Phatty 2K 3.2TL

My friend mentioned that we wonder if my rotors are a little warped because once in a while, when I'll stop from 40+ the car feels like it's buckin' a lil. Almost like it's on a lil bumpy road. The steering wheel is perfectly smooth while braking, always.

I have another friend who whenever she hits the brakes on her her entire steering wheel shakes violently. And you can feel the car bucking a lil bit too. It's real obvious her rotors are messed up.

How can I tell if my rotors are warped? Do warped rotors show their signs at all speeds? Is it possible they'll only occasionally show theres warpage when stopping from higher speeds?

Thanks in advance,
Noam

AcuraTL

Usually, you can tell when your rotors are warped is when the rotors are "hot". Meaning that you either are doing repeated stops in a very short periods of time, braking downhill or high speed braking. When your rotors are warped, you will feel pulses on your break pedal and depends on how severe it is, your steering wheel might shake too.

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Phatty 2K 3.2TL

So the pulsing will only be obvious when the rotors are very hot, but go away when they're cool?

Noam

AcuraTL

Yes. You will only notice your rotors being warped when they are hot. When they are cool, you probably won't notice it.

Phatty 2K 3.2TL

How do I have a dealer check them for me then? They have to heat them up first? I don't want to embarrass myself and have them check my rotors to find out they're not really warped, ya know?

Noam

AcuraTL

They can check them. They will take different measurements at different points on the brake disc. If the measurements are off, then they'll either have to resurface the rotors or replace them. If you are experiencing rotors warpage, then bring it back to the dealer and let me check it.

Phatty 2K 3.2TL

Thanks for all your help! This is probably a record # of back and forth posts in a given time.. I appreciate all your info. I just don't want to feel stupid if they're really not warped, because they usually feel fine to me.. it's once in a while I get that lil feeling that they might be, and it is usually when it's hot, so you've helped a lot. I heard warped rotors were a problem with these cars too. I wonder if Park Ave Acura will just replace them for me? We shall see. Thanks again for all your help.

Noam

daverman

Interesting discussion. I have a TLS with about 500 miles on it. I've been driving conservatively to break the car in, so I haven't performed any hard braking.

However, I've begun to notice a pulsing feeling during several normal red-light stops. But I can't tell if it is my brake rotors or if there are ripples on the road surface (from cars braking over the same spot over and over). I did try braking on random stretches of road several times and I haven't sensed the pulsing feeling yet.

How severe is the pulsing feeling? I guess it varies depending on how warped your rotors are. Maybe I'll have the dealer look at it the next time I get my tires rotated.

Shoofin

In plain English, your steering wheel will shake like a mo-fo when you brake from speeds anywhere from 40+ mph. That's when your rotors are warped.
Ed

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Gomez

This is a common problem in TLs, and is quite annoying. I had Acura turn mine at 14k miles.

try hitting the brakes at speed, and see if the steering wheel does the characteristic left-to-right jiggle when braking. If so you've got warped rotors. I've never had this happen at such low mileage, and suspect that Acura cut corners on the rotors and they're too thin for the job.

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AcuraTL

I have about 28000 miles on my TL and my rotors are fine. Just remember, you have to follow the break-in procedures very carefully.

Don's TL

I have 35,000 miles and my rotors are about as warped as they can get. My steering wheel shakes like a MOFO when braking. I brought it to the dealer and they said it's a wear and tear item and also they warped because maybe they over-torqued the lugs when I put on the aftermarket rims. Bunch of BS, my rotors were warped before I had my C-5's.

[VTEC]TL

I have the symptoms of warped rotors as well. I only have like 14k miles on my TL.

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hemoglobin23

can't we do anthing about the dealers telling us it's wear and tear, abd do nothing about it...why are they so stingy?

swhtech

The dealer saying that it's wear and tear is b.s. I just brought my 2000TL with 24K miles to the dealer and complained about the steering wheel shaking during high speed braking. They replaced the front rotors and the front pads. They said the rear brakes were not warped at all. I didn't even have to argue with them about fixing the problem. If you're dealer won't fix it for you, find another Acura dealer. The original rotors\pads are crap, and Acura knows it and they should fix it for you. Good Luck!

Fiddler

if u only feel shaking/bucking and/or pedal feedback , it's possible that it's your rear rotors. when your fronts are warped, you'll feel it in the steering wheel (i warped 2 sets of fronts )

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rockinTLS

Acura/Honda has built cars for years with very sensitive brake systems. The rotors are very prone to warping.

You'll notice warped rotors most when slowing at high speed. You'll feel like your about to rattle your teeth out.

If you are doing them yourself, I prefer factory pads and rotors (if replacing). The materials used in the aftermarket are sometimes inconsistent or incompatable with the factory stuff. My Legend was always happier with the factory parts than when I tried to save a few $$.

yu888

I've been lucky so far on my TL. At 45k miles, mine are still fine. But, I have had Honda Acura rotors warp on almost every car I've had at some point, so I've just dealt with it. If its happening at 15 or 20k, the dealer should be checking it out for you.

One note- dont wash your wheels while the rotors are hot, that ads to the warping prob. I always wash my car after the car has been sitting for awhile so the brakes are cooled down. the sudden cooling that water causes will warp the rotors quicker.