My dealer recommended replacing front brake rotors after 66000K (40000 Miles). I looked at the old ones and there was some rust, but not that bad. The service manager said he could not turn the rotors because there was not enough metal there and he would expect warping if he did.
Anybody have any experience or opinions on this?
Seems like a very short life for an important part.
jimmp
To save weight rotors come very thin these days.
(40000
What they told you sounds correct. There is a minimum allowable diameter stamped on the actual rotor itself. The auto parts/service center should have used a micrometer to measure the actual thickness and compare against the stamping. They are not allowed by law to turn them under the minimum allowable thickness. Sounds to me as though the rotors were either turned once previously or were possibly damaged (no longer a perfectly smooth surface) by letting the brake pads wear down too far or possibly pitted from rust/corrosion.
Most here have gotten longer longevity from quality US made rotors, and not the cheaper imports from China in the plain white/generic boxes. Good luck!
Bob
Hmmm - rust? That usually forms only on the unimportant part of the rotor and has nothing to do with it needing replacing. Yours may or may not need replacing, but don't do it for rust on the non-wearing surfaces.
As Art said, with as marginal as they make the rotor designs these days, you're just as well off replacing the rotors as having them turned since turning costs half of what a new rotor costs and can be more likely to warp.
If your Concorde came from the factory with 16" or larger wheels, then I have a recommendation for you: Get the NAPA rotor P/N 86777 - $47 each (they are Raybestos rotors re-boxed as NAPA's in-house United Brake brand). It is the rotor that comes on the 300M and Intrepid with the performance brake systems (respectively referred to as PHP and R/T). That rotor will bolt right in place of your original rotor with absolutely no mods and uses the same calipers and pads. That rotor differs from your factory rotors only in that it has better venting (for better cooling/warp resistance). (I upgraded my Concorde that originally came with 15" wheels to that rotor - I had to replace the steering knuckles to do make room for the larger rotor, but even then it was worth it. Like I said, if yours came with 16" wheels, it is infinitely easier - no mods needed.)
Don't worry about the rear rotors - they don't get much wear or heat - concentrate on the fronts.
You also might consider upgrading pads to Hawk HPS. LH car owners (including myself) on other forums have had good results with those pads.
Another option on rotors if you're interested: The 300M ezBoard and the
Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")
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