I have 68k+ on my 2000 SE and on my 3rd set of rotors. The factory rotors lasted til about 58K and that wa with being cut twice with some massive judder for the last 5k before I had them replaced. The replacement ones felt great for about 3k then they started to pulse and I was getting the steering wheel vibe. Brought it back to where I had it done and complained. Mechanic threw brand new Bendix rotors on at around 65K.

They felt great and solid up until a week or so ago and I started to get a little pulse when braking around 75mph or so....

What gives? Why is it that after 3k or so my brakes feel like they are warping again?

Any ideas brake gurus?

If I can't resolve this, this thing is gone. I can't be replacing rotors every 5K miles!

What could cause thes things to go bad so quick?

Do ABS brakes suppose to give that feel? I'm not talking about the heavy pulse you get when ABS kicks in, I know what that feels like. The brakes feel awesome right after getting done so I don't think that feeling goes away after a few thousand miles and then little pulses start...I friggin hate that vibe, vibe, vibe in the steering wheel after hitting the brakes above 60 mph..


Ack...ok back to my original question....well are there any non warped rotors on 5th gen Maxs with more than 40 k on them?

I have new rubber but the car has never been aligned since about 10k....this wouldnt affect the brakes would it? Could the heavy judder I drove with for abot 5k screwed up my front end so bad that it would warp any new rotors put in?

 

Do you wash your car after driving it hard? Could you be cooling the rotors too quickly with water after much braking? Just a thought...

 

Are you torqueing the wheel bolts properly? I always hand-tighten the bolts in a star pattern and use a torque wrench to make sure they are all equally torqued, and I've never had a problem on any vehicle. If your trusty mechanic is just using his impact wrench to tighten the bolts then they will warp very quickly, especially in hard braking from 75mph.

 

I have 2001 SE with 27,000 miles. I've had the rotors turned twice, and replaced once. This week I've noticed a little shake in the steering while, which means it'll be heading back to the dealer in about a week to have the new rotors turned.

A few weeks ago I had the tires balanced at the bridgestone dealer, and noticed the rotors where messed up the first time I put my foot on the brake after leaving the shop. I loosened each lug nut when I got home, which were so tight I had to stand on the lug wrench to back them off. This solved the problem for a little while anyway.

 

I have a 2000 SE with 21,000 miles. (I know, I don't drive much) The only issue I've had with rotors is that they look like they are rusting. I don't know if it's actual rust, but it looks like some one spilled something and forgot to clean it up, and now it's discoloring. I've had no issues (knock on wood )with judders or warping.

 

Well, he is the one who told me to always make sure that the lug nuts are hand tightened and the tires havent been off since the rotors were replaced the 3rd time.

I think something in the front end is screwed....

I had a fender bender in March...2 grand worth of damage....didnt look like much but it did mean a new hood and left fender....I cant help to think that somethin got whacked in the accident.

On my OEM rotors I went about 10-15k between feeling pulses after rotors were cut. On both occasions that I had the new rotrs put on I felt vibs right around 3k afterwards......

Methinks something is just not right with this car....

Looking at 97-99 4th gen 5spds.....wont buy another 5th gen for sure...

 

I don't blame you. I have a love hate relationship with this car. My paint is chipping off, the rotors suck, the tires suck, the wheels are constantly out of balance. A friend I work with bought an Accord at the same time I bought my Max. I'm not saying I want an Accord, but she hasn't been back to the dealer for anything other than an oil changes. Lets see, I've been back to the dealer 4 times, and to the bridgestone dealer something like 5 or 6 times, in less than 18 months.

 

replace your brake pads too last time you changed the rotors? That could cause it...

ARFF

 

I've got 41 K onmy original rotors and no problems yet....

 

If the rotors are so bad, why aren't more people spending the extra couple bucks for the stillen rotors? When mine go out, I'm gonna go that route with the nice pads, no problems yet, but that's certainly no comfort

 

Another instance of over-torquing the lug nuts. Guy I take my car to says he's seen lots of warped rotors and it's because of these yay-hoos that rotate your tires and use an impact wrench. Those wrenches can torque up several hundred ft-lbs and you only need around 75 ft-lb on your lugs.

