TL-S uneven brake pad wear
 

I bought a new set of front pads and rotors on my TL-S back in May 2017.

I just took em out to inspect them and noticed major overlapping at the top of the pad where it meets the rotor. Could this be a result of user installation error or did I get the wrong sized pads?

I only put 15k commuter miles on the car over the last 3.5 years so there's plenty of meat left. Anyone know if Autozone would cover this under warranty?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...daf0c7be25.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...9bb82bfe76.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...748e3534e2.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...870328a2d1.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...b3144878fe.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...117503570b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...831d7a60f2.jpg

did you make sure the pad sit correctly before driving the two pin through? I have Cmax on my red TL and never I encounter the issue. Autozone will warranty that pads tho.

to me; it looks like the pad wasnt seated correctly, as per the odd wear marks. the rotor's edge is cutting into the pad and making that lip right before the pad's edge.

Got it, sounds like user error. I don't recall exactly but I remember I pushed the pads as far as I could but couldn't get it to go in further (like an idiot :doh:).

Luckily I still have the receipt in my Autozone account so I will check if they gave me the correct part number.

I'm wondering why the inner pad and rotor have the groove wear marks though? I don't believe there is a warranty on the rotor.

I'll check the other side later today.

could be tiny bits of stone/dirt/rocks that got lodged between rotor and pad?

just re-read your Original post, it could VERY well be a wrong sized pad. if the pad was seated correctly but still came up short, it could cause the lip being cut by the rotor

Rotors have same diameter as the old ones right? I don't know if there is difference between TL and TLS but in some cars there is like a ~10mm difference only so it's easy to make the mistake

Good call, I was thinking the same thing; the rotors might be from a base TL instead of the larger diameter 6MT/Type-S rotor.

Yes and no to these question.


Type S/ MT TL is larger in diameter but they also smaller in width compare to AT TL rotor. If you have AT rotor the pad for Brembo brake won't slide in :tomato:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3abcd605e9.jpg

I knew about the slightly thicker base rotor versus the larger diameter MT/Type-S rotor; by definition all calipers have extra piston/pad travel room and I'm thinking it is possible to put new pads on the Brembo calipers and still just barely be able to fit them around a rotor which 3mm wider.

The Brembo pad are pretty tight fit, with 3mm extra you won't able to squeeze the new pads in even with all the piston compress all the way down. I did plenty of Brembo brake job on my TL-S and MT TL to see that.

10mm roughly translate to .394 inch which almost 1/2 inch , judging from the picture that doesn't seem to be the case.

One of those two thickness numbers (above) is off; per the chart, the difference in thickness is only .12", and that jives with what I remember seeing elsewhere. Said another way, ain't no way the base rotors are nearly four-tenths of an inch thicker.

So, per Napa Online:

• Brembo rotors are 0.980" thick
• Honda rotors are 1.100" thick

Giving a difference of 0.12"

.120 is a lot of room for clearance, like I said these pads are fit in there tight and I am using Centric Rotor so tolerance is much better than Duralast rotor. Anything that more than .050 per side is a no go and this with the piston fully seated in the caliper bore and this mainly because the sims that come with aftermarket or OEM one.

Ok I took out the other side just now, here's what I'm seeing:

• The same overlapping is happening on both sides.
• I removed both rotors and there are some odd markings that I have never seen before (see attached).
• I logged into my Autozone account and found the receipt from 2017 with the part numbers, they appear to be the right parts, at least in terms of the part numbers.
• I measured the brake disc and it measures to about 300mm/11.81"
• I put back one of the pads and seated it as far in as possible, then installed the PIN and everything looks good except the pad is sticking out (see picture below).
  https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...5b6a1889cf.jpg
  https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...093bedb6c6.png
  https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...be7faffc68.jpg
  https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...666ce743b2.jpg
  https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...0074707f24.jpg

The part number for the rotor you listed is for Base TL. How in the world you able to squeeze the pad in anyway? I am using Cmax pad and always have to play around to get the pad seat right.

Perhaps the OE replacements are identical?

I searched O'reilly's, Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts and all 3 sites say the front rotors for both base and Type-S. Both say 300mm is the outside diameter of the rotor.

I wonder if I somehow got the wrong pads (even though the box and description of the order is correct), because I can't see how they were not seated properly.

After inspecting the driver's side pads, I put one back in while the rotor was still in place and pushed the pad in as far as I could and it still stops at the same spot. The pins fit in perfectly at that point, but there is still that o

None of the 3 sites ask for M/T vs. A/T so I'm wondering if there is a difference? Maybe for non-OE replacements?

Automatic base TLs dont have Brembo calipers. Only 6MT base TLs and Type S’s do.

The only 3G TL which sports the same brakes between the automatic and manual transmission models is the Type-S. I have never seen a site which suggests the base automatic models have the same rotors as a Type-S or the base manual models; can you provide a link which says otherwise?

Go back and look in the forums over the years....plenty of parts stores list the same brake parts incorrectly. You would have assumed it would have been sorted out by now...but apparently not.

Look at the description it will say standard caliper or Brembo caliper for the rotor.

Hey Jackass and truonghthe you guys were exactly right, the catalog lists both base and TLS in the results even if you select TLS as your vehicle (the sites don't ask for transmission type).

I brought the front pads and discs back and spoke to a regular associate and he verified that I got the wrong part. I was able to locate my physical receipt which specified TL Type-S and he was super nice about it but just had to check with his store manager over the phone and he said to just swap them out for me.

I got new front pads (under warranty) and he swapped rotors with me using the 2 year warranty (it's been 3.5 years).

I never knew Autozone to have good customer service but I have to say it was fairly easy and straight forward for them to replace the parts for me free of charge.

I did notice one of the piston dust boots was torn so I'm going to rebuild the calipers and give it a fresh coat of paint and clear since the clearcoat is starting to peel.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...4f15b04330.jpg

here's a link to the brembo piston seals if you're going to pop the pistons out
https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/p...oducts_id=4663

It's back ordered on this site, but should be able to find elsewhere.

I rebuilt mine

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.1...9a&oe=5FC78788

@DesertMistTL nice!! Are all your pistons in good shape?

It seems like the OEM dust boots are discontinued and every other place they're backordered or asking $100+ for just the boot kit. I did find one site that had the OEM ones in stock for $24. I'll look for the site and link it here in case anyone needs it.

^^^who said so? I can get many kit as possible and yes it OEM. Honda doesn't make the dust boots, Brembo does.

this centric kit comes with the dust seals and all seals you need

https://www.ebay.com/itm/332596366601

my pistons were fine, I just had them out and wanted to rebuild all the seals.

I know the thread is nearly two months old and most likely already handled your issue but I can tell you it's very possible that your caliper isn't fully releasing which causes the pad to constantly be on the rotor which obviously would cause it to wear down and unevenly. It's a pretty common issue, at least I've read so about mine - 05 base TL - in which sometimes the caliper pin can being the culprit. I found a link on the forum which may be of use in the future, hopefully not, but you'll read it's a well known issue and pain in the booty.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...aliper-834278/

If I recall correctly, the OP managed to squeeze some rotors for the automatic model of the TL between the pads of his Brembo calipers. The automatic rotors are a tad thicker but slightly smaller in diameter, hence the uneven pad wear.

Said another way, incorrect rotors were used in this application, and once the correct rotors were fitted up, the issue was corrected.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...2078497663.gif