Hello, all. I live in Baja California, Mexico. My 1998 Jaguar XK8 is currently in San Diego with a specialist, having electrical problems fixed. The mechanic told me my front brake pads were down to 20% and rear were down to 10%. Since labor is cheap in Mexico, I will have them replaced here. (I'll have all 4 replaced, as I'll be moving back to California soon.) The mechanic was going to sell me 4 ceramic brake pads and zinc-coated rotors for $510 (parts only). That seemed high, so I decided I'd try to buy them myself, on line.

Now I see that there are SO many choices and prices - I'm not sure what to buy. I read some threads on this forum, and occasionally, a brand was recommended, but I'd like to be able to choose from those sold on Amazon. They have to be "right," because with the time and $ involved in getting them to me in Mexico, it would be very tough to return them.

FYI, the car has (only) 47,000 miles on it. I don't race it or do any fancy driving. I want good brakes but they don't have to be "premium." I assume I should get CERAMIC pads. Do I need ZINC-COATED rotors? Can the front pads/rotors be a different brand from the rear ones? (Amazon.com doesn't always sell matching fronts and rears.)

What REALLY would help me is if someone could look tell me which of the parts sold on Amazon a. I hope this is not asking for too much, but I don't know squat about cars, and Mexican mechanics don't seem to know much about Jag parts.

Here are the Pads on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg...--1-1-495--1-0

Here are the rotors: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/search/r...=200&x=11&y=11

Thanks very much for any help, and sorry if this question has been asked before.

 

I just ordered POSI QUIET ceramic pads. All pads front and rear were 89.00 via EBAY. At 47,000 miles I doubt you need rotors. Depending on how the rotor surface looks, you might have your rotors re surfaced. Zinc coated keeps them from surface rusting. That's it, no better quality, no better performance, simply cosmetic. Ceramic pads are very low dusting, so the wheels stay cleaner much longer. And unlike semi metallic, they wont eat up the rotor surface nearly as quickly.

 

My rear rotors were badly grooved @ 80K miles. New rotors are cheap (maybe cheaper than resurfacing).

You can get all 4 for less than $120 with Free shipping off Ebay if you don't have Prime.

 

My preference is Akebono ceramic pads. Don't buy the cheapest rotors, but you don't need drilled or slotted, that's just bling. Are you rotors too worn to be machined?

 

Brand new, brand name rotors are $26-28 with Free Shipping. It's hard NOT to buy the cheapest rotors.

Paying more will get you nothing.

 

Just ordered new rotors and ceramic pads from Brake Labs in CA. All in including shipping $295. Got them thru ebay

Full Kit Drilled Brake Rotors and Ceramic Pads 1998 2003 Jaguar XJR XK8 XKR | eBay

 

I put drilled rotors in front, but then I realized that you can't even really see 12" brake rotors behind 17" revolvers, so I recommend buying the $28 rotors and keep a lookout for non brembo XKR caliper brackets for 13" brakes and go with 13" rotors up front.

A 1998 would have the 305mm disks (12") instead of the larger 13" (325mm) that came on later XK8's.

 

Compared to OEM prices, that's not too bad. Yes you can shop around and get cheaper parts, but given your unusual situation of importing them with no chance of return if they're wrong, is it worth it?

As for mixing and matching pieces or going for the absolute cheapest- brakes are not something to fool around with.

 

Thanks, everyone, for your replies so far. I picked up my Jag, yesterday, from the San Diego Jag mechanic. It's SO nice not to have 8 different warning lights flashing (for no good reason) when I drive it!

The mechanic said he uses WBR ceramic brake pads. He said he'd also recommend Akebono and Jurid ceramic pads. (He mentioned no others.) He said that any zinc-coated rotors would work.

So, I am looking on Amazon. I wondered about these - pretty inexpensive, but they are ceramic pads and zinc-coated rotors. Thoughts?

https://smile.amazon.com/R1-Concepts...rds=zinc+rotor

 

Thanks. Do you RECOMMEND these pads, though? I mean, do you know that they are good?

The mechanic confirmed that I needed new rotors; mine were worn. I'll have to trust him.

 

Thanks. My mechanic likes them too.

I don't know if rotors are too worn to be machined, but I know that (a) I do not think I'd trust anyone here in B.C., Mexico to do such work (although many of them do work on race cars all the time), (b) it would be difficult to get the car to, and leave it with, a machinist in California and (c) costs of labor in California are very high. I don't think it would pay - time-wise or money-wise.

 

Thanks. I know there are many choices, from cheap to very $$$. I am looking for good-quality parts but not the most $$$. I want ceramic pads and coated (by zinc, I guess) rotors. I don't think they are THAT cheap.

 

But doesn't zinc coating protect them from rust? (I live near the ocean, and the salt air is very corrosive.) Doesn't that translate to having to change them less often?

What about cosmetics? I confess, I'm so ignorant, I don't know if they show or not, but some comments seem to imply that they do.

Thank you.

 

Gee, they LOOK pretty good, but are they? Anybody else have thoughts about these???

 

I often use non-OEM parts , and I avoid buying retail whenever I can. Yes, if I can save half the $500+ cost, it is worth it to me. I am researching and being careful so that I won't have to return any parts. As to "mixing and matching parts," since normally, people do not replace front and rear brakes at the same time, I am guessing that there is no problem with having different brands, and that doing so is not "mixing and matching." In any case, that is why I posted here - I now there are some experienced members who fix Jaguars on this site.

 

Most of the $30 rotors are coated. Surface rust is going to happen in salt air, coated or not.


The actual contact faces of the rotors lose their Zinc coating when you bed in the pads. Nobody replaces rotors because they have a little surface rust on the non contact faces so zinc coating will not extend the life of the rotors. The coating is pure cosmetics (and you can't see it any way with revolvers).

 

Actually, when I looked on Amazon, none of the rotors for a Jag XK8 under $50 said anything about being coated. Over that price, a couple said "UV coated", whatever that means, a couple said "bimetal aluminum and zinc" coating" and I don't know if that is as good as zinc or not, and some said "zinc coated."

I don't know what "revolvers" are, but I take it that rusty rotors would not show on my car?

Thank you.

 

Revolvers are the 17" factory wheel on '96-98 XK8's that look like the magazine of a 5 shot revolver.


Even zinc coated rotors will be rusty on the "rotor" part of the disc after the first rain. The coating is mainly for the areas where the pads don't touch, none of which are visible with factory wheels.

 

I THINK I have decided on Akebono ceramic pads ($122 plus tax for all 4 wheels), but I am having trouble deciding on rotors. There is a large price difference between non-coated ($35 to $40) and zinc-coated ($65 and up).

Interestingly, I could get the kit with zinc-coated rotors AND ceramic pads for the same price as just zinc-coated rotors, but I don't know that I trust those pads (by "R1 Concepts). I'm not worried about stopping power or squeaking; I am concerned about longevity.

I looked at the "revolver" wheels and current rotors, and they don't show much, but they do peep out of the vents in the wheels.

Decisions, decisions! Life was easier when I had troubles with my non-exotic car, or lived in the U.S., and just told the mechanic to "fix it."

 

UNGN: This is a bit more detailed than I had hoped to need to get. Don't rotors that say they fit a 1998 xk8 come with everything the mechanic would need to put them on? What is this with brackets???