I knew the brakes/rotors were notoriously bad, so around 3k miles I upgraded my pads to Hawk HPS. A couple months ago, I got the B1 service done on my TSX and just recently my front brakes started to squeak. I took my car into the dealer today, thinking that they goof'ed on the B1 service and my brakes needed a cleaning. The service guy said that I had ridges in my front rotors and my Hawks are wearing unevenly, and suggested that I get my pads and rotors resurfaced ($215).

There are visible ridges in my front rotors, so I was wondering if I should:

A) Get a second opinion from a different shop (ie Midas) - The dealer might be pulling one over me or I can find a cheaper quote for resurfacing.

B) Get my rotors/pad resurfaced - If I resurface the rotors, how many more miles can I get out of the rotors/pads (I understand it's all depends on your driving style)? Is resurfacing them even worth the money and effort?

C) Get aftermarket rotors. – This is not my ideal scenario, but what rotors do you guys suggest? What's the best bang for your buck? I would probably get front rotors, since my rears are in pretty good shape.

I'm pissed off that my rotors only have 13k mile on them, and my braking habits aren't aggressive. Additionally, I bedded the Hawks when I got them installed, so why is it wearing unevenly? What's a fix?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

You can always find a cheaper price for resurfacing the rotors than the dealer.

What a lot of people are not aware of is that the rotors on the TSX ought to be resurfaced on the car. Acura has as service bulletin on it -- and every dealer ought to have the special equipment, including the power module to rotate the rotor, to do the job right. Does Midas, or Joe Brown's shop, have the equipment? I doubt it.

I have seen a good number of posts where owners have experienced reliability and maintenance issues after replacing the OEM pads or rotors or both. I had 45,000 miles on my '04 when I traded it and the pads appeared to be less than half worn and the rotors showed no ridges or uneven wear. I never experienced any fading. But, I do downshift all the time. Road tests, by independents, have shown stopping distances of the TSX to be not much greater than best in class.

My opinion -- unless you are racing, and don't mind changing rotors, and pads, every few thousand miles -- stick with the OEM setup.

 

^^ thanks for the insight, I think I'm siding with getting them resurfaced

 

get R1 concepts OE replcements with ceramic pads.

 

http://store.r1concepts.com/Items/co...1?sck=10069583

Drilled and slotted (I got them for looks). Great deal, I got them picked up for $135. I've had them for a couple weeks now and they work just as well as OEM, if not a little better. They look so much better too. I originally replaced my rotors because mine were warped as well. You should get your pads resurfaced if you do decide to change rotors.

 

If they are not shaking, don't waste time or money resurfacing. Go out and do some heavy braking. Rebed the pads, and the noise will go away.

Don't waste time or money getting new rotors either unless you are looking for some sort of upgrade. Even then the rotors won't add any performance. Pads do. You just need rotors that stand up to better pads. HPS are so mild I would not worry about upgrading the rotors at this time.

Rebed the pads. You probably have some buildup on the rotors that should go away after you generate some heat.

Marcus

 

still have original brakes/pads on my 06 with 62,000+miles.

 

My brakes have been squeaking here and there lately. I can't tell if its the front or rear. I have between 27K and 28K miles on odometer.

I am having Acura look at them in a few days, but I want your opinions first. You guys don't think I'll need new pads yet at 27K miles? I doubt it. At what mileage do TSXs typically need new pads?

I'm guessing the rotors are probably good up to 100K+ miles too, so those shouldn't need changed yet.

I probably just need the 'service' where they resurface/clean them... right?

 

That is basically impossible to guess. We don't know how you drive, where you drive, etc. It should be obvious that a car that racks up more freeway miles will have brakes that last longer.

 

mine happened around the same mileage u had.. around 10K miles or so.. the squeaking sounds keeps going.

Yeaa, i went back to the dealer as well.. asked for the price. i forget how much it is, but it sounds too much for me.

So i went ahead and change my rotor instead. R1concept. Got 4 all changed around 220.. which should be around the quote i got for resurfacing..

so its like, y not? i get better looks + no sounds anymore.

hmmm.

gl.

