2002 Corolla OEM Rotor question

I paid $400 for a Meineke brake job 15 years ago on my Corolla GTS. For $400, using OEM Toyota parts, I'd do it, unless I were doing the job myself...

I can't remember if OEM parts are Akebobno, or...? But they are good.

mrsteveo, I have turned many rotors and drums for people and warped rotors causes can come from a few factors such as manufacturing, maintenance practices (lug bolt torque), and driving habits. Sometimes, resurfacing solves the problem, other times not. I found some information that I am cutting and pasting below for all to reference. It may answer alot of questions about a relatively common problem. I would not take the "brake bedding" area too seriously IMHO. When components have been replaced the best advice I can give is to just drive your vehicle normally. Nothing special. Trying to break in brakes by the untrained can break them.

different then the rest of the rotor. When subjected to thermal stress (or mechanical stress from unevenly or over-tightened lug nuts) the rotor warps. Turning or truing the rotor will alleviate warps that exist when the rotor is cold, but will not solve the problem when hot, the uneven temper still exists within the substrate. The only permanent solution is to replace the rotor. The manufacturing cost of brake rotors is mainly related to the length of the cool down time during the casting process. Cheap rotors are removed from the sand molds too soon and generally develop uneven temper. Expensive rotors are left overnight to cool in the molds, allowing them to temper very evenly. This extra time in the molds eats up the foundry's production capacity, so the parts are more expensive.

To answer the OP's original post:

Toyota's OEM suppliers are Akebono and Aisin.

Stick to OEM and find another dealer.

The 2 largest brake parts suppliers for Toyota are Akebono and Aisin.

In my 29 years of experience working with Toyotas using non OEM brake parts is a hit or miss proposition. Sometimes aftermarket brake parts are fine, and sometimes they cause excessive pad or rotor wear, excessive brake dust, squealing and groaning, and poor braking performance. I've done brake jobs on cars using aftermarket pads, and they often do not fit as well as OEM parts, making the job take more time. Rather than experiment, I prefer OEM brake parts.

Machined rotors tend to give pulsation within a year so IMO, you are better off replacing rotors than machining them.

If you ride the brake pedal over long downhill grades, there is a pretty good chance that you will warp the rotors, especially if you do this in rainy conditions where water splashing on the rotors can cool them rapidly. It is better to downshift for long downhill grades than ride the brakes. I used to drive in the hills around the SF Bay Area, Tahoe, Yosemite, VT, and MT routinely without any warpage.