ThePianoMan

Hey guys...for those of you that don't know. I have a 2005 6MT purchased back in Nov. 2004. Well, up until my first service (A1) brenbo brakes worked flawlessly - no issues after 5,750 miles.

After my service, I began to notice what felt like the entire car shuddering when applying the brakes at high speeds (anything over 40mph). Anything under 30 is smooth as silk. It seems odd that it began to happen real soon after my service and has gotten progressively worse. Although, anything is possible with cars.

I called the dealer today and have scheduled an appointment for next Friday, for them to take a look at. I was just curious if anyone else experienced this issue and what was done.

It shouldn't be warped rotors as I drive my car easy 95% of the time (until I get the vtec urge) I can't think of any hard stops in the past that would have caused warpage.

Are there any TSB's issued for such problem? I don't want them to tell me that my rotors are warped - as I am sure that is not covered under warranty - and being that the car is so new, I really don't want to have to spend any repair costs on it yet. Any suggestions guys? What would you do in my position. Thanks so much in Advance.

Happy driving!

Legend2TL

Besides hard to very hard use, warped rotors can be also caused by

1) Improper tightening of wheel nuts (for rotors that are mounted between wheel and hub which includes the 3gen TL). This means over tightening and not following a star pattern when tighting down the nuts. Alot of mechanics with air wrenches tend to be cause this, if tires are rotated by someone else and they don't follow torque specs this can happen.

2) Alot of water splashing on the rotor when they are hot. I've seen rotors warp after someone drove their car hard then went straight through a car wash. Also driving through aa very deep puddle of water can cause that. Again the key thing is the rotors have to be hot and alot of water. Do not wash off your wheels after just driving the car, give it a few minutes to cool down.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

^^^

There are many ways for a rotor to become warped.

I do not see any TSB's or recalls regarding the brake system on the '05, but there is one for the '04 model. This is the TSB code -- 00-037 OCT 03.

It may not be that the rotors are actually warped. It could be glazed pads, unable to provide even braking pressure to the rotor, causing a shake in the drivetrain.

caha14

I wouldn't worry about bringing this to the dealer's attention soon. Besides the reasons stated on the previous post, I've had warped rotors on other cars simply due to poor design of the rotors.

With your low mileage and your car being less than a year old, no self-respecting dealer/manufacturer should refuse to fix it under warranty. I had experience on this with my Jeeps (notorious for warped rotor problems) and my 2nd Gen TL (same story), and I never got any hassle.

So, with an '05 bought in Nov '04 and a few thou. miles, I don't think you will or should spend any money. Bring it up to your dealer's attention, and I doubt you'll encounter any problems. If you do, be firm (but nice) and emphasize that this is simply not normal for such a new car, that you drive gently, etc. I'm sure they'll come around.

ThePianoMan

Thanks for the replies guys...I appreciate it. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the dealer will be nice and cover any brake repair costs (under warranty) that might be necessary, since the car is so new - if is is rotor warpage. It's going in next Friday...I will let you know the outcome.

Parker75

When I took mine to the dealer with 3K miles complaining of squeaks coming from the front driver wheel when the car was moving ~5mph. They did say there was a TSB on 6MT brakes though I did not get the actual number, and fixed it.

Now at 9K I am having the same issue and will take it again.

Other than this, the only problem is the amount of dust I see, which apparently is a common problem with the Brembos and the stock pads.

pettydw

It takes about 6 months for iron castings to stress relieve themselves after coming out of the foundry. Unfortunately the economics of the car industry do not allow such time periods. In other words, warped rotors may not be your fault.

terse

maybe it's some air pressure issue in the brakes...i showed dealer that my steering wheel turns when i brake and also that it feels like my brakes are collapsing..so they did something with the air pressure or something with my brakes..and now my car stops on a dime again...

ThePianoMan

Well...thanks for the advice guys! Got my car back from the dealer and now it stops on a dime again. Turns out that all 4 rotors were warped. They ground them all flat and now she stops on a dime and as smooth as silk. All covered under warranty.

The question that I have now is...the fact they ground them so earlier...will that effect the future of my brake system at all? Thanks!

KilroyR1

Yep, when the turn the rotors they remove material. Once they hit the service limit, you'll need new rotors. So the dealer has shortened the service life of your rotors by over-torquing them.

Also, with less mass, the rotors cannot dissipate heat as well and will be more prone to warping (only marginally so).