LostWaffle

I went to 2 places today to get quotes to install new front brake pads. I have the new pads already, and I was just looking for labor.

Before any of the places even looked at my car, they immediately insisted that turning the rotors was a necessary part of new pads. Personally, my rotors look fine. No rust, no pulsing feeling when breaking. I'm not sure why they are so insistent on wanting to turn my rotors as well. The DIY brakes tutorial did not say that rotor turning was a given, so I am skeptical.


Am I being taken for a ride? Is turning the rotors necessary when nothing seems wrong?

mikegarrison

No, it's not necessary. It should be "on condition". That's my opinion, anyway.

I've replaced a lot of brake pads and never had a single rotor turned.

Oh, and replacing brake pads is very easy in the S2K if you have a jack, a jackstand, and some wrenches. Depending on your circumstances, it might be well worth your time to just do it yourself. Also, many mechanics don't like to work with parts they don't source themselves.

S2KANDRE

i think there is a DIY thread on this... like mike said it would be better if you took a saturday and changed them yourself... good luck

double11

unless budget prevents, I always turn the rotors when putting on new pads... on any car..

fresh pad material to make new dust on fresh clean metal... the pad will form to the new grooves in the rotor.... if the rotors aren't turned the contact surface has already been 'smoothed' out by the miles and heat generated by the last set of pads you wore out...

with freshly turned rotors, you increase the surface area for the new pad to develop a contact pattern.


I also clean my rotors after turning them with Simple Green, water, and a brush. Cleans all the fine metal shavings out of the fresh surface...


At least those are some of my disc brake theories...


Cheers.

WPS

how much ar ethey charging. sometimes its just cheaper or same to replace the rotors

Nobody

Turning rotors is not necessary when replacing pads unless your rotors are warped enough to feel a pulsation while braking. Your new pads will mold with the grooves that are already in the rotors. If your rotors are warped, it's best to just replace 'em, as removing material from them will only increase the likelyhood of them warping again - if you're paying someone else to work on your car it's cheaper to just replace the parts.

You shouldn't need a Saturday to change your pads. The first time may take a couple hours, but the brakes are actually one of the easiest parts of the car to work on.

mikegarrison

Actually, the recommendation is usually to break in new pads on used rotors, and new rotors on used pads. When the pads are new, they are most susceptible to laying down an uneven deposit of material. The same is true of new rotors. "Fresh metal and fresh pads" sounds good but is the wrong thing to do.

Also, turning rotors just uses up their useful life. I think the whole "turning rotors" thing was more or less a scam from day one. In rare cases it can be useful, but usually it is going to do more harm than good.

LostWaffle

The shop that seemed more reputable (and higher priced) wanted
$135 to 3turn the rotors ans put the new pads on. I felt kind of dirty walking out of both places, so I think I'll wait till my hand injuries heal and just do it myself.

My rotors seem fine to me, so as long as I'm not risking safety by putting new pads on old rotors, it's DIY time.

davepk

A very wise choice!

alexf20c

I tried turning my rotors today. I was only cutting .004 on a slow pass, but the machine kept bogging and locking up. I went through 4 bits trying to get it to work. What's the deal?