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McFly - you in there?
Case hardening? What exactly is that? Never heard of that term in reference to rotors. Are you talking about the metalurgy of the rotor and the sand casting method used to produce them?
If you are going through brakes every 12k - you are driving with two feet. Period.
Also - "huge profit center for Land Rover" Might want to recheck that. Land Rover is in business to make and sell cars - not service them. There is zero "profit center" in replacing brakes or anything else on a vehicle. They sell them and "happen" to have a service center - so they can sell more of them. (And do warranty work (which happens to fall into the same "profit center" as brake repair. Do you actually kow what the profit margins are on repair shops? Slim and slimmer.
It's hysterical that people think that there is a conspiracy theory for car designers to build in premature part failure. They want you to buy new cars - not replace parts on the old ones.
BTW...we did really land on the moon.
Talking about my former Disco II here, when I would go in every 11k and be told I needed pads and rotors, I didn't just take the guy's word for it. I called BS and told him I wanted to see for myself. I went back to the service bay and had the tech mike them for me while I watched, and indeed they were worn. Rapid brake wear is a common issue with Discos, and over a span of time, with trial and error and the input of many different drivers shared on forums, it came to be known that the issue was a mismatch of the rotors and pads, and that the "genuine" pads were eating through the case hardening of the "genuine" rotors.
For those who don't know what case hardening is, it is a process of heating a metal part until it nears the point where it will soften, and then quenching it in oil or some other fluid. The result is that the outer skin of the part will be hardened while the inside is not. The benefit is that the hardened outer skin is less susceptible to wear, but the entire part still remains ductile and not brittle, as it would be if it were hardened all the way through.
The trial and error reporting process revealed that certain combinations of aftermarket rotors and pads would yield good performance, providing a better balance of stopping power, lifespan, and noise than stock parts. When I sold my Disco it had Brembo rotors and Ferodo pads which were still going strong at 22k miles - twice the lifespan of genuine, and that's with the same driver and driving habits. That certainly contradicts the statement made prior that premature brake wear is an issue of driving style, "period."
As time passes and more LR4s get wheeled by intrepid off-roaders who do their own wrenching, a good combination of aftermarket brake components will be established and the problem will be solved.
It amazes me that anyone could believe that the LR dealership doesn't make a profit on pad/rotor replacement, especially considering that they charge almost twice as much for the job as an independent shop.
