i brought my car in for 8000 mile service.. they checked the brakes and said its pretty much metal to metal and i need new drums and rotors.. its going to cost me 1999... is it possible i need new rotors at 8800 miles honestly?

 

drums and rotors? you don't have drums.

8800 miles... sure, that doesn't sound that unusual

 

Depending on your driving style - yeah I can see that ...

I know a lot of people who track there car or just daily drive have warped there rotors ... Some due to driving hard/etc then cold water on the brakes (think car wash/sprinklers) or driving hard on the freeway then sitting @ the stoplights or exits with the brakes engaged ...

 

if it is metal to metal then you would have already heard your brakes squeaking. did you notice anything wrong with them prior to bringing them in, i.e. squeaks, unusual pedal feel, vehicle pulling under braking?

 

I think they mean pads and rotors? But for 1999??? Thats a joke right? aftermarket rotors and pads cost around 500-600 for all 4 corners FYI.

 

thats what im saying 1999 is way way too pricey... i thought he said drums and rotors but its probably pads and rotors and yea.. i heard squeking and such thats why the car went in... and so where can i find aftermarket pads and rotors for cheaper, any vendors or anything anyone can help me with?

 

Sorry but you need to learn how to down shift

 

Whatever you do put some pads on the car now. Metal to metal contact will ruin the rotors quickly.

In a retail repair shop if the rotors even look like they might need to be replaced they will try to sell them to you....

The "correct" way to evaluate the situation is:
1) Are the rotors above the minimum allowable thickness? if yes continue
2) Does the damage on the rotor need to be machined off? This gets a little subjective and I am not sure the shop manual has a spec for this. If the rotor does not have deep grooves like you see when a rivited pad wears down, I generally say run it.
3) Does the driver have any vibration complaints? If yes then do a runout test on the rotor. Other things can cause a brake vibration becides warped rotors.

If 2 or 3 indicate machining is required then turn the rotor and make sure that it is sill within the minimum thickness spec.

Does any shop actually do this? NO. They sure as hell are not going to take the time to turn rotors that have even a remote chance of needing replacement. Just sell the customer new ones.

All this is a very good reason to learn to do minor repairs yourself.


As a side note:
I've been around cars and fixing cars for almost 20 years now, and I'm still wondering where the misconception that rotors always need to be turned when changing pads comes from. When in fact the exact opposite is true. Far better brake performance and less squeeling comes from braking in new pad on old, good, not scarred up rotors, and new rotors on old pads. Becides my personal experience with this method, it is recommended by more than one book on race car prep(Carrol Smith's "Prepare to win" comes to mind) and I am sure I have seen this in instructions in some brand of H.P. brake pads.

 

hey... so you're saying when the time comes around when i need to get new brakes or rotors, it's more effective to keep the old rotors (good condition), only change the pads, or vice versa?

 

Yes, at least bed in new pad on seasoned, but still serviceable rotors.

 

Correct - the reason being that if you are bedding new discs with old pads you dont have to get the pads to "gass off - and release the bonding agents" - its already done.

 

How long should the stock brakes last? I don't track, and I've got 15k miles. Going in for service next week actually - Pit Pass oil change etc.

 

Its going to depend on your driving style.. If you do alot of stop and go driving, and hit the brakes hard, they will wear faster than mostly highway driving and downshifting to stops..

I have 24k on my brake pads, and only now need to change them (their low enough to be concerned about it so I just will change them) but I have fairly good driving habits, I don't brake unless necessary, and always downshift when coming to a stop.. Keep in mind that my driving is 50% stop and go, and 50% highway.. I think I've done pretty well with them.. I also got 23k on my stock tires before I replaced them with aftermarket wheels, and still running the stock clutch on a fairly high-horsepower car.

You'd be amazed how dramatic the differences in wear on parts is depending on your driving style.. And I'm not talking driving like a granny or beating the snot out of the car.. but just good habits.. Does wonders for your gas mileage too..

And I also am amazed how people get taken for a ride with the pad/rotor situation.. I've always taken a caliper to my rotors, if their not scarred and not worn below a certain point, I don't replace them or turn them when I replace the pads..

 

I have almost 30,000 miles with the stock pads and rotors and I don't downshift. I drive my car everyday in stop and go traffic and they are fine.

 

^^^ truth.

He doesnt even say what he did .....he probably drives aggressively.