Why are the disc brake clips always wrong?

I've had my 2009 LR2 HSE (gas, auto, straight six) for over eight years now, and I'm doing the rear brakes for the fourth time. Yes, my car... or me... eats rear brakes. It has about 180,000 on it, and I put on 100,000 of that. So, about 25,000 miles a set. I do replace the rotors, too.

Well to be fair, the pads this time are only about half worn, but I was putting in new emergency/parking shoes, so I thought I would refresh anything.

Anyway, every single time I order brake and rotor sets, they send these stainless steel retainers that are the wrong size. The gap between the clips is not nearly wide enough to allow the rotor to fit. So I first used my original clips, but they got too bad. So I cut down the provided clips, the next time, so they would fit. That is, I widened the gap (with a grinder) to fit the rotors.



I always assumed there was something weird about my car... like it had different calipers, maybe something they used in 2008. Or that the listings were wrong for some reason, and they would figure it out "next time". But today, when beginning to install the new brakes, I realized: This has NOTHING to do with my calipers... the clips simply do not fit the rotors provided, and that would not change no matter what calipers anyone had.

Does this ever happen to anyone else? Or have I simply been having the most embarrassing, eight year long brain freeze, and doing something (or not doing something) so idiotic that I should just throw my tools in the lake and give up?

Thanks... Rich.

Not much help to you I know, but this reminds me of every oil filter I've ever bought for the FL1 being supplied with a copper washer that does not fit the sump plug. I've got twelve of them now.

They look like the ones for a solid disc, maybe they are putting in the wrong shim clips.

Most likely either the discs or pad set are the wrong part. Check the discs are the correct thickness ? If they are then the supplier is providing the wrong pad set.

G'day @proto57 - nuther interesting story

You do have an innate ability to find Freelander parts suppliers knocking out product that is not in spec!

I wonder if you've found another global phenonomen.

(that last word is underlined, but the only spelling option is pheromone, which I believe not to be the word I wish to use!)

I have an issue with the back brakes of the F2 I've bought. If you have a look at this thread, you'll see that the pads on my back brakes are wrong compared to the correct pic shown on the thread...


These were fitted prior to my ownership. I wonder if they came with a clip that would not fit over the rotors? Do your pads touch across the width of the rotor, or leave big gaps like mine?