'97 Sebring Conv. Brake Shudder

I bought the rotors at Discount Auto Parts in Tampa. Here's a link to the rotors

At $23/rotor, more likely than not they're Brand X Asian junk. The shudder could be caused by a number of things, chief among them rotor runout (i.e. the disc 'wobbles'). If you are *sure* the hub was properly cleaned up (NO rust, dirt, etc.) and the rotors fit onto the hub perfectly, and you reinstalled the tire and wheel assemblies properly by using a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts to spec, then likely they heated up and warped when you were first using them. Were you a little hard on them during the test drive to make sure they seemed alright? If so, and if they weren't good quality, you cooked 'em, especially if you could smell the brake linings burning after the test drive, or if they already have a glazed appearance.

Another possibility is that you have rear disk brakes that are out of round. Have you checked them?

You can check rotors for runout by using a magnetically mounted dial indicator to measure the runout., or you might take the rotors off, take them to an auto parts place that turns rotors, and have them perform a scratch cut on their brake lathe to see if they're out of round. You'll likely pay the full price to turn them ($10-$15 each) for this, and you

Better yet, you could just give up on them, and buy good quality American or Canadian made Raybestos or Wagner rotors, and be sure that you've got good parts. Make sure they have the words 'Made in USA' or 'Made in Canada' stamped right onto the inside of the hub of the rotor, or don't accept them. They will cost more -- maybe as much as $50 or so each -- but believe me, the time and frustration you will save will be worth every penny. Next time make sure you get a can of brake parts cleaner and get everything, including the new rotors, as clean as possible before reinstalling them. Oh, and if you can prove to the shop they warped in just a few days after buying them, I'd try to make the parts shop accept a return and exchange for a better quality part.

Good luck,

--Geoff

It's not the pads, it's the rotors. I'd pull the rotors off again and make sure there's not any rust/gunk behind where the rotor mounts to the hub. If not, the rotors are warped out of the box and you should return them.

nate

I cleaned the rotors and the entire brake area with an entire can of brake cleaner. The only possible thing I can think of is that when I jacked the car up, I might have miss-alligned the front end. Is that possible? Could the brake shudder simply be a front end alignment problem caused by me? If not, I'll probably take the rotors back, and have them exchanged for something better and try again.