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Glazed and pitted rotors

Short version of long ordeal

Brake job at small shop (new pads, 3 new rotors). Brakes squealed afterwards, so he replaced front pads. Then a wheel rattled. He still needs to replace anti-rattle clip/other hardware. All this done over 4 visits. In the mean time, had Belle Tire look at brakes, they said my new rotors (from small shop) were glazed and/or pitted and therefore ruined so they need to be redone. Went back to small shop which said

90% of rotors on the road are glazed and it's not a problem. Taking it in tomorrow to have wheel rattle fixed.

Can anyone let me know who's correct? If the rotors are glazed, what should I demand from the small shop? New rotors? Are glazed rotors normal? How do you find a shop you can trust?

I wish I knew as much about cars as I do about computers :)

Thanks

-- Joel

Reply to
Joel
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I think a good start would be to ask the whole bunch just what they think a "glazed rotor" means. Be sure to report back. I'd love to hear the answer. Personally, if they're needed, 4 new rotors would've been the way to go, along with new pads all around. It's really hard to find a shop you can trust. Word of mouth is the best way. Ask around.

Reply to
Zip Disk

I'm not sure what a "glazed rotor" is either. I've seen brake drums come with a coating that I had to remove before using but never heard of it on a rotor.

Reply to
Childfree Scott

Is there any evidence that the new rotors were rusty when they were put on? If you've driven in the wet since then, it's probably impossible to tell.

Did they guy say that he only replaced 3 rotors because he mic'ed all 4, and

3 were out of spec?

Is the car high milage or a beater? Did you think the price for the work was high or low?

If rotors sit on a shelf for a long time, they can get rusty. In that case, the right answer is to turn them on a brake lathe before installing. The argument against is that it takes some good metal with it, and since the rust just rubs off anyway, it's a waste of time.

Typically (but not always), new rotors and pads won't squeal. New pads on old or rusty rotors are more likely to squeal.

The guy might just be trying to save you money by doing as little as is needed. Or, he might be thinking of other things. Give him the benefit of the doubt, until there's good reason not to. If he's doing follow up work under the original price, he's probably honest.

As far as what the second shop said, I'm skeptical. You can remove glaze from a rotor with a piece of sandpaper - you don't even have to pull the caliper. Maybe turning if it's warped (warppage is usually caused by uneven torquing of the lug nuts - use a torque wrench). Replacing a glazed rotor that's thick enough to meet spec is overkill.

FWIW... Randy

Reply to
Randy

Randy

I appreciate your detailed reply, it's greatly appreciated. Upon further thought, I'm also becoming skeptical about what Belle Tire (the second shop said). They said all the rotors would need to be replaced because they were glazed or pitted, and that there's no way to fix a glazed rotor.

The first guy has done quite a bit of work under the original price, although they were mistakes he made in the first place. I guess that's why I began to doubt the whole brake job, cause he couldn't get it right.

The car (1998 Marquis) has 80K miles but is in excellent condition. I driven a few months on the new rotors, so I have no idea of their initial condition. Price for the work was on par with what Belle Tire quoted to redo the entire job.

Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll continue on my quest to find someone I trust.

-- Joel

Randy wrote:

Reply to
Joel

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