did I get - New or Resurfaced Rotors?

[Camry99LE]

Hello Folks,

I really need some expertise here.

Just yesterday I had taken my 1999 Toyota Camry into the shop to get new brakes. They also replaced the two front Rotors. At first they were going to resurface them but then they came back and said it would be an additional 250.00 for new rotors, because the ones that were on the front of the car were too small for the minimum requirements and they couldn't resurface them. So I said ok.

I get my car back and while over looking the receipt I noticed that it said ... "resurfaced rotors" I asked the sales cashier to please confirm that the rotors were replaced and not just resurfaced. The first sales rep that had signed me in came out and assured me that I got new rotors and hand written a note that said, "Brake Rotors Replaced" and he signed my receipt.

Well it made me a little uneasy to think that maybe a mistake was made. So today I went out to check them out and to be completely honest I do not know what a new Rotor should look like. Or what a resurfaced rotor would look like. Could someone please take a look at these photos and help me determine if it looks like I got resurfaced or new rotors? Sorry I couldn't get the lug nuts off they were on too tight. To me they look like they have some chips at the edges and some blemishes that might indicate that rust was originally there and that they are possibly not new.

I know it may be hard to determine just from photos, but please try. I'm concerned about our family's safety since we will be traveling far soon.

New or Resurfaced?
I have more photos if needed and I will take more if also requested.

[Photos removed]


Thank You so much for your help my family and I will appreciate the help.
Camry99LE

P.S. I always ask for the old parts but yesterday was one of those days from hell where everything that could go wrong did and right before I had to be at the airport. The person that used my car got it towed by parking where they shouldn't have, the brakes started to squeal on the same day, etc. So I completely forgot to ask for the used parts in between making emergency phone calls. Which is my fault.

[Mike Gerber]

It's difficult to say from your pictures, but the surface in picture 1 looks like it's new. It's that cross-hatched pattern that makes it look new to me. It's hard to duplicate that finish when resurfacing rotors.

That said, the price of $250 for 2 new rotors is outreagous. Good aftermarket ones should be about $60 each. The cheaper ones today, usually made in China, are about $30 each. Even genuine Toyota rotors from a dealership are around $100 each. If I were you, I would call around to a few local auto parts stores to price rotors for your car and also get a price from a dealership. Jot down all the information you get and return to the shop that did the work with information in hand ready for a fight. Don't let them tell you there is extra labor involved as they were going to have to remove and reinstall the original rotors, if they were going to resurface them. Just my 2 cents.

Mike

[BMR]

I agree with Mike. That crosshatched pattern is usually not seen on resurfaced rotors. Not to say that it cannot be done, but most places that turn rotors don't bother to do that.

I'd also add that the ventilation passages (fins?) in the center do not show any rust that I can see. Used rotors are almost always completely rusted in those areas.

[Camry99LE]

Mike & BMR,

Thanks a lot for the input I sincerely appreciated your sound advice.

Thought you might like to know that yes the Rotors are indeed new. I was going to be in the area around the dealership anyhow so I called them up and they said they would check them out for me just to confirm that they are indeed new and not just resurfaced. They said with it raining as much as it has some rust from other parts had ended up on the surface of the rotor and that the pads ground it into it a bit and that is why it didn't look as new as it normally would.

So you guys, even with my horrible pictures, were correct!

Thank you so much for being willing to give some advice to me. I know when our family does travel we'll take comfort knowing all is ok.

Sincerely,
Camry99LE