RogerPodacter

At first I thought it was my imagination, but it has only been getting worse. At highway speeds (say >50mph) the wheel shimmies and shakes (in that order) while applying the brakes. Even rolling to a stoplight, if i brake so that the pads BARELY touch the rotors, i can feel it.

Now i am not an aggressive driver, so how can a car with 9000 miles have warped rotors?

Perhaps its my driving style. For example, when cruising around town if i am coming to a red light, i always pop into neutral and coast/brake with no engine braking at all. maybe this engine braking actually takes som of the work from the brakes and should be used?

I hope my dealer will fix this free of charge.

dom

You should be downshifting to assist the car in braking, you'll save your brakes. But coasting to a red light is no excuse for warped rotors.

Did'nt the TL have the same problem?

But are'nt TSX brakes from the RSX? and I've heard no reports like this from any RSX owners.

KC 2004 TSX

I was taught to down shifting while breaking when using a manual transmission. I am no service tech.

moda_way

The constant application of brakes (per your coasting method) shouldn't warp the rotors. If you, in the early stages of the breakin or at anytime afterwards, slammed the brakes for emergency reasons, then that alone could have done it and your method of braking has just made it appear sooner.

chrisalberts

Your dealer indeed SHOULD fix it free of charge. While I don't believe your coasting could cause this, I wouldn't mention it to the dealer as it might muddy the waters.

One thing to try first however, would be to make sure the pads just aren't glazed or damaged. Here's how - get up to 60 or 70 on an empty road and then do a very hard stop (down to say 10mph) and then repeat a few times (enough so that if you get out you should be able to smell the brakes). Then let them cool down by driving without braking much for a while and see if it still happens.

Or just take it to your dealer anyway.

C.

dnb

Make sure your dealer tightens the lug nuts with the correct torque. On some cars (don't know about the TSX) overtorquing can result in warped rotors.

DEVO

glazing has nothing to do with the above described problem... they are warp for any number of reason. it all has to do with the speed that you were going at, the temperature of the brakes before applying the brakes and how hard and long were the brakes applied for (for example an emergency stop from 80mph).

DEVO

dnb, has a valid point that could very well be the reason. so add that above my reasons.

adam fiooz

Well if you guys would go over to the av6 forum you would read how some "Accords and Tsx" have rotor problems and there all thinking there is going to be a recall soon on both.

gilboman

you just got a bad one from the factory..."coasting" should not cause it, unless you slam on the brakes everytime you stop, there is no way you could've directly caused it to warp... and for all the people saying should use engine braking to exist... just think... doing that puts more stress on the engine and no doubt will lead to faster wear and tear...what would you rather replace...brake pads or engine?

dom

Its a Honda Gilbo, not a BMW, the engine can take it

wiz

I have warped rotors too at just over 10000 miles. Most of my miles have come on the interstate, although I do a lot of around town driving, it's not very aggressive. I may drive aggressively sometimes, but I brake very gently as I like to have good brakes. I'm taking mine to the dealer Tuesday.

CraZydudE

Im a complete car newbie/idiot. So can someone please tell me whats going on, and whats a warped rotor?

RogerPodacter

I have similar driving patterns with wiz. i have been on the interstate everyweekend for the last 2 months (beach, NC, camping...etc) i dont drive hard, but occasionaly have to stop with the flow of traffic. nothing that should warp the rotors though.

not to mention this weekend will be 400 miles to PSU. hope that doesnt cause even more warpedness, warpery, warpity (wtf would that word be?)

wiz

Yeah Roger, I'm with you. I live in Atlanta and go visit my parents a lot (about 40 miles one way). I've also been to Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, and various other parts of north Georgia. Most of my driving is actually city driving, but the majority of my miles are interstate miles. I am going to Athens, GA this weekend for a wedding, but the g/f is gonna drive her car.

chrisalberts

Disagree. Sometimes due to heat, pads can leave chunks of pad on the rotors that have a similar symptom to warped rotors. Sometimes you can melt it back off again with some brisk stopping.

What's your definition of glazing then?

C.

Type S Personality

Brakes are must cheaper than transmissions.....Jackie Stewart!

DEVO

good point, but i've never seen or felt a vibration on glazed rotors... just the squel. a vibration that bad (as described above) can only be one thing IMO. plus it's happening all the time. Where it just a piece of the pad, over time it would come off.

