How often do you swap out your brake rotors when doing pads?

[Jdcline54]

There are still shops out there that resurface rotors. Giving them a fresh new surface without the high cost. If you want to try and go ultra cheap, try hitting up the shop at the local college. They will sometime do work for you at a minimum cost.

I have resurface the rotors on my 03 exp and it worked perfectly. It all really depends on the discard thickness specified by the manufacturer. And if your rotors have been over heated and warped tou will still need to replace them.

Also, always remember to break in new pads by coming to a gentle stop from 20mph about 6-7 times with no less than 30 seconds between stops. Burnishing pads will increase life and effectiveness of new brake pads

 

[TobyU]

There are still shops out there that resurface rotors. Giving them a fresh new surface without the high cost. If you want to try and go ultra cheap, try hitting up the shop at the local college. They will sometime do work for you at a minimum cost.

I have resurface the rotors on my 03 exp and it worked perfectly. It all really depends on the discard thickness specified by the manufacturer. And if your rotors have been over heated and warped tou will still need to replace them.

Also, always remember to break in new pads by coming to a gentle stop from 20mph about 6-7 times with no less than 30 seconds between stops. Burnishing pads will increase life and effectiveness of new brake pads

You will find different recommendations for manufacturers now about burnishing or seating in new pads. Some will tell you to do like you mention with several moderate but not full Panic stops and others will tell you to do nothing. I have not found it makes any difference.

 

[07navi]

I say do nothing to seat new pads into rotors. So many myths out there and it's hard to keep from laughing sometimes. Another thing I noticed is that novices are always overly cautious about everything to the point of spending more time and money needlessly, and then there are the torque happy ones.

 

[Machete]

Rather than listening to someone’s self prescribed expert opinion on bedding pads, follow manufacturers recommendations.

 

[07navi]

Rather than listening to someone’s self prescribed expert opinion on bedding pads, follow manufacturers recommendations.

And he's back with the machete...…….

 

[Fasttimes]

Started to do my rear pad replacement found I had more meat on the pads then I thought and decided to let them ride a bit more. What I don't understand is when I got the pads out I noticed that the inside pad looked like it had 80% left and the outer had 40%. Any ideas there?

 

[bobmbx]

Started to do my rear pad replacement found I had more meat on the pads then I thought and decided to let them ride a bit more. What I don't understand is when I got the pads out I noticed that the inside pad looked like it had 80% left and the outer had 40%. Any ideas there?

The caliper isn't sliding as designed. Pull the slide pins....clean the pins and the bore and lube. May as well replace the brake fluid while you're at it.

 

[TobyU]

The caliper isn't sliding as designed. Pull the slide pins....clean the pins and the bore and lube. May as well replace the brake fluid while you're at it.

You could replace the brake fluid but there's no reason to disturb the hydraulic system to clean d caliper pins Etc.
No reason why you can't have someone pump the pedal and flush some fresher fluid through t that caliber through But some people don't like to mess with the hydraulic system unless they have to.
Rear pins do seem to stick even worse than front ones.
Probably because rear pads last longer and the calipers don't get removed as often as the front so they sit in the same place for longer periods of time.

 

[07navi]

Clean and lube all your slide pins and flush all your fluid, they make little pumps for that...….easy. Most won't agree but I never turn my rotors and wait until I hear the first sign of metal to metal and I already have new pads in advance to throw in. The truck I sold yesterday had over 200k miles with original rotors, cleaned and lubed slide pins, and flushed brake fluid. Zero problems with those brakes in 12 years

 

[TobyU]

Clean and lube all your slide pins and flush all your fluid, they make little pumps for that...….easy. Most won't agree but I never turn my rotors and wait until I hear the first sign of metal to metal and I already have new pads in advance to throw in. The truck I sold yesterday had over 200k miles with original rotors, cleaned and lubed slide pins, and flushed brake fluid. Zero problems with those brakes in 12 years

Ideally, my pass will have some sort of built-in chirpers which not all do... And once they start chirping I will know I don't have much time left to replace them until a a pad backing plate hits the rotor. But if one does hit the rotor slightly and you take it straight home it's not too big of a deal.
I don't like using the vacuum pumps at all.
I would be okay with the speed bleeder idea but I haven't actually use them either.
I always have someone pump the brakes.
I rarely even bleed them when I replace pads but I will sometimes open the bleeder screw and pump the fluid that's in the caliper out when I press in the piston.
I just had a set on a very large Town Car but I could feel we're getting thin when I push the pedal. There was a slight little bit of pulsation because the rotors were quite old and had some miles on them but more than anything I could just feel a roughness from the thin pads. When I took them off, sure enough, they were down to awfully thin to where in few more days they would have probably been cracking and sliding off the backing plates.

