brake rotors

[tebow]

I changed my brakes 2 months ago because they were screeching and got new ceramic pads,but the brakes keep screeching, when i did the brake change he said that the rotors looked good but when i took my car back the said that i need new rotors because thats the only reason its screeching............ what do you guys think??? and where can i find good rotors???? (could you give me some names and links) (I have a 2001 Accord Lx 4 Cyl)

[reframmellator]

Whoa - few questions here.

When you "changed the brakes" what else did you do? Did you replace the rotors? Turn them? Sand the surface? Are the new pads the same as the old ones or did you change brands? If you didn't do anything other than change pads, the change in pad formulation could be part of the problem. You may want to try turning the rotors and following the bed-in (break-in) procedure recommended by the pad manufacturer.

But that's all speculation. If you could provide more details that would be helpful.

[tebow]

all i did was change the pads with new ceramic pads, but my car keeps making screeching noise when i brake, so now hes telling me that i need new rotors. so now im looking for some rotors but i dont know which is good.......

[andysinnh]

The primary reason for brake sequealing is the sound of the new brake pads backing hitting the caliper - so when you did the brakes, if you didn't put in some lubrication or treatment to the back of the new pads, it could be part of your squealing. Also, if you have a lot of glazing on the brake rotors, you can get noise from the new pads - that's why most folks will lightly turn (or lightly grind down) the surface of the rotors to make them smooth and remove the glaze. But what's interesting is that the mechanic says you now need new rotors - that would mean they were close to worn out when you did the pads (meaning the thickness of the rotors wasn't within the spec of the car maker). In any case, the fastest solution is to get either a set of Raybestos or OEM rotors and just install them and move on - and put some anti-squeal on the back of the brake pads if you didn't do that the first time. After that, you'll be about as good as you can be.

andy

[tebow]

how much does new rotors cost??? he said that the rotors looked good when he saw them.....

[G Stone]

I got new rotors not too long ago on my car. I bought them from Advance Auto and I think I got them for around $20-30 each (could be wrong but thats what I think). I have also heard that new ceramic pads or ceramic pads in general, wear down rotors faster than any other brake pad. I've always heard that if you get ceramic pads, replace the rotors as well. Just my 2 cents.

[12153]

To All:

While many aftermarket pads and rotors are considerably less-expensive and often come with a lifetime replacement warranty to the original purchaser, you also get what you pay for.

Genuine Honda brake parts cost more, but personal experience on my trusty '86 revealed that they stop extremely well, are much quieter, and last far longer. I think HMC "specs" a better grade of steel on their OEM rotors. To the best of my knowledge, and per my dealer, Honda pads (circa 1990 and up) are ceramic composition.

When I did a brake job on my '02, I briefly considered using AutoZone's "C-Max" pad. It IS actually a very nice, ceramic pad. But changed my mind, instead going with a full set of OEM Honda...which cost me only $94.38, out the door. Light clean up on the lathe for the front rotors. Rear rotors were perfect. Generously lubed the pads & shims with Molycoat. Bolted it back together, X-torqued the wheel lugs to 83 lbs./ft. Hit the road, and I've been motoring happily everafter.

IMO, "cheaping out" on brakes is absolutely the WRONG place to compromise or cut corners. Safety doesn't cost. It pays.

[tebow]

what if i sand down my rotors?? is that a good idea???

[reframmellator]

A differential thickness variation (DTV) of 0.0001" (think speed bump vs gradual change in elevation) on a rotor can cause the pulsing effect we call judder. Most of uss aren;t that good with sanding, but I've read of many people doing it successfully with garnet sandpaper.

Two schools of thought on OEM vs aftermarket rotors. One says to take advantage of the millions spent by Honda to optimize the corners of the car for performance, comfort, safety, and durability - in other words, stick with OEM. The other says OEM optimization is always a compromise, with cost a major factor. If you weight the factors differently (noise doesn't bother you but dust does, e.g.), there are probably aftermarket pads for you that will work just fine. When we had the '99 V6, I bought Brembo rotors and Akebono ProAct ceramic pads from Tire Rack for less than OEM prices and I was very happy with the results. More importantly, my wife was very pleased, and she drove the car. The guy we sold it to still has those parts on the car with no complaints.

Warden and I agree - don't skimp on brakes. It's not fair to you, those who ride with you, and those who share the road with you. . . .

[RinconVTR]

Alright...lets not start throwing around DTV and all that we read on the internet. The poster is not even talking about vibrations. PLUS even if that was the problem, you aren’t going diagnose it OR fix it by doing anything less than turning or replacing the rotors.

The posters issue is with on OEM non-refaced rotors and new pads. I've done this plenty of times without issue. And the first thing to do if you have squealing is lube ALL the areas of the pad that contact metal with high temp grease.

If that fails, then you have crappy pads. I have had the EXACT problem with Autozones pads, and the only cure was to replace them. I've never had a problem before, or since. Sometimes it comes down to the fact we can find a bad match of pad & rotor.

[12153]

To All:

The ONLY correct way to recondition a rotor/drum is by turning it on a brake lathe. Hand-sanding will likely lead to some degree of distortion. And distortion will likely result in brake malfunction.

RinconVTR and I certainly agree about mixing brake parts. IMO, best to use aftermarket with aftermarket and OEM with OEM.

There are some/many who (foolishly) believe that a "brake job" involves ONLY throwing on a set of pads/shoes. Wrong. ALL the parts have to be CLEAN, properly conditioned, properly lubricated (i.e., caliper sliders/pins), and correctly installed. Otherwise, you have NOT done a <quote-end-quote> "brake job." If it's not done right, it's not done!

[reframmellator]

Alright...lets not start throwing around DTV and all that we read on the internet. The poster is not even talking about vibrations. PLUS even if that was the problem, you aren’t going diagnose it OR fix it by doing anything less than turning or replacing the rotors.

He's not talking about vibrations, but overaggressive sanding can introduce those. I've seen it done. I also don't dispute that pads can be changed successfully without doing anything to the rotors, but if it's my car, I'm at least turning the rotors unless the rotors are practically new. Even then, if I'm changing pad formulation, I'm sanding the rotor surfaces lightly to remove the debris layer. Many times this is overkill, but sometimes it is not.

Agree that squealing is nearly always related to lack of grease/compound on pad-to-piston surfaces.

[12153]

To All:

Some of the aftermarket pads now come with neoprene-backed insulators, built onto the pad and/or shims. Otherwise, Molycoat (grease) is advisable to minimize/eliminate squeal.

[tebow]

thank you everyone for the help, im probably gonna get new rotors and have him clean the brakes out

[Jdur]

You could do the job rather easily yourself, if you're feeling up to it. As a matter of fact, I just did it yesterday. If you're pretty handy and feel comfortable doing the job, I'd give it a try, save yourself some money. Check out the link for DIY and I'd answer any questions you've got on the topic too.

http://www.filtsai.com/accord/brake_rotors/