Hey guys, I was wondering what you think about this. Basically Im getting new rear rotors on my 2005 TL because dealer told me that they are rusted. Is it normal to replace rotors because of rust? I see alot of other cars with rusted rotors and thought it was ok to have rust.

Another opinion is do you think i'm getting ripped off paying 720 bucks to get new rotors in the back, new pads and alignment done at the dealer. I also had a caliper that got stuck so they will be replacing this under warranty but I have to cover 100 bucks for deductible otherwise I would be paying 620 for the whole thing.

Thanks!

 

Rust on the edge of the rotor is no big deal- if I was getting new rotors, I would go to one of the vendors on Azine and get a better product- I have the rotors from Brakemotive with the zinc coating and they still look very good 2 years later. It's really the rotor thickness and if it's out of round/ out of spec for grinding that determines if it needs to be replaced. And yes, $720 for rear rotors, pads and alignment is clearly excessive (I got a 4 wheel brake kit for $179 shipped and that was with the brake pads for all 4 wheels and 4 rotors). Alignment should be about $90, and the installation I pay Goodyear is $95/axle for the brake service)

That said, I'd buy a brake (rotor and pad) kit and have it installed elsewhere, unless the labor rates at your dealership are competitive. I'd get the caliper done at the dealer if they will cover it except for $100.

It's your car...you tell them what you'll allow them to do to the car.

 

How excessive is the rusting? Rust is normal if it is on the surface and edge. If however the edge starts to crack from the rust then it can become an issue, but in order for that to happen you basically have to park the car outside for a while.

Other question is how long was your caliper stuck for? That could have cut the rotor enough that it made sense to just replace them.

$720 actually seem about right. Consider the breakdown below? I may be wrong.

• Alignment - $75 - $90
• Caliper Deductible - $100
• Rear Rotors - $210
• Rear Pads - $70
• Fluid - $30
• Labor - $200
• Tax - $30

Seems like they charged more for labor than it was worth. Check to see if labor was included in the deductible for the caliper replacement.

 

$720 is rip off i'd say. like erdoc said, you can buy brakemotive kit for around $150 (4 pads and rotors) and have that installed + alignment. btw erdoc, how's the stopping power/brake dust situation with that kit?

 

Not sure how long the caliper was stuck but I started to smell something burning last Friday. My advisor told me that they will cut me a deal on the labor because of the caliper so total came up to about 720. The thing is only one caliper was stuck and it shouldnt have caused the other rotor getting damaged. Hopefully my other caliper doesnt get stuck.

Thanks for all your input.

 

No a stuck caliper would not damage both rotors, but you usually replace the rotors in pairs. Same with the pads. It is always recommended to replace the calipers in pairs too, but not necessary.

What I would ask them is to prove to you that they didn't need to replace the rotors and pads BECAUSE of the stuck caliper. Since the caliper was done as part of the warranty then I think I would argue that the rotors and pads should have been as well.

I would want them to show me that excessive rust. That sounds like BS to me.

Post what the breakdown of charges was.

 

No dust and the stopping power is great! I don't drive the car that hard though. I'm very satisfied with how it stops and the price can't be beat.

 

that is a rip off....i would get the rotors and pads from one of the vendors on here and install them myself or by a reputed mechanic shop (100-200 for the install, topsss)

 

WOW! Was this guy wearing a mask and holding a gun? Total ripoff. Chances are you didn't need them replaced. Rust is not unusual on the hub or on the edge of rotors.

 

I would consider that a sweet deal.

I had a stuck/frozen caliper in the rear passenger side.

Went in to the dealer, they put a brand new caliper on, and replaced brake pads on both sides, came out of the dealer robbed $720.

$720 for JUST ONE caliper, and 2 brake pads.

I suppose half the price was for labour.