Who still gets rotors cut?

[pottymouth]

Where do you get them cut and how much do you pay per rotor? I know some people just change rotors every time but that is wasteful when the existing rotors are in very good shape. Others just throw new pads on without touching the rotors. Not me. I just want a fresh surface for the new pads to bed into.

Seems like its getting harder and harder to find a shop that will do this for a walk-in customer.

 

[spasm3]

few rotors nowadays have enough meat to cut them down and still be in specs.

 

[4D-56]

I recently took some to my local NAPA, they wanted $25 per disc but they didnt have enough meat on 'em....wasnt much more to buy new ones.

maybe try an engine re-builder/machine shop?

 

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
few rotors nowadays have enough meat to cut them down and still be in specs.


All OEM rotors I have dealt with are more than thick enough for at least one resurfacing over their lifetime. I had the original fronts cut on my Continental 3 years ago at 110K and they still could have enough material to be cut once more depending upon how they wear. Those I removed from my Forester last year were well over the minium thickness but I ended up replacing them due to time constraints. Just 2 examples.

I don't doubt that the cheapo Autozone rotors are thinner and could be considered disposable.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
few rotors nowadays have enough meat to cut them down and still be in specs.

I agree. Some new rotors have a thickness of 27mm and minimum of 25mm, no way you can cut the rotor had been in use for 20-30k miles and still have more than minimum thickness. Most MB rotors have useful life of about 2-3mm only.

My local shop charge $10 to cut a rotor if it is possible.

 

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted By: stro_cruiser
I recently took some to my local NAPA, they wanted $25 per disc but they didnt have enough meat on 'em....wasnt much more to buy new ones.

maybe try an engine re-builder/machine shop?


Yeah, I've made a few calls and found similar prices. CLearly, they don't want to do the work. I used to go to an old timer who I never saw without a cigar in his mouth for over 20 years worth of machine work. Everything he did was absolutely perfect and priced well. He retired and closed his little shop down a few years back.

I guess it's a dying art.

 

[Chris142]

$10 ea here.

 

[beast3300]

We charge $27 each. Most rotors are junk at time of brake work.

 

[Fitz98]

I had mine cut at Tires Plus.
They do it right there while you wait.
I think it was about $15.00 each

 

[Spazdog]

$12 apiece to turn my rotors.

I typically will only turn them once and then replace them every other brake job.

I wish I could find someone that would let me use their brake lathe. I would be willing to pay full price, but I do better work than the stuff I've gotten back.

 

[bdcardinal]

The old rotors make great targets for shooting. The ones on my Volvo are wasted after a few years and a set of brake pads. My mustang was the same way, even with the Cobra R brakes. It was cheaper, factoring in my time, to just buy new rotors.

 

[fsskier]

I have had disc brakes on all my cars, beginning with my 1967 BMW... and have never had any rotors "cut" or turned. Normal, smooth surface wear lines seem to have no effect on anything... extensive testing on wet, dry, snow, what ever over the years has always revealed equal and balanced braking performance.

Since I have often kept cars .... and minivans used for constant towing.... up to 300,000 miles, my experience has revealed no reason for turning rotors just to get rid of wear lines. The "extreme use APV tow vehicle" needed new brake pads about every 80,000 miles for the 16 years that it was in service. Pad life remained constant, even though wear lines were on the rotor.

I have replaced a couple of rotors on cars that either warped, or were deeply gouged by pads after the caliper froze up on the "sliders"

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: beast3300
We charge $27 each. Most rotors are junk at time of brake work.

I'm in the wrong business!

 

[fsskier]

OK, a quick brake story. Our 1976 Chevette was a brake eater. Perhaps it had soft pads, because of the non-boosted brakes... but I never saw a separate pad listed for the power brake cars.

Anyway, it ate a set of pads every 25,000 miles. Unheard of for our interstate commuter cars - that often went 100,000 miles on a set of pads. Anyway after 8 sets of pads, and 200,000 miles the rotors were still perfect and unblemished in any way. Pads way too soft? Who knows, but many complained about the Chevette brake life... imagine if you took that car to the Firestone store every time, you would have 8,000 dollars in front end work before you junked the car!!

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: fsskier
imagine if you took that car to the Firestone store every time, you would have 8,000 dollars in front end work before you junked the car!!


Ain't that the truth! One of my uncles worked for the local FS shop briefly in the 70's, he quit after just a few months because of the stuff they wanted him to do.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: fsskier
I have had disc brakes on all my cars, beginning with my 1967 BMW... and have never had any rotors "cut" or turned. Normal, smooth surface wear lines seem to have no effect on anything... extensive testing on wet, dry, snow, what ever over the years has always revealed equal and balanced braking performance.

Since I have often kept cars .... and minivans used for constant towing.... up to 300,000 miles, my experience has revealed no reason for turning rotors just to get rid of wear lines. The "extreme use APV tow vehicle" needed new brake pads about every 80,000 miles for the 16 years that it was in service. Pad life remained constant, even though wear lines were on the rotor.

I have replaced a couple of rotors on cars that either warped, or were deeply gouged by pads after the caliper froze up on the "sliders"

I agree.
If there was no vibration or other issues with the old pads, having the rotors turned prior to installing new pads is usually unnecessary.

 

[beast3300]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: beast3300
We charge $27 each. Most rotors are junk at time of brake work.

I'm in the wrong business!


Or the wrong state. In ohio rotors are practically rusted junk in a years time. Replace, replace, replace!!!! I haven't turned a rotor in a year.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: fsskier
OK, a quick brake story. Our 1976 Chevette was a brake eater. Perhaps it had soft pads, because of the non-boosted brakes... but I never saw a separate pad listed for the power brake cars....


I had a '79 Chevette. The brakes are just junk. But that's okay. You don't really need to use the brakes on a Chevette. Just switch the A/C to MAX and all forward progress is stopped.

I replaced almost everything but the hard metal lines on my Chevette and it still had spongey brakes. I noticed that the firewall flexed quite a bit while bleeding the newly installed master cylinder. I can't comment on the brake pad life because I was continuously changing the pads and other brake parts in a vain attempt at having halfway decent brakes. New rotors (which were a weird design, I can't remember specifically why but I do remember finding them to be odd) new drums, calipers, rebuilt the wheel cylinders, put new wheel cylinders on, Raybestos, Bendix, Wagner, Morse....Sheesh...I hate to think what I spent on that hooptie.

 

[4D-56]

I agree on the "why cut them?" comments, growing up in England with a father who was a mechanic, me being a toolmaker and working on cars myself...I had never heard of doing this....

.....then I come to the USA and its common....with my background, I instantly thought that it was good call....maybe its me and my love of a beautifully fresh machined surface!?.....its like "err, can you leave me alone with this newly turned rotor for 10 minutes please....its REALLY nice, just gonna stroke it a little!"

 

[mpvue]

I haven't had rotors cut in more than 20 years. little econo cars, I just replace them. not wasteful if you recycle the old parts.
other cars, there is no need to have them turned if they aren't warped (which if they are, when you cut them, now the thickness is inconsistent and they will warp again)
I just scuff up the surface with a scotch brite pad and all is good again.