Warped Rotors already - 17k miles Mazda 3

[901Memphis]

Most likely pad deposits as already pointed out in the stoptech white paper. O'Reillys will turn them if they are mostly rust free they are better than buying aftermarket rotors.


Alternatively you can try cleaning them with some sand paper, brake cleaner and a pad replacement.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I'm sure I won't be the first one to mention this, but supposedly the majority of "warped rotor" cases aren't actually warped rotors, just uneven friction material deposits on the rotor surface.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

Regardless, if it's under warranty, let the dealer fix it

IMO this is way overblown or just does not happen here. I have been turning rotors and drums for 30 years and have yet to see uneven pad deposits.I do see lots of warped rotors that leave uncut spots on both sides and exactly opposite each other.

 

[Chris142]

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69uViWk82rk/TSlGjOlhmxI/AAAAAAAAAGI/oFrk4GTTF2w/s912/IMG_20110108_150518.jpg

This is what I see

 

[Chris142]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k234/boomn29/Evo/rotors.jpg

I have yet to see this in person

 

[HTSS_TR]

The original front pads of my 2000 E430 were gone at 10k miles, the pads have wear sensors and it lighted up before the first oil change. I don't remember if the original front rotors had been replaced at that time or not.

The original tires(Goodyear) went to wear bar at 14k miles, about the first oil change time.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
IMO this is way overblown or just does not happen here. I have been turning rotors and drums for 30 years and have yet to see uneven pad deposits.I do see lots of warped rotors that leave uncut spots on both sides and exactly opposite each other.


Are you turning on your own equipment? Or, always the same shop?

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69uViWk82rk/TSlGjOlhmxI/AAAAAAAAAGI/oFrk4GTTF2w/s912/IMG_20110108_150518.jpg

This is what I see


That doesn't look like warp. That looks like a rotor mounted crooked on the turning machine.

 

[Chris142]

I've worked at several different shops over the years so different lathes. It's virtually impossible to mount a rotor crooked

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
The original front pads of my 2000 E430 were gone at 10k miles, the pads have wear sensors and it lighted up before the first oil change. I don't remember if the original front rotors had been replaced at that time or not.

The original tires(Goodyear) went to wear bar at 14k miles, about the first oil change time.
With that tire wearing and the fast wearing on your S2000, it might just be California roads destroying your tires. I've never been on such awful roads than California, except for the highway in Reno, NV.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I've worked at several different shops over the years so different lathes. It's virtually impossible to mount a rotor crooked


Then how did the factory get it so wrong?

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: Chris142
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69uViWk82rk/TSlGjOlhmxI/AAAAAAAAAGI/oFrk4GTTF2w/s912/IMG_20110108_150518.jpg

This is what I see


That doesn't look like warp. That looks like a rotor mounted crooked on the turning machine.



Ive had several look like that when turning them with a lathe and an on car lathe and they CANNOT be crooked on an on car lathe .

 

[crazyoildude]

Im sure when pushed Mazda will be forced to honor the warranty. Don't forget lemon law has a mean sting.

 

[KrisZ]

Lemon law for a wear and tear item? Good luck with that. Besides, about $200 for a front brake job is simply peanuts when compared to fuel cost, change the brakes and the problem goes away. It's that simple.

 

[stephen9666]

The reason rotors have high and low spots when cut on a lathe is because they're worn unevenly. That uneven wear is thickness variation, which causes pedal pulsation.

Runout in the hub/rotor or something stuck between the hub and rotor are a couple causes of uneven rotor wear.

That Stoptech article does more harm than good for many people online. It glosses over the other causes of pedal pulsation with one paragraph and then makes people with limited experience think all pedal pulsation is caused by pad deposits.

To the OP,
Try a bedding. If you have some junk on the rotor you may be able to scrub it off. That has worked for me sometimes in the past. If that doesn't work, you need to start looking into other possible causes such as runout.

 

[3311]

The rotors on my wife's 08 3i are still in great shape at 165k miles. I did reline the front brakes with autozone ceramic pads about a 100k ago.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: buster
As The Critic pointed out to me, it could be from Sears not properly torquing the lug nuts after each rotation I've had done. I should have known better and checked after it was done. rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Loosen and retorque and then run them for a while. I've had quite horrible shaking on normal stops, come back to only barely noticeable shaking on a hard stop, which was good enough for me as an unplanned hard stop doesn't happen to often out in the sticks.


+1 all the talk about over torquing is basically referring to cars with the wheel bearing in the rotor and on a spindle, when it come to cars with the disc sitting on the hub the most likely culprit is too much torque on one lug when they first hit with the gun and not just running the down then torquing them crosswise.

Getting the wheel in the air and relieving the strain by loosening the lug nuts then torquing in a crosswise manner many times with let them straighten out a few thousands.