The other day my passenger side rear brake pad started grinding my rotor. I don't know yet if a sensor went bad and the pad is shot or if there's something that got stuck in there (though I'm assuming the former).

I spoke with the dealership and they informed me that they do not resurface rotors, once a rotor is in any way compromised it needs to be fully replaced. In turn, the other rear rotor needs to be replaced as well so they match.

At the dealership, that's an expensive job, so I want to be sure this all makes sense.

In the past, I had my brakes done at a local place with rotors and pads I purchased. It cut the price more than in half, but the installers did something wrong with the emergency brake and it came apart and got jammed in the brake setup and ended up having to go to the dealership and ran me almost as much as the job would have originally (still saved some though).

Anyway, I've attached a pic of the rotor seeking opinions on how to move forward.

 

What year and Model Rover???? And yes, in this case the dealer is right. What do the rest of the pads and rotors look like?
How mechanical are you, cause this is an easy job and should not cost much even doing all 4 wheels with better then average pads?

 

The brake job on a DII is so easy its a crime to pay someone to do it.
Yes that rotor should be replaced.
If you are on a tight budget you can reuse it.
AutoZone has the best price on rotors, their brake pads are good too and depending on which ones you get come with a life time warranty.

 

It's a 2005 LR3.

Pads I could probably do myself but aren't rotors a whole different story?

Easy was always my assumption with brakes, but after my last experience I'm hesitant to take it anywhere but the dealer. If the whole replacement is so easy why did my local shop botch whatever goes on with the emergency brakes it and cause them to come apart and get jammed in my brakes? I mean, it totally destroyed a brand new rotor. I had to pull over on the NJ Turnpike. Entire rotor was glowing red like you had just pulled it out of a massive fire.

I've ordered genuine LR rotors/pads from Atlantic British in the past.

 

So are you saying you are not willing to learn and save a bundle? How many miles on the truck and how many mileage ago were the pads and rotors changed, also was this a front or rear rotor? Got to answer questions if you want help or go pay the dealer $1600 plus and have them do it.

 

I assume the botched brake job was on a different car because the parking brake is on the back of the transfer case on a Land Rover.
What I meant to say, but was not very clear, was that on a Land Rover doing brakes is a pretty easy job, remove the caliper, remove the rotor, put on new rotor, put caliper bake.

That being said, find a new shop that will let you bring in your own parts or give your old guy another chance.

 

The botched brake job was on the LR3.

All 4 rotors were replaced around 30k ago, pads about 15k.

The current issue is with the rear rotor.

Botched brake job was on this truck (LR3). My information that I passed on about the parking brake not being replaced properly and coming apart and jamming in the brake was given to me by the dealer (that was, by pure coincidence, the same wheel/rotor -- passenger side rear). If what caused the destroyed rotor was something different, I can't say.

It's not that I'm unwilling to learn, it's that doing so isn't the easiest undertaking. I have virtually nothing in terms of tools and I live in an urban city center, so workspace for this sort of job is short. Believe me, I'd *love* to be working on this truck myself -- I'm just not sure it's in the cards right now.

 

OK, that being said, find a good shop, not a dealer and ask if you can supply the pads, so you get good ones that will last much longer, like Akebono ceramic pads. As for the rotors, you really shop replace both the rears to make an even set with better stopping power, also make sure they do a full brake flush for better pedal pressure.

 

If you don't set the ebrake correctly on an LR3 or RRS or Full size range rover with electronic ebrake, it will come out and burn up the ebrake shoes and cause the rotor to warp from the inside out.
The trick to do the job is the tighten the rotor all the way to where the rotor won't move and then back off the adjuster ten clicks. Any less and it will cause an issue. Done them a hundred times. All you need is a screwdriver that fits in the hole. Buy the pads and rotors and a new sensor and away you go. if the pads on the other side are near new then replace the caliper on the side that wore out.

 

Just glancing around on AB - is this a good set, overkill, or just not right for the $$?

LR3 Land Rover Discovery 3 Brake Rebuild Kits: Order Brake Kits Online

If memory serves, my local guy (who I'd like to give another chance if I'm not crazy for doing so ... I suppose I'll just discuss it with him ahead of time) only charged $200 or so for labor. I have another local shop I use for tires I could try as well.

Dealer wants $1700 for the job.