Buzz

 

Yes I did have pads changed...

The only set of Nissan rotors I've had on the car were the original set. The last 2 have been Bendix....which might not be the best but they are American made and I expected them to last a little more than 3000 miles before starting to pulse.

The 2nd time I had my OEM rotors cut I noticed a shimmy like my tires were out of balance...had the tires rebalanced and they still felt..well not right....that was about 7 or 8 months ago. I since had new Dunlop Sport A2's put on and they still feel unbalanced....

I swear that maybe when the Nissan moron cut my rotors he f%$#@d something up....I cant remember but he didnt do it the way the TSB said to do it.(either cut them on the car or take rotors off)

Anyways....like I said, 4th gen here I come.....my folks bought a used 95GXE 3 years ago and it never had the problems the 2000 guinea pig models do. either that or too much Saki when then built mine

 

If you don't have a mechanic you can trust, tell the shop that if they over-torque your lug nuts, you're going to come back to the shop, strangle them with the air hose, and beat the carcass to an unrecognizable pulp with the impact wrench.

Then watch them do the work.

 

My car is under warranty and the dealer has turned them and replaced them for free, so far. Even if they keep doing it for free, its a total hassle to drop my car off, rent a car for the day, etc... Might be worth while to just buy better aftermarket rotors. Are stillen's known to solve this problem.

 

The answer to your problem is a phone call to Stillen.

Silky smooth brakes!

 

Don't be a showoff

 

 

Newbie question--I know its not "too" tough to change your own oil and replace your brake pads--what about rotors? Is that a possible "do it yourself" project, or is it too tough for new guys?

 

has anyone has the stillen rotors warp? I have powerslot slotted rotors on my other car and they warped in a little over a year.

 

No rotor problems after 26,000+ miles on a '00 SE. After reading about the rotor problems on this board I asked a a couple of different employees at a local tire shop about how they check the torque when they rotated my tires. (I would have never asked if it wasn't for this org). They assured me they use a "torque stick" when they put the tires back on. I lingered around the shop as they worked on the car and watched them use it. So far no problems.

 

I have Stillen in the rear and stock in the front..

My front rotors are completely shot.. My rears followed shortly after but I stopped caring since my warranty on brakes was canceled due to painted calipars (BS from Service Rep)..
It doesn't matter what you do, they warp even though you put tremendous effort in taking care of the brakes.. Even stillen rotors.
I took it easy for about 2000miles after the rotors were replaced. I always made sure the brakes were cool before a car wash.
And yes, my pads were replaced along with the rotors..

Best bet is to go aftermarket..
I'm saving up on the brembo big brake kit..

 

What the F they canceled your warrenty because of painted calipers.. that's total BS!
yeah that Brembo Gran Turismo Brake kit looks sweet! I'll probably just get some Brembo sport rotors and Pads once I buy it at the end of my lease.

 

are the rotors in 4th gens the same as 5th gens. i've got 78k with original rotors... and only 10k on new pads. i've had zero problems with my brakes. i did my own brake job 10k ago and just used some 100 grit sandpaper to clean the rotors up a bit... but they feel like they did @ 38k.

 

I also have a love-hate relationship with my Nissan N.A. brothers. I'm confident you and I are not the only ones that share this feeling. Here's my ***** session. Warped rorors at 17K, dealership resurfaced them and would not take resposnsibility for anything else. Faulty Bose CD player that actually was replaced twice. It literally scratched my cd's. Front bumper looked like garbage, they repainted it around 30K but it actually looks like garbage again. Windshield has been full of chips since about 15K. Bought a car bra from Nissan, even with the car bra the paint is just peeling. About two months ago, finally replaced all rotors with aftermarket, and pad with Stillen pads, car had never been able to break as solid as it does now, I highly recommend this. About two week ago CD player altogether went out, Nissan will not replace it, car is at 58K, out of warranty. Car is actually two years and four months old. I would say that for $30K, I'm entitled to a car without all of those manifacturer defects. I did own a 2K V6 Accord Coupe b4 this car. Hate to tell you that all it ever demanded was regular oil changes. Won't buy another Accord again, but will never be back to the Nissan family after this one. One thing is true, that G35 Coupe sure is sweet, think I'll take my cahnces with a 330 CI at that price bracket.

