brucedeb1

My cousin's 2000 TL-P has had it's brake rotors warped two times and the dealer says it is driver related. Yet I seem to remember reading in this forum of others who have had brake related problems (ie..tranny) that seem to be systemic and not isolated. If anyone else has had this issue on their TL please reply or email me with the specifics and dealer resolutions. I appreciate it. brucedeb1@juno.com[/EMAIL]

vperkins2

I'm in the same boat. 1st warpage at 12,000 miles -- dealer in Northern Cali rotated 'em under warranty ; 2nd warpage at 22,000 miles -- dealer in SoCal (Riverside) says "normal wear and tear... you should apply your brakes sooner ..." and tried to charge me . Currently saving up for new rotors if I can find some in my price range.

Good luck!

V.

rhizopod

Brembo rotors from the Tire Rack... $50 each

VeeDubDude

if you have a tendancy to brake late and fairly hard, don't sit at a light with your brake pedal fully engaged. if the rotors are hot and you're sitting there for a few minutes with the pads clamped on them, you'll get the warping. try to scrub off some speed by driving slower in stop and go traffic, looking farther ahead for possible stops and coasting for a bit first, or leave a few extra feet so you can release the brakes and coast forward a bit to reposition the pads and then hold the pedal just enough to keep the car still.

Strannik

I guess it depends on a dealer... Had my rotors changed around 25K miles, and again around 32K - all free. But when the warranty runs out - its Brembo time! I also read somewhere here that aftermarket rotors warp less...

JDracer

Watch out for puddles & do NOT wash your car after you drive it.
Or least do your best to keep water off the rotors when they are hot.
Also, do not engage emergency brake if they are hot.
Warped rear rotors can cause the same feeling in the brake pedal.
JD

2007AcuraRL

1st time my rotors warped on my 2002TL was at 12.5k miles. Now they've warped again at 26k miles. I dont drive this car any differently from any other car I'ev ever had. I dont wait until the last second to brake either, and i dont brake hard and then sit at traffic lights with my foot on the brake pedal. I got the usual BS when i went to the dealer about it the first time, and frankly i am not going to go haggle with them about it now. They said they'd replace the rotors and pads "one time as a complimentary jesture", yet the service manager acknowledged they see an awful lot of warped TL rotors! I will just put on aftermarkets and different pads and hope its just a sh|tty OEM parts problem, and not ANOTHER design flaw (like the tranny, all the rattles, etc) You know, all in all, the TL really sux for a $30k investment Never again will I buy Acura.

luvmy99

Sometimes brake rotors will warp because of overtightened lug nuts. TL's are supposed to be torqued to 80 lb ft, but most garages just tighten them with an air wrench unevenly and to absurd tightness. The pressure can put just enough flex in the rotor to cause it to warp over a few thousand miles as the brake shoe hits the high spot harder. Either use a garage to rotate your tires that employs a torque wrench correctly or buy one yourself and redo the torque on the lug nuts after you get home from having the tires rotated.
-JP

miamiTL

I have a 2000 TL with about 38,000 miles. Just brought my car into service, and lo and behold, it was a rotor issue. They resurfaced the rotors and replaces my brake pads, as "per service bulliten." hope it dosnt happen again, or else its brembo time...

showgunz

The problem with brake rotor jobs at the dealer is that these resurfacings make the rotor more susceptible to warpage. Why? They just shaved some mass off the rotor so that's less "heat sink" the rotor will be. If anything, you should get bigger rotors or higher-quality rotors to resist warpage more. Also the TL's are pretty heavy cars so the OE rotors may be undersized for the application.

But don't fret. BMW owners also have problems with warped rotors. Car makers should really design better brake systems so that warpage is less of an issue.

And I also agree that many garages torque the wheel lug nuts too high because of liability reasons. If the wheel ever falls off, the shop that last put the wheel on may be liable to lawsuits and etc. Plus, the impact wrench is easier to use than the torque wrench.

Also, follow the advice stated above! Don't wash your car after driving for awhile. Also, after a panic stop, take your foot off the brake pedal and apply the handbrake. Why? TL brakes are much more biased toward the front than the rear. The handbrakes are applied from the rear rotors where they wouldn't be as hot as the fronts are.

