forest

I picked up a set of front and rear "Premium Cross Drilled & Slotted Brake Kit" shortly after buying my used '12 AWD. The OEM were fine, I just wanted something different. I have put under 30k miles on them and for a while they have been vibration upon braking. I didn't really notice it until I was on a date with a car chick who immediately said whoa your rotors are warped when I stopped! How embarrassing. The problem is I am not sure what to replace first as the vibration isn't in the steering wheel as much as I would think for a set of front rotors. I have tried to use the parking break and the car slows down without an issue/vibration but that warning light scares me so I don't bring the car to a complete stop with it. That's why I think it's in the front. I know the tires are balanced so it's not that either, as well as put on correctly with the right bolt pattern and torque. Short of paying someone to check them, I don't have any other ways to measure them to see if they are warped. This company I purchased them from warranties their rotors for 2 years and I fall under that but I have to ship them back on my own dime and also pay for the return shipping. That leaves me without a car for at least a week, most likely two weeks as we are on opposites sides of the country. I can't see the shipping being less than $30 each way. So I might just be better off to scrap these and buy something local or online again. Am I missing anything before biting the bullet and buying a new set of front rotors and pads & installing them? I do drive my car but I am not tracking it, or beating on it any more than my other cars and I've never replaced rotors this fast in my 20 years of driving.

dopeboy1

You should have explained the situation to your date and asked her what to do. So I would suggest asking her out again.

Also just because they are called "premium" doesn't mean they are good. That could simply be their name.

01acls

LOL

Dude drop the wrench and step away from the car! Call the girl and pay her to fix your car. That's the best deal you are going to get... Ever.

LOL

MarcoNorthPolo

There are many reasons for a rotor to warp. Perhaps they were hot one day and you drove through a puddle, make a lot of short fast stops instead of long slow stops, or inch along slowly in traffic. All can lead to premature warping. 30,000 miles is not bad for brakes, although many people have gotten more out of them. Performance brakes will not last as long as many others, for example an M3’s brakes will not last as long as a Camry’s.

Just pay the money and have a mechanic look at your brakes. You’d better take a good look at your warranty too, as most, if not all manufacturers will not warranty against warping due to a driver’s habits. They put those warrantys on their brakes because it’s a very small chance that there was a manufacturers defect. Likely what would happen is, you’d send them to the manufacturer across the country, your car is laid up for a week or two and then you’d hear that they wouldn’t go good for the rotors due to it not being a defect. It’s up to you, but if it were me, I would just take it to a brake shop and buy new rotors and pads

You should definitely not be using your hand brake to slow down and stop. That’s not what it’s designed for. .

ReneC

I have one statement of fact, one question, and one educated guess.

Fact: Rotors don't warp.

Question: What process did you use to bed in your pads with the new discs?

Educated guess: The vibration is due to unevenly distributed pad material since you didn't bed in your brakes properly.

Edward'TLS

What is the brand name of your "Premium Cross Drilled & Slotted Brake Kit" ?

forest

I did what was recommended on the site in regards to some hard braking without coming to a complete stop. I don't really recall to be honest. I did try and break them in properly.. Would you replace the pads and hope that fixes it?

forest

http://brakeperformance.com/ not saying they are bad or anything just wasn't expected problems this early.

csmeance

You can use a runout dial and see how far the rotors are warped/material buildup on the rotors. Rotors can warp when there is uneven cooling, improper wheel lug torque and also pad material deposits. If the pads are too soft they'll melt onto the rotor and cause the pulsing feeling. Some auto stores will machine rotors to get them true again however they do take off a small layer of thickness in order to do that, and that'll allow the rotors to warp again probably faster since its now thinner.

Lee C

I wonder if these are any good?

ReneC

If the pads aren't worn out and the car isn't unstable under braking (!) I would try the bed in procedure again.

01acls

You can have you car fix and back on the road with half a day to a day max down time.

Make an appointment with a brake shop to turn your rotors first thing in the morning when they open. Remove your rotors the night before and drop them off first thing in the morning. You'll have them back in a couple hours. Reinstall the turned rotors and pads on your car. You're done by noon time on the same day you dropped off the rotors.

I would replace the pads with a proven brake pad recommended by a trusted brake shop. No substitute for experience from a seasoned tech/trusted shop. And don't ask for the cheapest, instead ask for a good quality or good value brake pad set that is appropriate for your rotors and driving style.

BTW, it's best practice to turn the new rotors first before installation. That way there are no high spots to cause warpage.


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Edward'TLS

Sometimes, uneven wheel nut torque will warp the rotors.

Not all shops/dealerships hand-torque wheel nuts to factory specs. Their pneumatic air gun just torque the hell out of the wheel nuts.

Nitin

iTrader: (1)

Marry her