 

I agree to this!

 

does the stillen web site show prices for replacement parts or s it only over the phone. i could not fnd anything except whole brake kits at $1700.

 

Here's been my experiences...

No problems with stock brakes in over 50K miles. Then changed to Stillen kit (cross drilled cad plated rotors, SS lines, stillen pads). Had some initial issues with the pads not wearing evenly for first 1K miles but now 12K miles later no problems, except for lots more brake dust, and the cad plating didn't last (MI winters are harsh).

I've always torqued the lug nuts by hand to 80 lbs (star pattern), and re-torqued after 50 miles.

 

I feel your pain!

So far I've got about 39K miles on my '00 SE with no brake rotor problems. But, I have been dealing with warped rotors on my '00 Dodge Caravan. I've had the originals turned twice and purchased a new set of rotors and pads from NAPA. The new rotors also warped and were turned. They warped again. So, I did a little research and came up with this:

http://www.policerotors.com/

Check it out. I just installed the new Raybestos treated rotors on the Caravan, so I can't vouch for the claims made by Police Rotors yet. I also installed new Raybestos Quiet Stop Ceramic pads when the new rotors were installed.

 

Hey everyone, I have 31,000 miles and the same problem. I remember seeing a form somewhere that said that the rotors are covered to 35k miles on the warranty. My local dealer said they weren't. So what's up are they or not, if so does anyone know where i can find that form from nissan that says they're covered?

 

I think there is a sticky here that has the TSB on it.....brake judder as they call it. My dealer tried to say that cutting rotors is not a warranty item until I stuck the TSB right under his nose. It clearly states that the judder is covered under the 3/36000 mile warranty.

So I take it that it is not all that uncommon for rotors to warp after 4k mile sometimes? Like I said I'm on my 2nd set of Bendix rotors in about 4 months. I'd like to believe it is the rotors and not some bigger problem with my car that is causing the rotors to warp.

 

Don't know if this applies or not, but on my '95 SE I used to get rotor warpage within about 15k miles of re-doing the brakes (I seem to go through brake pads pretty fast - driving habits...? )

Anyway, one auto parts guy recommended ceramic pads as they "don't let the rotor heat up". I'm no expert, but was skeptical - the pads work on friction either way, so how do the pads stop the rotor from heating...? Anyway, thought I'd try it and now, 20k later, still no problems - plus less brake dust.

Dunno if it's a true fix, but might be worth a try.

 

I'm just going to buy some NEW X-drilled rotors. I don't have time to keep on going to Nissan every month.

 

95 Max, no problems,no judder. First brake job(new pads and cut rotors) at 50,000.

2000 I30, wraped rotors at 19,000 miles. Infiniti changed front pads and cut rotors for free. At 24,000 miles still ok.

So, what is so different about the 2000+ year model brakes compared to the 1995-99 that would cause so many people to have the rotors warp???

My 95 had steel wheels with covers and the 2000 infiniti alloy wheels. More of the brakes seems exposed to the weather with the alloy wheels. Could this be why they warp?More exposure to water and rapid cool downs?

 

I have no idea...4th Gens had alloy wheels also and you really don't hear too much if anything(at least I haven't looked or heard)about them having warped rotors so easily. I imagine they got their wheels over torqued by the dealer also.....

If there was an answer it sure would be nice....I am afraid to put another set of rotors on....the last 2 sets had the lug nuts handtightend and they still warped so that theory may not hold water. And that was only with 3-4k on each set. maybe Bendix isnt as good as some other brands but they have to be better than the cheap POS China steel that is used by a lot of places and they warped like a record left in the sun and I tried to baby them.