Sorry if this was asked before but....
How do brake companies prevent rust from forming on their rotors while it's in the warehouse? Is there a protection coating on the rotors that wear out when you applied the brakes the first time? The reason I'm asking is because I just got a set of rotors and I'm waiting for the pads to come in (eta is 7 days). I'm worried about rust forming on the rotors.
Any Suggestions?

Thanks.

 

Some brake rotors come wrapped in plastic and have a rust preventive compound applied to them. As long as you store your rotors inside a house or garage inside the boxes, you should not have to worry about them rusting before you install them. They will rust on their on once you start using them on the car anyway.

 

I think they put oil (or some other coating) on them. They say you should spray them off with brake cleaner before installation because of this anyway.

If you're asking how you could keep rust off the parts that don't contact the pad then there are a few options. You could get rotors that are zinc plated like the ones in automax's GD, or you could paint them with high temp paint (don't paint the part the pad contacts of course).

 

What happens if you don't use your car for a week while on vacation?

The rotors are going to rust a little every day once they're installed, so don't sweat it.

 

The rust where the pad is comes right off after braking a few times. It's not like it's hurting anything though, just looks crappy.

BTW, I like your sig quote canadianMofo.

 

Zinc plated rotors don't rust. But I don't think you can just apply it.

 

Zinc plated rotors will still rust after a while. usually it takes a couple years though.

in that case, I just sandblast them clean and powdercoat them with flat black around the hub area.

 

O yeah dont forget to get break cleaner to clean off the rotor before you install it, If you leave the stiky stuff on there your breaks will squeek a lot.

 

I think he will need brake cleaner to break the protective film from the rotor.

 

hhahha, lol brake to break i get it, haha

 

I painted my stock ones with high temp paint. It looked awesome for about a month. Then the underlying rust came through. But the surface is still predominately paint. I'd imagine that if you started fresh it would totally rust free for a long time. BTW, I painted on the braking area and the only issue was nasty smell for the first 10 miles. The pad chews the paint away and it doesn't effect the pads performance afterward.