DEVO

ok... as simple as i can make it.

if you were to take the rotor off and place it on a perfectly flat floor... a non warped rotor would lay flat on the floor... a warped rotor will not lay flat on the floor.

so what happens is that the calipers when applied are not placing pressure to both sides of the rotor equally which causes the wheel to vibrate, etc.

in other words the surface area of the rotor is no longer on the same plain... the plain is bent.

if this doesn't make any sense... take any CD, notice how a cd appears flat on both sides, if you spin it, it still looks flat. now apply pressure to warp the cd (flex it and hold it that way)... now imagine that shape rotating around a fixed point (center). it's no longer flat.

Gboyz78

I've learned not to wash your rims, especially getting your rotors wet with cold water after drving for a long period of time. The sudden change in temperature bends the rotors.

Gboyz78

The dealer usually will fix 1st time warped rotors free-of-charge. One more thing, you can want bring your rotors to a car shop (ex.Discount Auto) and they charge around $8.00 for a rotor. This is not a major problem.

ALFA

This is very interesting. I haven't decided yet between the TSX and the G5, so I am a reader of both forums. For some time now owners of the G35 have been complining about the same problems with the brakes. Some of them don't even get 10,000 miles out of them. I wonder if they use the same supplier.

tsx-fl

I have warped rotors and 7,600 miles. Thinking of replacing stock with spoon rotors.

1killercls

dumb o rama!!!...DO NOT DOWNSHIFT unless you have to!! Or you are carving up a canyon and need to do it for proper control. Clutch's are WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than brake pads even though they are made out of the same material. Lemme think $1000.00 for a clutch job or $200.00 for brakes....?

As of late ALL Honda Products have had rotor warping issues...WARRANTY COVERS IT!! Go to your dealer.

adam fiooz

Like i said "Recall"!!

majormojo

Agree with not downshifting to aid braking. The brakes were MADE to slow the car down, use them. However, the Honda rotor warping is not "of late" IMO. The rotors have been a consistent weakness for as long as I've had my '89 Accord (304,000km). I'm on at least my third set, and I've almost always had rotor warpage within the lifetime of a single set of pads. That is, almost every brake job has meant machining the rotors - no simple pad swap jobs.

Now, I'm sure someone is going to tell me it's my fault for not using the clutch/gears to slow down. We'll have to just agree to disagree on that point. But brake rotors on a modern car should not warp from "normal" braking or even a single panic stop. I was aware this might still be a problem on the TSX and I bought it anyway. There's enough good about the car to compensate. Perhaps better quality 3rd party replacement rotors will be the way to go...

sponge

I'm no expert, but I recently read somewhere that some manufacturers have been using softer rotors in order to reduce complaints of brakes squealing. Apparently, softer rotors don't squeal as much as hard rotors. The drawback is that a softer metal gets warped more easily. I wonder if this is the case with the TSX.

gilboman

no it cant...even if the engine can..the tranny definitely can not

Saintor_RENAMED

What do you think happens when it is raining?

Saintor_RENAMED

This is what irritates me most with Honda. Weak brakes! They should really consider taking their brake designs from Toyota. On my Accord, I have changed pads at 77000km and at pads mid-life at 110000km, the rotors are warped and there are vibrations when braking from 80km/h.

If you are on warranty, don't accept that they only resurface the rotors.

1killercls

I have owned HONDA products since 1987..NEVER ANY Brake probs....what gives

Speed Demon

Same here, no brake problems on any Honda I've had (2 Accords).

darth62

I've been driving Honda exclusively since 1988. In all that time, I've never had any break problems with the exception of warped rotors. My last Accord had that problem and I suspect my TSX does as well. I don't this this is an unusual thing to happen on today's cars, unfortunately.

tony4311

same here. Except I've only owned mine since '99. I was about 6 years old in '87 :P

adam fiooz

Your not alone, Some of the new Accords are haveing the same problems.

huskerfan

I have a 98 Accord EX V6 Coupe. I just replaced the brakes for the first time @ 75,000 miles and have had no brake problems. However, my 2003 Acura TLS had the brakes replaced and the rotors resurfaced by the dealer at no charge at the 30K maintenance.

DISRUPTV

warped rotors are a problem for almost all the manufacturers nowadays...mercedes, nissan, ford, GM, and quite a few other manufacturers have owners complaining abt warped rotors...you must remember, brakes today are alot more sensitive than the past and all the recent electronic mechanims used to assist braking force may lead to even quicker brake wear...

...dont 4get, brakes, like the engine, MUST be broken in properly, if not their performance will be noticeably reduced and may result in consequent problems such as warping

DEVO

I have to say that other then the S2000's brakes (NSX as well), I haven't heard anything good about any other honda braking system.

Found939

I've got over 11,000 miles and no warping yet.

gilboman

it's like honda just focuses on the engine but completely forget about the brakes