'03 Freelander....brake problems? how to deal...

[skylizard]

Ok, so I just took my freelander into the shop so that they could fix the back window, the tailgate window, and the front seatbelt. And on top of all that they tell me that I need new brakes and rotors at only 22k miles?! And it'll cost $600!! Does anyone have any advice on this? It seems that my car just has one problem after another. I love my car but am considering selling it off for something more reliable. What experiences have other people had?

[Free-Lander]

22k miles is pretty good, my girlfriend has gone through pads in 14k. Her Freelander has 50k miles and she's changed pads 3 times, rotors twice, and I am about to change pads and rotors again. See my post re: EBC brakes, I am trying these next, I hope they're bettter.

Love the truck, reliability sucks. Her truck in the past three years has been into the dealer 7 times for warranty items.

[garrycol]

While many people have indicated issues with the brakes it is not a systemic problem. My car has travelled 195,000km and still has the original rotors and drums. The current pads have travelled 80,000 and still have a third left.

Is this the dealer trying to drum up business? Why do the rotors need replacing? Is the runout wrong or are they worn down past the wear limit. Does a brake specialist agree? Second opinion?

Sounds sus to me

Cheers

Garry

[HMBFreelander]

22K miles is about par for the course for Freelander brakes. I changed my pads at 28K and will be changing the pads and rotors sometime this summer (~55K miles). That is just the way the brakes are designed. There are a couple factors at work here: the pads are soft and the rotors are designed to be sacrificial (i.e. wear) in order to get the braking characteristics required; the Freelander is a heavy vehicle; and regarding the $600, Land Rover parts prices and labor rates are sky high.

Solutions:
1. DIY - You can purchase OE pads and rotors for around $150 from the links below. 2-3 hours max is all it will take you to install both. DIY articles are available at http://www.freelanderowners.com/frontbrakes.asp . Tools required are a metric socket set, torque wrench and a piston compressor (or C-clamp). Or you can buy the parts and have a local shop you trust do the install.

2. EBC pads and rotors which are extended wear can be purchased as well from the links below. These work as well (?) as the OE parts, are a little more expensive and create less dust. The (?) is because there is some discussion on the issue but a lot of folks swear by them. Note: If you use your Freelander off-road, particularly in dirt and rocks, don't get drilled and slotted rotors. Rocks can get lodged in the holes/slots and rip up the pads causing real problems. The installation drill is the same as above.

Links:
DAP Inc. at www.dap-inc.com
Atlantic British at https://www.roverparts.com/
Others

Good luck!

[Muddy Oval]

V6 Freelanders eat brakes... Usually replace the rotors after 2 sets of pads. $600 is absolutely criminal for just the fronts! It's an hour job, tops. Here's an article on how to swap 'em and it shows a couple different types of pads available etc.

http://www.muddyoval.com/articles/fl...akes/index.htm

[skylizard]

Thanks for the help guys. It's been very dissapointing seeing my car go through so many little problems. Everyone I know thinks I should just get rid of the car and get something more reliable, and I'm starting to think I should. My last two cars were hondas and I never had problems like this. For a premium car I really shouldn't have to worry about it as much as I do.