I dropped it off there to get a tranny flush, radiator flush, tire rotation and oil change. That came along with a 'physical inspection'. He just called to tell me of several problems.

1. front rotors need to be replaced, because they're blue, which they have been like ever since i bedded in my pads, but i thought that was the objective, according to one site.

2. Power steering belt and alternator belt are cracked, and needed to be replaced.

3. 2 tires need to be replaced, and i need an alignment, which i knew already.

I just told him to do what i originally asked for and I'm going to bring it home, and possibly take it somewhere else. But what are some symptoms of these? Especially the belts, which I know nothing about.

 

if the belts are bad they might be making a whistle, i kno my belts do and they are cracked.

 

Just look and see if the belt is cracked or torn. Look mostly at the groved side. If it is all cracked then you should replace it.

 

1) If your rotors work and are not warping, who cares if they're a bright yellow, or have pictures of little pretty red hearts on them? Why did he say they needed to be replaced, besides being bluish?

2) Do you know when this belt was last changed? It shouldn't be a huge job to get it done anyway. In regards to what happens when a belt dies, well you'll end up stranded, but AFAIK nothing major could happen - it's not a timing belt which, if broken, can make baby jesus cry (our cars don't have those anyway). Regardless, you can certainly take the car home and almost definitely have plenty of time to consider what approach you'll take to getting it repaired, whether it's yourself or somebody else. It's unlikely to simply break now if it hasn't so far, just because the guy says it's cracked all of a sudden

 

He said the blue meant that they weren't distributing the heat evenly, which would lead to brake fade.

 

No, there's nothing wrong with the bluish hue to the rotors. That just means they have been through several heavy heat cycles (several cycles of heavy use). It does not mean they are damaged in any way.


Uneven heat dissipation can lead to warping and cracking. The color is not an indicator of this.

 

 

That's what I thought. The site about bedding pads said they should have a bluish tint to them.

As for the tires, sound like a good excuse to get rims but, I would need to lower first....so much money. Bah, who needs new tires.

 

Mine are blue after I bedding the pads in and work fine.
Thats what they are suppossed to look like.
I wouldn't buy anything from this place.

 

just wondering where this power steering belt is .. can we see it just by opening the hood or is it down under ? thx

 

Even if the bluish hue did as he said, it's not like you'd be driving along the road one day and suddenly your brakes are hardly working because of brake fade. It's something gradual. I would simply not replace rotors that are working and unwarped. I cannot why anybody would need to.

 

The max only has one belt. Thats the serp belt. If it has more then one belt i wold like a pic of it

 

serp belt??

 

Oh no.

 

serpentine belt is serp belt.

 

I hope you guys can count

 

Why don't you open the hood of your maxima and count. Then report back

 

OK call me an idiot. If it has 2 belts I was going off of experiance havnt had to change my belts yet. Most cars of this type only have a serp belt but i gueess if you say it has 2 then ill take your word for it till i can go home and look. If it has 2 Im a retard.

 

Yes, you can open the hood and with a flashlight see down on the passenger side of the engine, the serpentine belt and eyeball it to see how it looks.

 

OK i stand corrected the Max does have 2 belts. Thanks for poiting that out to me. I am officialy an idiot

 

Is the serpentine belt the same as the power steering belt? I've never heard of this term before.

 

so i was wondering how much would it cost if i where to get my tranny and radiator flushed?

 

Serpentine just means the type of belt, in other words its not a thin fan belt and yes our cars have 2 belts.

 

ok for all who have said the blue means nothing...YOU ARE WRONG...it is from the heat..some people call them hot spots...soon you will most likely feel some vibration when braking...those rotors will lose stopping power...and they can never be turned to specs again...sorry if i jurt anyone's feelings..but i have nothin to sell to anyone...and you just might experience problems, believe it or not....the belts if they are cracked because unlike what one of these guys said..it will be a problem if either of them brake and your not close to a stopping point...1) your water pump will not be working..overheated car..2) your alt. wont work..kill battery and be left stranded

 

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

From that page:
"After the break-in cycle, there should be a blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face. The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life. "

So you're saying these people who sell high performance brakes for a living are incorrect?

 

Um... I don't think anyone told him not to change his belts. Also the mechanic told him the rotors where bad because of the color.
How can you lose stopping power because of discoloration?

 

my rotors are blue too cause i just did the bed in process but my brakes squeal when i stop....I have brembo drilled/slotted and raebestos pads....any suggestions?