I have a 2017 British Design Edition which has the 380mm front and 376mm rear brakes. I just started getting a squeal and am assuming I'm going to need brakes. I was considering doing it myself, have a few questions and was hoping someone could help.

1. What's the easiest way to tell if I need brakes or if this is just pad squeal and the plate needs some anti squeal lube? I read there were sensors for the pads, but I'm not 100% sure on that one.
2. Are there ceramic pad options for this car?
3. Is it necessary to replace the rotors at the same time, or can I just measure the thickness and compare it against a specified tolerance somewhere?
4. If I do need rotors, are there options as good or better than what I'd get from the dealer, or is the dealer the best option?
5. Is brake maintenance mode only required for the rear brakes, or is that for the front as well?
6. Is it alright to push fluid back through the master cylinder when compressing the calipers? Can I just use the old C-Clamp method to get them closed?

As for tools, it looks like the only thing I'd need out of the ordinary is a 9mm torx. The last time I did pads / rotors was probably 10 years ago, but I can't imagine a ton has changed.

Thank you for the help!

 

See above for my 2c worth.

 

Second all that OzXFR suggested (great source). It would have been helpful to know your mileage - not a true substitute for inspection, but would help gauge the likelihood of needing to replace pads/rotors. On a MY17, I'd guess pad, yes; rotors, doubtful. Don't break the bank thinking ceramic. Porterfield's are great. Good self-maintenance project. You'll find instructions in the "How To" sticky thread, including the point about pulling off a bit of fluid while you're compressing the system - but not so much that you risk letting air into the line.

 

If you measure the disc thickness make sure you use a micrometer toward the middle of the disc and not a caliper at the edge. There will be a lip around the edge of the disc making it appear thicker than it really is.

 

I did the brakes on my 2017 R. Same size as yours. Dealer wanted $3,500. I paid $800 for drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads, and it took about 2 DIY hours in total. Easy job with a floor jack.

https://brakeperformance.com/brake-r...nc-coating.php

 

OP - just beware the brake pads shown in that listing are semi-metallic not ceramic.
One of the main reasons for switching out the OEM semi-metallic brake pads for ceramic (or Porterfield carbon/kevlar) is the massive reduction in brake dust, semi-metallic pads are notorious for being very dusty and the OEM Jag pads are among the worst.
I have found over the years that when buying a kit of rotors and pads even if the pads are advertised as ceramic quite often they are not and they are still semi-metallic.
For that reason I never buy such a kit instead I buy the rotors and pads separately and that way I get what I am after.

 

You can select ceramic pads on that page. They offer both semimetallic and ceramic. I ordered the ceramic. 4000 miles later and I'm very pleased with the lack of dust. Working great.

 

Yep, I see that now (after clicking through a few boxes).
Thanks for the link, great price (especially with free shipping for those of you in the US), I will check them out again when I next need new rotors.

 

Thank you to everyone for the help. I haven't done a brake job on a vehicle in probably 10 years and wanted to make sure there wasn't something unusual I needed to know.

@diablo2112 I appreciate the link I was hoping for ceramics because the brake dust is insane on these things along with the exhaust soot all over the back of the car. I'm going to measure the calipers first and make sure it's necessary before ordering.

 

Is this pretty much what everyone buys? My rotors measure at barely under 35mm in the front and 25mm in the rear. So I'm thinking I should probably just replace them when I do the brakes.

 

That puts both front and rear at 1 mm thicker than specified minimum thickness.
However those specs are incredibly conservative and a whopping 2 mm less thickness than brand new rotors, so barely worn at all.
I have said it before but I reckon those minimum thickness specs are a bit of a con, designed so that JLR dealerships can recommend/insist on new rotors when they are not really needed, and charge like a wounded bull for the privilege.
An alternative argument is that the minimum thickness specs are set so that it's OK to continue to use the same rotors at your exact measurements (1 mm more meat than minimum) for another set of pads worth because the real/true minimum thicknesses are really at least 2 mm less than spec.
Have you seen how thick the rotors are, especially the fronts? No way in the world are they worn out / unsafe at 2 mm less than new thickness!
Bottom line - your choice whether or not to change rotors as well as pads but you will be perfectly OK to use the existing rotors for another set of pads.

 

Awesome. Thank you @OzXFR Everything you said makes complete sense. I'm just going to go with pads in that case.