shahram72

OK, the car is back to normal now, I don't know what happened. I was driving to work on the highway in the rain. I drive the speed limit so don't need to use brakes on the highway. When I came to my off ramp and applied the brakes lightly (I brake early), the wheel shook violently. I let off and applied again, same thing. The shaking continued but subsided a bit as the rotors warmed, I am assuming. Since I got the car, the rotors had a little warp to them, but nothing that overly concerned me. They actually tend to smooth out when they get warm, and wobble more when cool, but still only a tiny bit. I was not worried about it and planned to replace the rotors at next brake change anyway. The car has 70K on it now and records show a brake job at 48K, so they're not work out, my mechanic even confirmed they had plenty life left. It was fine all the way home and I kept the brakes as cool as possible on the highway to replicate the problem, but it was hot outside unlike this morning, cool and rainy. I did not drive through any puddles, and have driven in the rain before.

I think it's rotors, what do you guys think. I've just never seen a wheel shake like that before, and then go back to normal.

Are the cheap ebay rotors like these ok? I plan to use quality ceramic or akebono pads, but are rotors rotors? Well, I know they are not, but as you can see from my description, I drive like a grandpa.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FITS-ACURA-R...#ht_2003wt_932

Don't worry guys, I'm not freaking out. This is mechanical, so we don't need the HDS or the dealer and there's no huge computerized mystery!

Carbon Legend

Rotors are not rotors. cheap rotors are exactly that Cheap. If you are looking for a good rotor just grab some centric rotors with your akebono pads at tire rack. you won't be disappointed

Matt W

Also FYI

NJ06RL

Your problem sounds just like what I experienced when I first swapped out my old OEM rotors for after market slotted rotors. Steering wheel shook a lot and the whole front of the car vibrated. But after doing multiple bed in processes, everything has settled down for me and the brakes work great now. And they bite better than OEM too. I bought my rotors on ebay and they have been solid for the last 8k miles after my initial problems.

Maybe you need to get your rotors machined ?

NJ06RL

Saw your pics of the ebay rotors. When I was shopping for rotors on ebay, I decided against drilled cos of concerns about weakening the structural integrity of the rotor. Heard they also cause increased stopping distance in regular non-track use. So that is why i went with slotted alone. I bought from a different ebay seller than the one you posted.

shahram72

Is the centric rotor from tire rack a name brand or you're just describing how they mount to the hub? Because I don't think rotors from ebay are going to be any different from rotors from the local auto parts store. I would not be concerned with ebay pics, they're just stock photos.
Like I said, I'm in no hurry, it's fine now. Conditions are same this morning. Rainy and cool. Let's see if I can replicate it.

I will check out the tire rack parts.

What I am worried about is the calipers and my corrosion issues with this car. My mechanic said there is a chance they are bad, but that Honda uses really good sealing so it is more likely they are fine. Those calipers look expensive and that's a bigger job than I can do.

NJ06RL

Centric is a brand of rotors ( and other brake parts too ). Many people use them.

shahram72

Brakes were fine to and from work today. In fact, very smooth and strong.

wackjum

You don't need slotted rotors, and you definitely don't need cross-drilled rotors.

I would be wary of using eBay for critical items like brakes. I know in the past, ebay sellers would advertise "Brembo" rotors. What they would do was buy Brembo Blanks (essentially OEM rotors made by Brembo) and then throw the rotors on a CNC milling machine and drill some slots and holes. So they were "computer aided designed" and "Brembo" but did not have any of the actual R&D of real slotted/x-drilled designs.

Your brakes are not so sensitive a splash of water would warp them. Most "brake" issues tend to be really be caused by alignment or tire issues.

shahram72

they just look so cool.. I don't think I need anything right now since they are working fine. Will just get regular rotors then when I am ready.

tlmaster1

go with powerslot cryo treated rotors and grandsport 6 cermaic pads

shahram72

UPDATE: Brakes have been fine until a couple days ago. And I failed to mention something because I thought it was unrelated. Again on the way to work, I noticed a low frequency droning sound on the highway, just like last time, it gradually got louder and varied with vehicle speed. It made this sound last time, but it did it a couple times before and subsided. I was wondering if it was the audiopilot. Turning it on or off did not make the difference. I went to apply the brakes and they shook again. Now I made the connection and realized what the problem was. Must be the front brakes. At speed they are dragging or warped and making contact, getting real hot, that's why they shake. It must be the sound of the warped rotors moving back and forth against the brake pads . It's been fine the last 2 days. So obviously a set or rotors (and pads) are in order. Shame cause they have so much life left. But what I am worried about is if the calipers are slightly seizing. That will be expensive. Not gonna mess with it right away because any mechanic will surely want to swap the calipers out. I wonder if my extended warranty covers the calipers, I need to check. Anybody know how much they cost? Shouldn't fail at this mileage, I'll complain to acura to have a major brake part fail this early is unacceptable.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

you aren't by chance riding the brake pedal unknowingly are you?

shahram72

Are you serious? No, just cruising down the highway. was fine again today.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

yes, actually I am. Good luck with your fix.

IanVS

Sounds like you definitely have a rotor/brake problem, but you may also want to check the elements of your suspension/steering as well. I had a vibration under light braking in my previous car that I couldn't figure out until I took it to the shop and they found a shot inner tie rod end.

gbriank

What model year is this RL? I don't know, but this sounds like the issue related to the faulty brake parts (springs?) that caused rotor and caliper contact on the 2005 models. There's a TSB somewhere....

shahram72

Well I need to check that. Unfortunately a TSB is not a recall so they'll want money. Overheating brakes are definitely a safety issue! I'll have to figure out how to find TSB's, never done that.

IanVS

You can follow the instructions at: https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/2nd-gen-rl-tsb-information-789213/ to read TSBs.