A friend of ours has been told that she needs to have the rotors replaced on her new SUV that has only 36K miles on it. That seems suspicious to me. I am suspicious that the dealership is maybe taking advantage of her not knowing a lot about cars. She is 60 years old and drives mostly highway miles. Any mechanics out there that can give us some feedback on this? We need an answer as soon as possible as the car is scheduled for service the first part of next week. Thank you in advance for your expertise and input.
Signed,
A concerned friend
2006-10-14 14:48:10 · 12 answers · asked by flopmeister 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Definitely not 36k. Rotors can be turned at least once ( turned means machined ) At 36k it should still be under warranty.?
Don.t let them rip you off. take a mechanic, experienced with brakes, with you, Or cancel your service appointment and take it to a reputable shop that gives free inspections, tell them your problem and ask for a little advice.
I once had my own shop and did this for people so they wouldn't get ripped. Brought me more business from word of mouth.
2006-10-14 16:59:52 · answer #1 · answered by tronary 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it depends on how it is driven. if the vehicle sits most of the time and the rotors rust real bad they may only last 10 miles with out the pedal pulsating.
you need to find out why the rotors are bad!
the thickness for the rotors are very important, if they are undersized the rotor may break and then you will have no brakes at all.
the best way to put it is that the rotors are going to last the same as the pads. pads usually last 3 years 36,000 miles, this will vary on how the SUV is driven.
the truth most rotors are made as cheap as possible and do not last that long, if you want something that may last more than 36k send some extra money and get the premium rotors they really seen to last longer that the cheaper rotors.
my truck had about 25k when the brake pedal started to pulsate and i knew that i need rotors.
2006-10-14 15:21:59 · answer #2 · answered by steve b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on your friends driving habits. If they do a lot of stop and go or hard stops, this will tend to wear out the pads sooner than expecterd. The heat transfer of worn brakes can warp the rotors too. If she hit metal ,then the rotors may need to be replaced because there isnt enough material to resurface. Some models have hardly no tolerance for resurfacing rotors and the manufacturer recomends replacing them at each brake service. The thinner a rotor becomes, you get less heat transfer and you suffer from brake fading which is unsafe.
This may hold true for your friends car. best bet is take it to another repair facilty for a 2nd opinion and ask to see how they measure the rotors against mfg specs. They should use a micrometer to measure the thickness.
hope this helped...good luck........
2006-10-14 14:55:21 · answer #3 · answered by mailbox1024 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rotors do not need to be changed unless the brake pads have worn down to the metal and gouged visible grooves in the rotor disk. My Pontiac Grand AM has 56,000 on it and I have changed the pads twice but am still running the original rotors. Change mechanics, because you are a woman he thinks you don't know what your talking about. Ask the mechanic to show you the rotors, they should be smooth and flat, without visible grooves. Even if there are grooves they can usually be turned down on a rotor lathe at least once before they become to thin.
2006-10-14 14:59:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is possible to wear out rotors that soon, especially if she likes to ride the brake, or rest her foot on it. This would prematurely wear the brakes and rotors from excessive heat, and may cause heat stress cracks in the surface of the rotor.
2006-10-14 14:51:52 · answer #5 · answered by yugie29 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would say it would be a good idea to replace them,even if there not worn down real thin ,id say they have seen a lot of heat,if you got that many miles from a set ,you done extremely good,most people don't get over 50-60 thousand from a set of rotors,or pads,but id replace them if they needed it,they may be getting a heat glaze on them,and that will cause you to get a light squeal from them,good luck with it.
2016-05-22 02:54:00 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Replacing the brake rotors isn't by the car milage,it by the thickness of the rotors.The factory has a thickness you can have them turned down to.If they are to thin they will not be able to save them.The dealer will provide you with a thickness of those rotors,if they are to thin, then by law they have to be replaced.Rotors only cost for a Honda about $45.00 each.
Hope this helps out
2006-10-14 15:04:30 · answer #7 · answered by plysocr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one question i have is does she drive like a madman ?depends on driving styles if she drives slowly and sanely it sounds a little soon .
if its a big suv the brakes havr to slow down an emence weight because most have alot of weight in the front ie the engine .some of these
vehicles are still covered by factory warranty .have her check with the dealer service writerfor that information.
2006-10-14 15:08:34 · answer #8 · answered by GENE B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
rotors shouldnt need to be replaced that soon. Is the SUV still under warranty? Good luck to you
2006-10-14 14:56:42 · answer #9 · answered by Michelle : 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a person should get more then 36k miles on a set of rotors,she must be hard on brakes.
2006-10-14 14:52:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