 

[07navi]

Ideally, my pass will have some sort of built-in chirpers which not all do... And once they start chirping I will know I don't have much time left to replace them until a a pad backing plate hits the rotor. But if one does hit the rotor slightly and you take it straight home it's not too big of a deal.
I don't like using the vacuum pumps at all.
I would be okay with the speed bleeder idea but I haven't actually use them either.
I always have someone pump the brakes.
I rarely even bleed them when I replace pads but I will sometimes open the bleeder screw and pump the fluid that's in the caliper out when I press in the piston.
I just had a set on a very large Town Car but I could feel we're getting thin when I push the pedal. There was a slight little bit of pulsation because the rotors were quite old and had some miles on them but more than anything I could just feel a roughness from the thin pads. When I took them off, sure enough, they were down to awfully thin to where in few more days they would have probably been cracking and sliding off the backing plates.

Flushing the brake fluid is not something you need to do often (algae can actually grow in it) and I just flushed mine after 180k miles, also the little brake bleeder tool is very easy to use and is a one person job. With limos you probably need to be on top of the brake issues more than I am, I can see that.

 

[Machete]

Search caliper rebuild kit. I rebuilt the calipers on my BMW, had them bead blasted. I painted them and lubed everything and purchased new guide pins along w kit. They were like brand new for just a few bucks.

 

[TobyU]

Flushing the brake fluid is not something you need to do often (algae can actually grow in it) and I just flushed mine after 180k miles, also the little brake bleeder tool is very easy to use and is a one person job. With limos you probably need to be on top of the brake issues more than I am, I can see that.

Agreed. It would probably be a good idea to flush the brake fluid at least once in the life of a vehicle but people talk about doing it every three years or so, that's just Overkill.
Also, you will hear people talk about brake lines rusting from the inside out. I do not believe this. I have replaced more brake lines on vehicles than most human beings in the world.
Every rusted-out one I have ever taken off when you start to cut into it with a tubing cutter and get to the middle you find nice shiny bright white metal. They always rust from the outside in Rust Belt states.

 

[07navi]

Agreed. It would probably be a good idea to flush the brake fluid at least once in the life of a vehicle but people talk about doing it every three years or so, that's just Overkill.
Also, you will hear people talk about brake lines rusting from the inside out. I do not believe this. I have replaced more brake lines on vehicles than most human beings in the world.
Every rusted-out one I have ever taken off when you start to cut into it with a tubing cutter and get to the middle you find nice shiny bright white metal. They always rust from the outside in Rust Belt states.

Luckily we don't have that problem here. Strangely they can grow algae inside and turn the fluid green if there is condensation in there.

 

[TobyU]

Luckily we don't have that problem here. Strangely they can grow algae inside and turn the fluid green if there is condensation in there.

I'm on a mobile phone so I don't see where you're located over by your avatar. What area do you live in? You are correct that things can grow in there but normally it just slimes up and turns into something that looks like frog shit in the bottom.

 

[07navi]

I'm on a mobile phone so I don't see where you're located over by your avatar. What area do you live in? You are correct that things can grow in there but normally it just slimes up and turns into something that looks like frog shit in the bottom.

MT SHASTA CALIFORNIA

 

[TobyU]

MT SHASTA CALIFORNIA

I think most of California avoids all of the rusty undercarriage issues.

 

[Machete]

I drop all fluids every 3 years which is around 30,000 mi for me.

All drive fluids including tranny, coolant, brake, ps, if it’s liquid it’s dropped.

 

[Diverdown]

What about turning rotors vs. replacing them?


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[07navi]

What about turning rotors vs. replacing them?


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Do neither