| The object of this exercise is to install
new pads on my 2002 Freelander at home. Apparently the Freelander eats
brakes fairly quickly, usually not just the pads- the rotors get eaten
up as well. On one hand, the Freelander can stop faster than an Audi TT
or a Corvette C5, but the expense of paying a dealer for a brake job
draws quite a bit of criticism. |
|
 |
Here's a look at my pads. They are at about 1/8" which
is time to replace them. Any more wear and the rotor bites the dust. The
Freelander gives little, if any, warning that the brakes need to be done
and they should be checked frequently. My only symptom is the brake lamp
on the dash has flashed a couple times. |
| For this test- I decided to try a different type of pad
so I can let everyone know whether they work well or not. There's so
much speculation about whether aftermarket pads will chew up the rotors,
not work with the electronics in the Freelander and a few other
speculative issues.
For the sake of this experiment, I selected the EBC Kevlar pads. I'm
thinking they would work better on an aftermarket rotor, but I want to
try them on the stock rotor... The "cheap" way out, if you will.
The EBC is the top pad in this picture, a new stock replacement pad
from Land Rover is the bottom one. |
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|
Using a 12MM socket, remove the top bolt on the
caliper carrier. |
Then remove the bottom bolt of the caliper carrier. |
|
Retract the little rubber tubes away from the caliper carrier.
|
Once the caliper carrier is removed, CAREFULLY place it where the
brake line is not stressed. DO NOT let the caliper hang from the brake
line or twist! |
Using a proper tool ($7), compress the piston all the way into the
caliper. |
I elected to spray CRC Brake Quiet on the backs of the pads. Note
that you must NOT get any on the sides of the pads. |
The pads are slid back into place. I cleaned the original bolts and
clips with a brass wire wheel. The OEM pads can be ordered with new
bolts and clips as a kit. I am experimenting with the cheap approach. If
it becomes a problem, I'll replace the clips etc. |
Here you can see that my rotor is fairly scored. It measures 2cm
exactly in thickness.
The caliper is slid back into place and the bolts torqued to
27ft/lbs. |
 |
Here's a comparison of the pads. The top
are the used ones, middle are the EBC (note the slot in the middle) and
the bottom are the OEM Land Rover pads.
The EBC pads do not come with the replacement clips and bolts, so I
cleaned up the originals to see if it works. So far, no problems at all-
the brakes are working perfectly.
It will be interesting to see how the scored rotors and old clips
work. This brake repair cost a total of about $70 including the
anti-squeal spray. I would suggest using the spray even with oem pads. |
| Time will tell if the cheap approach I used
will perform better or worse than doing the whole brake setup with
rotors, oem pads and the astonishingly expensive labor rates at the
dealers. Total time at a leisurely pace was an hour- pulling the wheels
and setting the jack stands was the worst part. Anyone with basic skills
can perform this operation.
So save yourself several hundred bucks and bond with your vehicle. As
always, if you want to try this yourself and would like some help, the
FreelanderDoctor's garage is always available.
Thanks to DAP-INC once again for getting the Kevlar EBC's for me! |
