel
Front 300x28 Vented <-- smaller diameter
Rear 302x12 Solid <-- thinner and not vented

[Phideaux]

Thanks, Cambo!

First, the ugly question: how much did your upgrade cost, approx?
It sounds like 'worthwhile investment'.

Second, the usual 'Brit Car Maker' comment:
Why on earth did they do that?
The diesels are almost as fast and preferred for towing...
Must be something in the tea...?

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

This was done a year ago, the Aussie dollar tanked a bit since then...

I think all up at the time it was ~$1200 in parts not including the hoses;

Front XC90 calipers, USD $306 delivered
Front caliper springs, AUD $85 locally bought
Front pads, USD $150 delivered
Front V70 rotors, USD $245 delivered
Rear LR2 rotors, USD $204 delivered
Rear pads, USD $121 delivered

Braided line kit GBP 134, plus delivery

I also put in new handbrake shoes at the same time, were USD $55 delivered

I did the install of the front brakes & hoses, a mobile mechanic did the rears and bled the system for me, he charged $408 incl GST, but that was with an oil change as well.

So all up it was quite pricey, but these brakes will probably last the life of the car now, and the reduction in brake dust, the improved performance, along with the peace of mind that it's been done right, worth every penny to me.

To upgrade a diesel to the petrol spec you need complete rear calipers incl. mounting brackets off a petrol, though the front calipers just need a different mounting bracket, the caliper itself is the same.

Oh and the dust shields on the front would need changing, or just leave them off all together...

Upgrading a diesel to petrol-spec, and using the same Centric High-Carbon rotors & Redstuff pads would need;

Front caliper brackets, LR001014, 2x needed, about AUD $135 each
Front pads, --> depends which grade
Front rotors, Centric 125.39042, 2x needed, around USD $115 each delivered
Rear calipers --> find them from a wrecker, maybe USD $200/pair delivered
Rear pads, --> depends which grade
Rear rotors, Centric 125.22018, 2x needed, around USD $105 each delivered

There's so many choices for pads.. I went for the EBC Redstuff ceramics because of the dust, well you saw what I paid for mine.

So it's still up there price wise, but considerable step-up in spec/quality at the same time.

Those Centric rotors are the premium ones with the black coating that won't rust. I use them on all my cars.

[Phideaux]

Very high quality advice there. I wish I'd had it before the job on the rears got urgent! For me - mechanically inept (my physio costs more than any $ I save!) I'm looking at $2000 plus, all done, I'm guesstimating. Done soon, it would undoubtedly be worth it... Now have to retreat and do my sums... (How long will current fronts last? How long will I keep car? How long does delivery from US take?) etc. High regards, Phideaux.

[LR_1]

Hi Cambo

can you please guide me the company of front pads you mentioned in your last post?

Also can you please guide me a cheap and a good mechanic who can do the breaks job for me .

Also i am having the whining sound and heavy steering . did you face similar problem and how you fixed it ?

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

Hi sorry I missed your message before. I replied to your PM as well.

Not sure if you are still in need of this info, but since you have an Si6, the brakes are the same as the US-delivered cars so you have quite a selection from US suppliers, the Centric brand is one I like (that's the brand I put on mine)

As for pads, there are plenty of different suppliers out there... the pads I put on mine are going to be different to yours as I have the bigger Volvo calipers...

[Walruslike]

Cambo I'd like to thank you for your wonderful series of posts... they are great to read, inspiring, and very interesting and helpful.

Can I ask please... Since the FL is so much computer controlled, does changing its brakes capabilities interfere with its algorithms? I wouldn't expect so... I imagine that the algorithm says something like apply brake at 5%, see if result achieved, increase by 5 ect. So the absolute capability wouldn't matter... just that it is in a feedback control loop and will adjust as necessary.

Have you noticed anything different? Especially maybe in the odd cases of stability control or hill descent etc?

[Walruslike]

Oh, also I just wanted to add that my MY 13 FL 2 diesal is a bit concerning rolling backwards on a steep hill... you really need a lot of foot pressure to get it to halt... reminds me a bit of my old EJ Holden.

It surprised me because I didn't think disc brakes (unlike the EJ's drums) cared whether it was forward or backward braking.

I noticed it reversing down a very steep driveway.

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

Thanks for the kind words!

Can't say I've noticed anything negative after fitting the bigger brakes on the front. And I have used the HDC a few times, all seems normal.

Not sure about your reverse braking example, it's not something I've come access.