This is a little odd to me.

Hi Folks, glad to be a member here and thanks in advance to those who chime in the conversion. I am a little surprised with our 2017 discovery Sport, currently have our truck at the dealership after the Brake lights turning on for the first time. I saw the light appear at 11,900 Km to be exact, thats right under 12k Kilometres. I am scratching my head because the dealership just messaged me saying;

"The technician has finished the inspection on your vehicle and the brake pad light is on due to the rear brakes being at 2 mm which trips the sensor. The cost to replace the rear brakes would be $1007.19 plus tax (brake pads, discs, sensor and labor included)." This is in Canadian dollars

I'll add the car is a lease, not sure if that changes how they assess a vehicle since they will sell it once I return it after our term. Also we have an 8 month baby and the car since Dec. 2017, we both work at home and drive quite careful with the recent born. Mostly city driving, have always had the car in Eco mode and have never put in sport mode (to help give you an idea of how we drive).

Any suggestions? Advice? are we being taken for?

I will add that I requested a reason for this pre-mature maintenance and this is what I got as a reply...

"Judging from the mileage you do on your vehicle you are doing mostly city short distance drives which uses much more braking from the stop/go driving. Your vehicle is also equipped with torque vectoring brakes in the rear which causes the brakes to be applied when turning even if you are not pressing the brake pedal. I checked with the technician and my warranty administrator and there are no technical bulletins or service actions open for the brakes on your vehicle so unfortunately there is nothing I can do on my end since brakes are considered a wear and tear maintenance item."

I guess it is plausible this is the case. This is roughly $750 US, which is high, but not out of the realm of "normal" for a Land Rover dealer doing the work. If you can find an independent shop in your area that works on Land Rovers, you will likely save some money. OEM brakes on most Land Rovers do not last all that long - they are designed to be quiet and effective, which means they will wear more quickly than other options that are out there. I was unaware of the torque vectoring, but it seems to me this could make the brakes wear out even faster!

New Land Rover Discovery Sport – Torque Vectoring

CAD1007.19 to do just the rear brakes at under 12K km? Rear brakes should far outlast the front brakes and outrage is understandable and justified.

Instead of Torque Vectoring, my Discovery has Corner Brake Control, which helps to maintain stability when braking during cornering by modulating the driver's generated brake pressure (for those drivers who haven't learned that they should brake before entering corners and then power through the turn).

The Discovery Sport isn't the only Land Rover that has Torque Vectoring (a rear brake job probably costs twice as much in a Torque Vectored Range Rover Sport). If I was in your position I would get rid of the vehicle as soon as possible after weighing all options against the terms of the lease, and would never again acquire a vehicle that uses uncommanded braking to control maneuvering during normal every day driving.

Thanks for chiming in both of you. I just called Land Rover North America today and the lady told me there is in fact a warranty on brakes but it ends at 12k km or 1 year, whichever comes first. Safe to say I won't be buying back the car after my lease ends!

One more thing. If the pads haven't worn down to the metal so that they were grinding into the discs then why do the discs need to be replaced? Replacing the pads should be enough. It's utterly bizarre that the entire rear brake system needs to be replaced at 12K km. Get an answer from the dealer, and if the discs aren't grooved tell him to just replace the pads (assuming it's not too late).

Welcome to the dealer experience. To reduce complaints they probably just mandate replacement of rotors every time pads are changed. Do the rotors need replacing? Likely not. I have the original rear rotors on my 2010 LR4 and an on the third set of pads.

With a lease you are likely beholden to the dealer somewhat. You could swap the pads yourself. One last question; How are the front pads? Excessive light braking can actually chew the rears faster than the fronts on new cars.

This is just the beginning of having kids costing you a lot of money. Worth it though!

I recently had my LR3 brakes done, all four corners (pads and disks) for about $1300 Canadian at an independent. Not in Alberta so I can't help you out on referral to a mechanic there.

To update the situation, a case was opened with Land Rover North America and after a few days an agent called me back who had reviewed the case. She said I was out of my warranty but as a courtesy they would give me $500 in gift cards which can be applied to my work at the dealership. So in the end it ended up costing me $650 or so.... still not happy because I shouldn't have to fork out money so early on but anything helps.
The technician and Land Rover checked and said my front brakes are at over 90%... he said they're still almost brand new. So odd to me... just doesn't make sense, so beware for those looking to buy or lease.

brake harder