 

I agree but my brother had the TSX from day one and drove to work everyday on the freeway and had brakes problems at 10,000 miles, took it to the dealer and fix it, at 18,000 miles again. I took the TSX from him at around 37,000 miles got power slot rotors with Hawk pads and after 5000 miles shaking again under braking.
When I had a 03 TL I had the same problem.

 

Sounds like you guys need some better rotors and pads. You are putting too much heat in your brakes. The pads melt down and the rotors can't shed the heat fast enough. Youy need some Racingbrake UP rotors and ET300 pads.

 

it is such a rip that they charge people $200 to resurface rotors..all the tech does is attach the machine and walk away...just had mine done ffriday night by my buddy who works at a dealer.. gave him $50 for doin it and putting new rear pads on. win win

 

Its a rip because in most cases it really does not need to be done, and doing it only serves to make it happen again sooner.

 

 

So less than an year ago, I had my rotors resurfaced and the pads regreased. The squeaking stopped, unfortunately, just this past month, the front brakes are squeaking yet again.

I followed Marcus' advice and did some heavy braking and rebedded the brakes, unfortunately, the squeaking came back after a couple of days.

I'm running Hawk HPS on stock rotors. I searched the forums and it seems like Hawks are hit or miss with the squeaking. Some people don't have a problem, while others do.

The squeaking is really annoying and I'd appreciate it if anyone have suggestions on a fix?

 

You know I have the HPS's also but haven't had any squeaks since I installed them (or ever)...granted, I'm running them on rotora's slotted rotors.

Maybe an upgrade in rotors are in order

 

Ha, I'm debating on it... I'm looking for a solution that'll stop the squeaking!

I'm actually hitting up Dennis next month to get Tokico Blues installed, but I might be throwing in new pads or rotors too depending on everyones' insight.

 

if you still have your oem pads, just reuse them. the noise will go away.

 

It is an individual situation issue. This is why it seems hit miss. Not everyone is going to have the same experiences w the same parts, even on the same car.


You need to rebed from time to time to quell the squeaking until the pads wear out, or get new pads now.

Marcus

 

Will the squeaking stop if I get new rotors? Or is the squeaking definitely because of the pads?

Would the Racingbrake ET300 pads or Hawk Ceramics be a better fit for stock rotors? Or would the Racingbrake pads work better with Racingbrake rotors? I guess my biggest question is if I get new pads, should I also get new rotors?

Thanks.

 

Here is my theory on what happens....

The friction between pads and rotors causes the braking to work. Friction causes heat. Heat is needed for the pads to work optimally, but different pads have different heat ranges they work best in. Likewise different pads will have different frictional coefficients so they will not all heat up at the same rate for a given pressure.

Heat is built up by friction then dissipated by the rotors. Vented rotors have cooling vanes in them to help them cool faster.


IF the heat built up by the pads is greater than can be dissipated you get, simply put, advanced degradation of the pad/rotor friction surface. This is when you start getting shakes, squeaks, glazing, etc.

When you rebed pads you freshen that pad/rotor friction surface and can largely get rid of problems, at least temporarily (sometimes permanently, sometimes only for a few stop lights).

Because of vast variance in driver style, driving conditions, vehicles, pad material, weather conditions, etc it is pretty much impossible to know what pads are going to be best for an individual. We can give general recommendations but make no promises.

Sometimes, problems of heat buildup can be cured by upgrading the rotors to ones that have slots (which help keep the friction surface clean) or drills (which help keep rotors cooler). We recommend Racingbrake rotors because they have slots, as well as a CURVED vane design, which moves more air than regular rotors do. Moving more air through the rotors keeps them cooler.



So, I think to a degree you'll see a reduction in noise with improved rotors and pads that suit them well. For a street type upgrade I'd go with Racingbr 1-piece rotors in front, and ET300 pads.

If you get new pads you do not need to get new rotors, or vice versa. The rotors only NEED to be replaced when they are warped or worn out/cracked, and pads only NEED to be replaced when they are worn out.

Marcus

 

i got mine resurfaced with new rear pads for $160