rusted rotors and other inquiries

[MrSo0h0o]

hey guys i just got my car inspected and they found that my front rotors are rusted on the back of them. is this normal?

my pads were low also, so i plan on changing that, along with the rotors. what is the general consensus on rotors and pads? is it worth it to get brembo blanks or should i just stick with OEM? and pads, i believe people say hawk ceramics are good?

they also said my tranny fluid was dirty.. this i can do on my own, right? just drain and refill? or should i opt to go for a full flush?

just for reference purposes:

2005 Camry SE I4
37K and bought it used at 22.5K back last september

[JSM1284]

Rusty rotors are typically normal. Are they too rusted to be machined?

Id stick with OEM

Do a full out Tranny Flush.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by MrSo0h0o

hey guys i just got my car inspected and they found that my front rotors are rusted on the back of them. is this normal?

my pads were low also, so i plan on changing that, along with the rotors. what is the general consensus on rotors and pads? is it worth it to get brembo blanks or should i just stick with OEM? and pads, i believe people say hawk ceramics are good?

they also said my tranny fluid was dirty.. this i can do on my own, right? just drain and refill? or should i opt to go for a full flush?

just for reference purposes:

2005 Camry SE I4
37K and bought it used at 22.5K back last september

Rusted where on the back of the rotor? Where the pads contact the rotor? Where the rotor contacts the hub?

I like OEM rotors and pads. They stop very well, wear great, and make no noise.

A drain and refill will be sufficient, unless it's really burned/dirty. What color is the fluid? How discolored is it?

[MrSo0h0o]

JSM- i would rather get new rotors anyway because im pretty sure they are warped(steering wheel vibrates during stopping). for a tranny flush and front rotor and pad change, how many hrs of labor does the book call for, and what is usually charged?

TRD- it looked like it was rusted on the back of the rotor along with the vented area. im not sure how dirty the fluid was, i doubt very dirty..

[JSM1284]

Id say no more than 2 hours. The Toyota dealer will usually charge too much for brakes, But I would for sure let them do the trans flush. The flush at the dealer would run between $130-$175. Just buy the pads and rotors from the dealer and do the brakes yourself, if you have the resources to do so. The dealer pads are about $60 and the rotors are about $95 each

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

I got a quote from the dealer for my rear brakes, they quoted 160(Canadian) for each side. This was before we realized my calipers were completely seized and had to be replaced. If i had got them done by Toyota it would have cost 800 for each brand new caliper(rip off). I got my rear brakes done, new OEM calipers and rotors for $515. At a reputable shop.

I'm doing the fronts on my own in the spring.

If you do the brakes yourself, it should cost around 250-300.

[Hajoca]

I find that brembo blanks are very well made, and I got mine for CDN$ 60 each, so I did not get the OEM rotors. OEM brake pads are very good though.

Rust in the vent holes is normal, rust on any non pad contact area is normal, the rotor is cast iron.
Rust on the hub, where it touches hub and wheel, I smear some anti-seize on there so they are easier to remove.

Are the rotors pitted (spots with material missing?) or have hard spots on them? 37k miles is a bit early to replace but your driving and braking conditions will dictate that. From past experience, one rotor will last 2 sets of pads for me.

[DressUpYourPet]

My last brake job, front, on my wife solara cost me about $120. I just got two rotors the old ones were warped so i know better than too fool around with cutting, because the new ones were only $35 each. I got good semi metallics for about $50, the calipers were fine, all this work took me 1 1/2 hours.

Rotors are cheap nowadays thanks to theChinamen - i recommend they can machine a rotor as good as anybody else esp for the money they charge. 50,000 miles on these rotors and no problem.

[CharmCityES]

rust around the inner ventalations of the rotor is perfectly normal
for me, i have only ever used oem pads and rotors....for my next change im switching to brembo blank rotors and hawk HPS pads and ill see if i get any better stopping ability
as for the tranny flush, go to the dealer....they have a machiene that goes through the trans-coolant line and flushes the old fluid and exchanges it for fresh toyota oem T-IV tranny fluid
if you take it somewhere else for whatever reason, make sure you bring your own T-IV toyota atf fluid...your camry's tranny will run much happier when provided with the right fluid

[DietoRemain]

I laugh that you people have car inspections here they dont care if your car squeaks, has no brake pads, has the barest tires you've ever seen. just how much crap it puts into the air. gotta love ca.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by JSM1284

Id say no more than 2 hours. The Toyota dealer will usually charge too much for brakes, But I would for sure let them do the trans flush. The flush at the dealer would run between $130-$175. Just buy the pads and rotors from the dealer and do the brakes yourself, if you have the resources to do so. The dealer pads are about $60 and the rotors are about $95 each

+1 if the fluid is pretty dirty.

If not, drain and fill it yourself.