texasmax

iTrader: (4)

So, the Max has been sitting for 6 months. Battery died. and replaced that. Took it in to Firestone for an oil change (too damn lazy), and the rear brakes were grinding. Pads are not low at all. It's not too loud, I can only hear it when driving slow, and it goes away when I step on the brakes. So, asked Firestone to inspect. They're telling me they want to turn all the rotor as they're pretty rusted (and they look it, too). The rears have been on for who-knows how many miles, the front rotors are the solid faced Brembos from the group deals, maybe 5k miles.

$350+ bucks. Needless to say, they're not touching it Question is, can I get away with wearing down the rust with some "good braking technique"? Or should I just slap on new rotors and be done with it? Is there a way to inspect to tell the difference?

Thanks all.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

you can take the rotors off and run them into autozone or whatever and have them check the run out. ALso they should be able to check for out of round.
With your car sitting, it's understandable that you have rust on your discs, but that should wear off really quickly. More than likely you have a stuck/seized caliper. take the car for a quick drive and ****don't touch**** the rotor. See if one is hotter than the other after going around the block. you should be able to feel the hotone just by putting your hand close to the rotor. That will tell you if you have a seized caliper.
Hope that helps you out.
cheers

scubasteve

iTrader: (6)

just replace them

texasmax

iTrader: (4)

No heat difference. I'll do that- I'll have them check the rotors.

DBear

$350 just to turn the rotors???

texasmax

iTrader: (4)

Sorry, $350 to turn all rotors AND new pads all around. Still a ripoff, and the pads have got plenty of meat left.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Just drive it for a few hundred miles, the rust should all be wiped off by the pads.
If the brakes judder after the rotors are all clean, then turn them.

I recently bought a 98 Ford Explorer with 58,000 miles on it. It had been sitting for about 3 years. Rotors rusted up really good. After about 1000 miles they look perfect and brake smooth as can be.

Conclusion, If it ain't broke, don't mess with it.

rvamaxima

iTrader: (19)

Most places will cut rotors for $20 a piece if you carry them in, unles they're drilled or slotted. I had alot of trouble here in Richmond Va finding someone who would cut my slotted rotters.
They will eventually wear the rust off with normal driving. if they,re not warped, plan a couple of morning drives through rush hour traffic to clean them up.

IlyaK

iTrader: (47)

Just drive lol.

My car sat for a yr and 6 months before I bought it. I drove it from Syracuse, NY to my home in Albany (3hrs) and by the time I got home, they were fine.

nsnrider

iTrader: (59)

drive around for a few days, then take a look at the rotor surface, if you can visually see spots where rust ate into the metal or you get a vibration when braking, then have the rotors turned. pads are cheap, and turning rotors are about $25 a pair if you bring them in yourself. not a big deal.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

drive with one foot on the brake and the other on the gas, it will clean the rust off in a couple of miles. Been there done that

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

and then watch as someone makes a thread regarding their poor fuel economy.

texasmax

iTrader: (4)

Drove it around a bit more last night, realized that the grinding was ever-so-slightly pulsing and going faster the faster I went. So, found an accomodating shop, took it in during lunch, they wanted to turn both rear rotors for $75, sat and read a couple of car mags, and now it drives like a charm. Though I wanna try the one foot on the brake one on the gas- I'm gonna call it, "powerbraking down the highway". Rock n roll!

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

I had this similar problem happen to my camry that i let sit for about a year. i just simply drove it and eventually the rust wore off and the griding noise stopped. i ended up giving it to my mom and till this day, 2 years later still the same rotors and akebono pads. hope that helps

black_maxed95

iTrader: (41)

my rear rotors were $8 a piece from autozone
probably the cheapest job ive ever done.

Frank Fontaine

^+1

This summer my wife's cousin and I, with her uncle, did my brakes, 4 rotors/4 pads OEM. Surprisingly, in 2 years, the pins on the fronts were totally seized. Bizarre, I mean seized, so there was no floating going on. Then, for the 2nd brake job the rears wore unevenly due to sticky caliper. The uncle is a mechanic so he dremeled the pins, and worked the caliper and we put it back. Now, the rear right is still hot. We should have replaced the caliper when we had everything apart. Guess he was being an uncle and not a repair shop mechanic trying to reuse anything reusable. Now I'll probably let the rear pads get shot yet again and replace them prematurely, and do the caliper at that point.

Don't know what the OP means about rust, there is gonna be rust where the pad does not contact the rotor. however, if unturned over years, the contact area gets smaller and smaller, and new pads get grooves cut into them and lose effectiveness....