How long does it take rotors to acquire so much rust that they cannot be turned down?

[numberforty1]

I got new rotors 4 years ago and I need to get new brakes now. My mechanic is saying I need all new rotors as well, not because they have grooves but because they are rusty. I don't know much about rotors, but they don't look that rusty to me, and they have never been cut before, so I was assuming I could turn them down at least once before spending all that money on new ones. Can rust really make a rotor unsalvageable that fast?

Also, what should the cost of all new brakes be (incl labor) as opposed to the cost of new brakes and rotors (incl labor again)? This is a 98 Camry V6.

Thanks all

[Mister_Perkins]

the rotors are so cheap that it would cost the same amount to replace them as it would to turn them. Just get new rotors. Rust starts forming on the rotors within hours after the car is sitting.

It will cost about or a little more than $40.00 for two rotors. To get both machined it will cost $20-$30.00 per rotor

[numberforty1]

Originally Posted by Mister_Perkins

the rotors are so cheap that it would cost the same amount to replace them as it would to turn them. Just get new rotors. Rust starts forming on the rotors within hours after the car is sitting

Really...the mechanic said turning them down would save at least $100. Could you clarify everything you said? How cheap is cheap? If rust forms in hours, it obviously doesn't hurt performance very much, especially if there is only a little, right?

[Mister_Perkins]

Okay, do whatever you want. I don't know what im talking about.

I know how much it costs to get rotors turned. You have Grooves in your rotor, so that means that your Pads are junk too. Rust probably formed on them, tearing into the rotor causing them to not wear properly. You can go to advanced auto or Autozone and purchase brand new rotors for around $20-$25.00 a piece, get a set of pads for $20.00 or spend the time to have them turned and spend the same amount or a little more.

Do whatever you want though, its your car

[numberforty1]

Originally Posted by Mister_Perkins

It will cost about or a little more than $40.00 for two rotors. To get both machined it will cost $20-$30.00 per rotor

Man, everything people say is miles from what others say. Is $40 what a garage should charge for 2 rotors, or what a garage would pay for 2 rotors? I was quoted $60-$80 PER rotor. Then I looked online and saw I could buy them myself for $20 a piece, even name brands.

Anyone have price estimates of replacing all brakes, and of replacing all brakes with all rotors?

[numberforty1]

Originally Posted by Mister_Perkins

Okay, do whatever you want. I don't know what im talking about.

Then why are you talking? Who said there are grooves in my rotors? I just said there were not.

[Mister_Perkins]

Should cost you $40.00 x for 2 rotors , and $20.00 for pads = $60.00 for parts

Shop will charge you around .5 hr. per side so 1 hr labor x (Whatever price is)

Rundown

Parts : $60.00
Labor: .5x2 = 1hr ($60.00)
Total : $120.00 + salestax

Your shop is obviously over charging you for shit

[fenixus]

I turned my OEM rotors @ 125k miles on V6 (all 4 of them) at $24 a pair at local Strauss Auto ($48 total for all 4 of them). they still meet the specs and I believe are still superior to most cheap brand rotors.

Get Brembo blanks if you really need ever to replace them. Cheapest new Autozone brands will get warped sooner than old turned rotors.

Also I would suggest getting quality brake pads, like Akebono ProACT (pretty much OEM stuff) at not bad price either from local stores or tirerack.com, amazon or maybe rockauto.com has them too dunno

Job can easily be done on your own if you have basic tools and are not afraid to use a scissor (factory) jack. of course floor jack and jack stands are recommended as well as using torque wrenches on caliper pins (25ft-lbs in front) and bracket bolts (79ft-lbs IIRC for fronts).

bleeding brakes is also highly recommended after compressing calipers with C-clamp which is usually required to install new thicker pads.

[Mister_Perkins]

guess it depends on where you go too ^

[SexieWASD]

A brake job at the shop i work at is almost always right around $200. We get our rotors (Wearever) for about $24 each and mark them up 60%. We charge around 1.5-2.0 hours, but we are also doing a thorough job of cleaning (or replacing) the slide pins, honing the slide pin guides, filing the pad slide contacts on the brackets, and measuring the runout on the hubs and correcting them to within one thousandth of an inch. It's more than most shops do for a brake job, but we don't have people come back with complaints even though it may cost more.

[fenixus]

SexieWASD, what do you use for honing the slide pin guides (the bracket slide pin holes right?) ?
I assume you leave the rubber boots in place or you replace them too?

[JohnGD]

The rotors will always rust on the surface and that's not the reason for replacing them. Take a picture and post it here.

I think what you need is probably a new mechanic. It's ok to use Centric C-Tek rotors or if you want powder coated paint on the hub and fin areas to prevent rust use their Premium rotors, it's only a little more.

Use Akebono ProAct ceramic pads. Maybe learn to do your own work, you're more likely to do it right than many shops out there. For example, not spraying rubber with petroleum based solvent.

Before you replace the rotors, read:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/bf110322.htm

Originally Posted by numberforty1

I got new rotors 4 years ago and I need to get new brakes now. My mechanic is saying I need all new rotors as well, not because they have grooves but because they are rusty. I don't know much about rotors, but they don't look that rusty to me, and they have never been cut before, so I was assuming I could turn them down at least once before spending all that money on new ones. Can rust really make a rotor unsalvageable that fast?

Also, what should the cost of all new brakes be (incl labor) as opposed to the cost of new brakes and rotors (incl labor again)? This is a 98 Camry V6.

Thanks all

[SexieWASD]

Originally Posted by fenixus

SexieWASD, what do you use for honing the slide pin guides (the bracket slide pin holes right?) ?
I assume you leave the rubber boots in place or you replace them too?

Yea The holes, They make hones for them, but my Snapon dealer showed me a trick (He used to work at a Toyota dealer as a tech) Just take a piece of mechanics wire (coat hanger would work) and bend the tip over to make a hook, slide some 1" emery cloth in it and turn it until it wraps up to where it's just a bit loose in the hole, stick it in a drill and give it a few passes. It works better than the hones because you always have a fresh one, and with the hones you have to buy a set because if the different size slide pins.

We reuse the boots unless they are ripped, or otherwise ruined, but I do coat them with high temp brake grease (just enough to make them shinny) which keeps them from dry rotting.

In the end we end up using all this stuff to get the job done.

[fenixus]

thanks!

this gives me some ideas about unjamming the top slide pins (tried a few times and still is no perfect).