2003 Corolla Question

The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
on this one.

Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?

"googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1165280764.829294.17210@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
>
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]

Did they *inspect* the rotors?

Cathy[color=blue]
>[/color]

Cathy F. wrote:[color=blue]
> "googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1165280764.829294.17210@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...[color=green]
> > The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> > at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> > for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> > on this one.
> >
> > Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]
>
> Did they *inspect* the rotors?
>
> Cathy[color=green]
> >Well, I went in for a tire rotation, so I just assumed they could see the rotors, yes.[/color][/color]

On Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:06:04 -0800, googleisfun wrote:
[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
>
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]


You'll have to look this up. Spec for Corolla rotors used to be 10mm min
thickness. My Supra had 12mm Min thickness stamped into the edge. I have
also seen 8mm as a min thickness.

Try to Google the spec and then, as a 'quick' way to guage, is to take a
wrench the correct size and see if it slips over the rotor. This is just a
rule of thumb.

Usually the rotors last two pad changes.

"googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1165281232.206532.17620@n67g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Cathy F. wrote:[color=green]
>> "googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1165280764.829294.17210@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...[color=darkred]
>> > The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
>> > at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
>> > for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
>> > on this one.
>> >
>> > Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]
>>
>> Did they *inspect* the rotors?
>>
>> Cathy[color=darkred]
>> >Well, I went in for a tire rotation, so I just assumed they could see
>> >the rotors, yes.[/color][/color]
>[/color]

At 185,000 miles on my Sienna (that I trail with) I have changed my rotors
twice. This is not a regular maintenance thing, it is an as needed thing.
One measures the thickness of the rotor to see if it has worn too much and
there is likely a bad reason for that sort of abnormal wear (too aggressive
braking that heats up the rotors and warps them, letting the pads get too
worn out so that they dig grooves into the rotors...). Also, there are
cheap rotors that warp easily (Midas specials) and there are good ones that
are built better and last.

Long ago I had a Chevy Nova (Corolla) that Midas put new rotors on and the
next time in what do you know, "you need new rotors". I felt really scammed
when they tried blaming it all on my braking habits. I just left (forever)
without them doing anything and those same supposedly bad rotors lasted for
the remaining life of that car (about another 100K miles).

My point is that rotors can be one of the "gullible customer scams".
Sometimes you need them, many times you really do not. Beware.
Tomes

On 4 Dec 2006 17:06:04 -0800, "googleisfun"
<thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
>at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
>for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
>on this one.
>
>Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]

My '92 Corolla Wagon has had two pad changes at 200,000 total miles.

The rotors are still original.


--

Scott in Florida

"googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1165280764.829294.17210@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
>
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?
>[/color]

Depending on driving conditions and driving style, it is very possible that
the car needs front brake pads at 30,000 miles. The minimum pad thickness
is 2 mm - if any 1 out of the 4 front brake pads is less than 2 mm, then
replace all of the front pads. If you do not feel any pulsation in the
pedal when you apply the brakes and the pads have not worn grooves in the
rotor, then you probably do not need rotors.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

My 2003 Corolla has had brakes done twice over about 85K miles. Rotors
changed the second time brakes were done. I could feel that they had
become warped. The reason mine lasted so long I figure is that about
80% of my driving is highway....not much brake use.

Take it somewhere else and see what they say.

Paul



googleisfun wrote:[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
>
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]

googleisfun wrote:[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
> I am not sure about this
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]

googleisfun wrote:[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
> I am not sure about this
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?[/color]

I have 46K miles on my 2003 Corolla, and my brakes are fine. A lot of my
miles from from VA to FL, but I also commute 45 mins to and from
work....lots of stop-n-go, with no brake problems.

What are your driving habits like?

John

"googleisfun" <thecarpenter333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1165280764.829294.17210@79g2000cws.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> The Toyota dealer told me it was time for front brake pads and rotors
> at 30,000 miles. I know the pads are getting low, but rotors at 30K
> for this car? Neither the Toyota website nor the manual helped me out
> on this one.
>
> Anyone with this car change thier rotors yet?
>[/color]