Lucky me, I have fallen into the infamous category of those that have rotors issues with the rotors warping for no good reason. My rotors seem to be warping every 12K miles or so. I got the dealer to machine them down the first 2 times and on the second time replace the pads, since the warped rotors wore them down excessively fast. I bought the pads and they absorded the labor costs. Well here it is 13k miles later and my rotors are warping again.
Have the dealers just left us hanging out in the wind or has anyone had better luck? From reading the posts it seems we're screwed and the dealers aren't helping at all.
I'm preparing a new attack with my dealer (Cush Acura of San Diego and Escondido, CA) to get my rotors replaced. I'm not a hard driver, but will admit that I do enjoy a good windy road on OCCASION. What I'm asking is, what different tatics have been used over the past by you guys.
I'm going to go after them with comparing the 03' and 04' models. The 04' models have 1/2 inch bigger rotors, but yet the car weighs about the same, difference being less than 100 lbs more like 50. The weight distribution is the same as well.
So if not a design flaw then why the need for the bigger rotors in the 04' model?
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

Do you have a 2nd gen TL? If so, the problem is the OEM pads causing the rotors to warp, not the OEM rotors causing the pads to fail. There is a TSB about this, don't let the dealer charge you for any brake work (unless you've put a lot of miles on the car).

If the dealer won't fix it for free just save time and money and get some aftermarket pads and rotors, I recommend irotors.com rotors, and people seem to like the EBC greenstuff pads (I have hawk HPS pads and have no complaints, but you don't hear much about them).

 

I thought that TSB was for '01s and had since been resolved by installing different pads. I know my '02 was not covered by the TSB.

If you got pads from the dealer today wouldn't they be the newer pads?

 

Just get aftermarket rotors and pads, they last a whole lot longer than stock.

 

agreed. aftermarket rotors and pads are alot better than factory.
like the IROTORS and the Green Stuff pads.

 

That's BS i have had my pads replaced with Hawk Pads and Endless Pads and the stock Rotors have warped every time between 8-12k miles.

 

Have you seen the TSB? Are you replacing your stock rotors or just getting them turned each time? Also, the stock rotors probably can't handle aftermarket pads, but the reason your rotors warped with the OEM pads is because of a problem with the OEM pads for 1999 - 2003 TLs. Even if you go to the dealer and they say they fixed the problem (they replaced my pads and I still had it), they probably haven't, because Acura's service sucks, get used to it. Don't listen to what the dealer says, listen to people on here. Get aftermarket rotors and pads, or pay a lot more in the long run. Here is the TSB:

01-017 Brake Pedal, Steering Wheel, or Vehicle Vibrates While Braking

VEHICLES AFFECTED

1999?03 3.2TL ? ALL

2001?03 3.2CL ? ALL

SYMPTOM

When the brakes are applied normally, the driver feels
a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal, the
steering wheel shakes, or the vehicle does not have a
smooth, continuous deceleration feeling.

PROBABLE CAUSE

The front and/or rear brake pads have caused a
variation in the brake disc thickness.

CORRECTIVE ACTION

Refinish the front brake discs, and install new brake
pads. Test-drive the vehicle and if necessary, refinish
the rear brake discs and install new brake pads.

 

My rotors had been warping every 15K also; I replaced the rotors (turned twice) with Brembo Blanks and installed factory pads (did not want to do the rears so I stuck with factory pads). I then bed the pads correctly.
I've since driven over 45K and no warping yet.

Was the difference the new rotors or my bedding procedure? Don't know.

 

It's good to see that TSB does reference the 02, but I swear there was another TSB just for '01.

But to Bigman's point:

The TSB reads, "The front and/or rear brake pads have caused a variation in the brake disc thickness." This makes sense with respect to the fact that the pads are the only thing touching the rotors, but does not really demonstrate cause and effect.

Consider that the rotors may not be heat treated well enough to harden them, or that the heat treating is not uniform. That could cause the metal to be actually softer in some places and harder in others. In this case ANY pads would wear them unevenly, but the actual cause was not the pads - it was the poor quality heat treatment.

 

Well the stock rotors do suck, but what do you expect? The OEM pads were too hard on the rotors so the OEM replacement pads are supposed to be gentler (this is from what I've heard on the board, I don't know it to be a fact). So I'm guessing you could get good aftermarket rotors and use stock pads and it'd work fine, or you could find aftermarket pads that aren't too powerful and use them on OEM rotors, but if you want to be sure just go aftermarket rotors and pads, it's the same cost as getting a crappy replacement from acura.

 

sc354 has a group buy going on now for aftermarket rotors and pads, you might want to check that out in the Black Market section. I believe (better rotors and pads) would be a natural evolution like the stock tires since IMO the stock OEM rotors are not exactly suited for the car. It's not just the TL but many other brands like the Lexus ES330 and a good many out there have the same problem.

 

Yeah, stock Honda pads material is too damn hard. Both my CRX and TL chew up a pair of new rotor in less than 20K. I wonder the semi-metallic part is the cause. My TL switched to some Japanese rotor and Wagner ThermoQuiet cereamic pads. It seems to bite harder, but rotors are fine. New Brembo on the CRX, will see how long they wil last with stock pads.

 

Hey TypeSdragon, those underbody neon lights are legal where u live?