Hi, I'm thinking of buying a 97 honda accord ex v6 with 100k miles on it. I like it just fine, the only problem is is that it shakes quite noticeably when i brake on the highway over 60. Is this something that must be fixed or is it likely that the car is safe with this problem (brakes won't fail?) I'm taking it to a mechanic, but if the owner doesn't reduce the price by the amount it costs to fix the problem should i still get it? I plan to sell it in about two years, and will mostly use it to commute to work along the freeways.
Rotors are warped. A while back there was a lot of discussion regards to what extenet they are warped and to what extent the problem is thickness variation. Who cares? The rotors are not flat and true causing brake pulsation. You can get them turned and the problem will come back. Sooner if the rotors are really bad and are of inconsisent metallurgy due to uneven heat treatment from the uneven braking, sooner if they are already thin, sooner if the brake lathe is poorly maintained, sooner if the lugnuts are tightened unevenly many people claim, sooner if you use the hell out of the brakes and often get them hot. New rotors from a quality source will hold the problem at bay for a long time -- again dependent on driving habits.
It will get worse.
They won't fail directly because of the pulsation. Its reasonable to presume steering and suspension components wear faster, however.
About $200 if you do it yourself and use really good rotors such as "Mountain" brand or original equipment Honda. $3-400 if you have it done depending on whether pads are replaced at the same time.
Don
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Brake pulsation should not be a deal-breaker. If you set up a road block on your street and checked the next 20 cars to come by probably half or more would have some degree of brake pulsation.
Don, I for one think you covered all the discussions I've read on this forum re: disc brake rotor pulsations. I fully agree that it is just a matter of time which can be hurried depending on the many factors you pointed out. No permanent solution! s
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