Napsoner

What about those ACP rotors they sell on this site are they any good? also what about those EBC brake pads, are they any good? I want to change my brake system. I purchased the steel braided brake lines and going to have them installed, I just dont know what good rotors( I want cross drilled dimpled) and brake pads to get. I only want to do it once and one time correct, any help peoples?

fla-tls

I found an interesting set of instructions on www.pagidusa.com (a brake pad manufacturer) that states that brake pads have to be bedded after they are installed. The process relieves stresses in the rotor that can come from resurfacing it, and mates the pads to the rotors as well. I wonder if the dealer takes the time to actually do this procedure?

If anything, they should be asked. If you find that the rotor looks like they never drove the car after installing the pads, you might want to do the procedure yourself.

Here's the procedure
-----
The bedding in/break in procedure should be done as follows:
· Drive at approx. 35 mph (60 kmh) for about 500 yards (solid front discs) to 800 yards (vented front discs) while slightly dragging the brakes (i.e. light brake pedal pressure). This process allows the brake temperature to slowly and evenly build up to 300°C (572°F).
· Now, if possible, drive about 2200 yards maintaining the same speed without braking. This will allow the pads and discs to cool down evenly. After this cool-down, perform a normal brake application from 35 mph to 0. No panic stops!
· Now, the friction surface has evenly developed friction coal, the pads have bonded with the disc surface, and tensions in the disc materials will have disappeared.
· Only trained master mechanics should perform this procedure before delivering the vehicle to its owner. Do not expect your customer to properly finish your brake job!
· This bedding process is only suitable for the front axle - not the rear. This is due to the brake force distribution of front and rear axles. In order to reach 300°C (527°F) on the rear pads you would have to drive several miles with dragging brakes. However, in that time the front brakes will be glowing red, overheating and thus destroying the front brakes.
-----
and here's the link if you want to check out the rest.

One more thing - it appears that the procedure varys a little depending on the type of pad & manufacturer. It's a good idea to get bedding instructions specifically for the make/model of pad you buy.

vperkins2

Hey thanks for the heads-up. Now I'm researching the differences between "regular" and "cross-drilled or slotted" rotors.

Later,

V.

ExOwner

No, the dealer does not bed the pads. They work "flat rate" labor meaning they rush through jobs to make more money. The mechanics, that is. Bedding's your job and is explained (somewhat less completely) in the manual. This is not really the problem, however, nor is it warping. Zeckhausen Racing has a good explaination of rotor problems if you wanna find the URL.

The pad meterial is leaving deposits on the rotors which creates runout. Similar to warpage but not the same. Apparently the new material on the upgraded pads is little better. You can try creeping at stoplights or shifting into park, or just deal with it. You can also learn to do the job yourself. Disassemble front brakes and use garnet paper to smooth the rotor surfaces. Sometimes you can even see the outline of a pad deposit in the exact shape of the brake pads.

X-drilled and slotted rotors are really intended for racing. Street use will see little to no improvement, and will also experience faster wear and more noise. They do look nice, though.

vperkins2

Hey, I like what you had to say, but I need you to explain this part to me since you never really said why the statement was true. It didn't strike me as intuitively obvious so I thought I'd risk asking ya!

Thanks in advance,

V.

johnnyb_s

Warped rotors are covered under a TSB for the full regular warranty. Replacing of the pads and turning of the rotors IS COVERED, and replacment of the rotors is also covered, but under discretion of the dealer. DON'T PAY FOR THIS TO BE DONE. Go to another dealer if they won't honor the warranty and write to Acura about it.

johnnyb_s

Here is a copy of the TSB for the brake rotors:

http://www.**********.com/tsb/B01-01...ake_pulses.pdf

johnnyb_s

Replace the ***** with a c u r a w o r l d without any spaces between the letters.

ExOwner

Slotted and/or x-drilled are made that way to assist with gassing pads, meaning allow the gasses to escape from surface of extremely hot pads. Without this you can get a cushion of gas which decreases efficiency. The slots and holes won't help with cooling which is what you seem to want anyway with the funky Acura pads.

This is only needed when pads are very hot, eg. when you are racing or driving very hard and fast. With normal use there is reduced brake swept area which can reduce braking power.

However, they have abrasive qualities which introduce grinding noise and accelerate wear. Think of the slotted/drilled rotors as a cheese grater and your pads are cheese.

Allout

Cryogenically treated rotors are the way to go if you have the money and want bullet proof rotors less prone to warpage. Do a search.