2004 Jeep Liberty brake problem.

It would appear it is a really common scam the $tealerships are pulling these days.

They use an impact gun to install the tires and the rotors warp. They then sucker you for a turn and use the impact gun again on the tires so the turn doesn't last at all. They are 'supposed' to finish tightening the wheels by hand with a torque wrench so the lugs push evenly on the rotors.

If you go into their shop, I will bet you will see the so called 'techs' just hammering wheels on with no torque wrench to be seen.

Even if they claim they use 'torque sticks' on their gun, these are not accurate enough to prevent warpage. New out of the box, those sticks are still +/- something like 15% which can make a 30 ft lb up or down difference at 100 ft lb of torque.

Half the time, rather than replace, the rotors get turned under warranty, then they hammer the wheels back on and the next one is a replacement just after the warranty is up.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I have 80,000 miles on the brakes on my 1995 Wrangler, with no work performed on them except for an occasional fluid flush and inspection of the front pads and the rear shoes. Your theory makes some sense. In 18,231 miles the OP maybe had the tires rotated once, enough to get the rotors warped if they used an impact wrench.

Fred, what work have you had done on the vehicle previously? Specifically, have you had the wheels taken off before, and why?

Earle

I had the tires rotated at 12,000 miles by the dealer, nothing else has been done to the vehicle. I feel that the rotors should not wear or warp at

18,000 miles, and is it necessary to have them turned on the vehicle, or are they just trying to get me to have the dealer do the job?

Fred

Have you priced new rotors? They are a basic DIY job to put on and cost $89.00 ea. locally.

Mike

Fred wrote:

You possibly misunderstood that they need to be turned while still mounted on the axle, I just don't see how rotors can be turned (which requires a lathe) like that.

And rotors can not > I had the tires rotated at 12,000 miles by the dealer, nothing else has

I am not familiar with the Liberty axle design, but I have seen disks turned while on the hub. I don't see how you could turn one, without taking the disk or the hub off the vehicle and mounting it in a lathe. It is possible that Mike's theory is correct, and that this dealer's use of air impact wrenches generates a lot of brake work for him. I don't know how you could prove it though. You are going to say, "You messed up my brake disks" and they are going to say, "Your driving style is out of our control, and that is why the manufacturer does not warranty brakes".

If you have this many questions about the dealer's service department, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. There must be lots of brake and muffler shops in your town.

Earle

I drive shuttle for a GM dealer. I know that they use a lathe that turns the rotors ON the vehicle. I'll find the name of the unit and post back tomorrow.

Ok, here's the skinny. GM has all dealers in the USA & Canada using the

unit. You can watch a short video there aswell. We've been using this up here for a couple of years now.

In article , Mike Romain wrote: #Have you priced new rotors? They are a basic DIY job to put on and cost #$89.00 ea. locally.

$89.00??!??!? ouch. Are they performace rotors or are you talking $89.00CDN?

Even some dealers don't charge that much!

$69.10US for WJ rotors. /herb

In article , philthy wrote: #actually jeep made the on the car brake lathe a essential tool when the wj's #came out with the rotor problem they had and it didn't help # #Jerry Bransford wrote: # #> You possibly misunderstood that they need to be turned while still #> mounted on the axle, I just don't see how rotors can be turned (which #> requires a lathe) like that.

What did help was losing the Teves calipers and replacing them with the Akebono ones.

After one of the rubber piston boots burned off on my Teves calipers back in January, I took the plunge and installed the Akebono caliper kit along with two new rotors from the dealership. And I used a torque wrench. The brakes have been well behaved for about 20K miles. My only complant is that the pads from the kit are dusty as all get out.

/herb

Those are 'performance' rotors and Canadian...

Mike

Herb Le>

Herb Leong proclaimed:

Prices appear to be clustered around a $50 mark, then a small boost into the low 90's, with some of the more premium units in the $150 to $200 range.

Cost of rotors: Cheap.

Cost of poor quality rotors: Your vehicle, your insurance rates, lawsuits, your life.

Reaction upon $89 rotor price "ouch"

Reaction upon bad rotor potential results: "oooohhhhh sh*ttttttt"

Always amazed folks will spend $50 on a steak dinner that just clogs their arteries [1] but refuse to spend much more on something that can save their or someone else's life.

[1] As a public service to avoid clogging your arteries, I would be glad to take those wicked steaks off your hands. Please pack them well in dry ice and contact me for a shipping address. USDA Prime Aged Corn Fed Beef only of course. Well, maybe Kobe.

Are the Libby brakes subject to the conflicting design of reducing weight everywhere and keeping costs down by refusing to just move up to rotors that are both lighter and more warp resistant?

I've seen a few different types of vehicles where the factory rotors could be replaced with tin foil and be more robust.

Earle Horton proclaimed:

Or you could buy a good set of premium aftermarket rotors and swap them yourself.

philthy proclaimed: