Buying front rotors is driving me crazy!

[sip]

The front rotors for Mazda 3 are quite expensive in the GTA.

From two stock rotors (with TM3 10% discount) at $150 to Centric C-Tek 121.45068 at Tires 23 for $90 to same Centric C-tek for $50 at Amazon.com (with a trip to Niagara Falls).

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced rotors?

[Lmmorden]

The front rotors for Mazda 3 are quite expensive in the GTA.

From two stock rotors (with TM3 10% discount) at $150 to Centric C-Tek 121.45068 at Tires 23 for $90 to same Centric C-tek for $50 at Amazon.com (with a trip to Niagara Falls).

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced rotors?

Have you tried carquest ... I lucked out with a good price on rotors for my last car

Mind you it was a saturn

[McGuyver_3]

You may want to consider just sticking with an OEM rotor. Or brembo blanks. Why? I put aftermarkets on my moms Murano and ended up replacing the rotors 4 months later. EVEN THOUGH I purchased the "premium" rotors they were crap. Spend the money now save the aggravation/cost and labor later.
50$ at amazon + 50$ on fuel and you are back to the price at getting them locally just saying

[zzz3]

Try Alphamotorsports.

[DLYDRVN]

Alpha carries parts for our cars? Since when?

I guess they might have a rotor size that would fit...

Maybe check out knsbrakes.com


Try Alphamotorsports.

[loki]

Alpha carries parts for our cars? Since when?

I guess they might have a rotor size that would fit...

They are a sponsor and have been for several years. Would make sense they carry parts for mazda if not they wouldn't sponsor the forum

[DLYDRVN]

My bad then. The website only lists BMW and Subie parts from what i could see, and a site search for "mazda" turns up no results so one might understand my confusion.

[Thrizzl3]

My bad then. The website only lists BMW and Subie parts from what i could see, and a site search for "mazda" turns up no results so one might understand my confusion.

i ordered DBA front rotors from alpha. just call or PM them

[SomeGuy]

I haven't tried them on my mazda (I'd just suck it up and buy OEM's personally for it) but on mine and my parents toyota I put napa rotors and they were quite good for a reasonable price.

[Jackal]

Go OEM. Don't cheap out on brakes/rotors.

[dentinger]

been using Certified rotors on everything for years, never had any problems. at the end of the day, it's just a slab of steel.

better to buy cheaper rotors, and better pads.

[ryan2.3]

been using Certified rotors on everything for years, never had any problems. at the end of the day, it's just a slab of steel.

better to buy cheaper rotors, and better pads.

seconded.

There's a shop in Richmond Hill that has an ebay store, MaxAutoPart i think?
I'm currently almost a year in and about 40,000km on a rotor and pad set i bought from them and they're running great. Warranty guarantees up to 50000km so i guess i'll see how it goes in the next few months after i pass that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-Mazda-3-2-3L-Silver-Zinc-Slot-Drill-Rotor-Max-Pads-F-R-/310697793191?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item48570816a7&vxp=mtr

even if you toss the pads and get your own, still a great deal on the rotors.

Last year i think i paid $165CAD after tax and shipping

[p-o-g-i]

Looking at the sponsors section, I see at lease 5-6 sponsors that carry rotors.

[silverstarmazda]

seconded.

There's a shop in Richmond Hill that has an ebay store, MaxAutoPart i think?
I'm currently almost a year in and about 40,000km on a rotor and pad set i bought from them and they're running great. Warranty guarantees up to 50000km so i guess i'll see how it goes in the next few months after i pass that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-Mazda-3-2-3L-Silver-Zinc-Slot-Drill-Rotor-Max-Pads-F-R-/310697793191?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item48570816a7&vxp=mtr

even if you toss the pads and get your own, still a great deal on the rotors.

Last year i think i paid $165CAD after tax and shipping

i got these, the physical store is called atom auto parts. ive had mine well over a year (maybe 2). never had a problem and they dont seem to rust as bad. i got mine matched with remsa ceramic pads and stopping power meets/exceeds oem. wear isnt very noticeable so theyre holding up well, never had a warping problem even after street/highway abuse. forgot what i paid for them but it was well under what everyone was quoting me. probably around 150 after all 4 blank rotors and remsa pads.

might try to get slotted front rotors in the future, its when you get drilled rotors that chances of problems increase.

[nepal1344]

seconded.

There's a shop in Richmond Hill that has an ebay store, MaxAutoPart i think?
I'm currently almost a year in and about 40,000km on a rotor and pad set i bought from them and they're running great. Warranty guarantees up to 50000km so i guess i'll see how it goes in the next few months after i pass that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-Mazda-3-2-3L-Silver-Zinc-Slot-Drill-Rotor-Max-Pads-F-R-/310697793191?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item48570816a7&vxp=mtr

even if you toss the pads and get your own, still a great deal on the rotors.

Last year i think i paid $165CAD after tax and shipping

I run those too. Best brakes I've ever owned, out last and out preform my old OEM ones. I bought my car new and had the OEM ones warped in under 2 years. Bought these as a replacement and 4yrs later still no warping.

[sip]

Thank you guys for replies and help.

I went to Carquest. They have only store brand rotors and their best was $100 for two.

Finally, I bought Akebono front pads from Amazon for $88 and Centric C Tek rotors from a sponsor for $90 a pair. They are backorderd, so I have to wait for few weeks to get them. Interestly, another sponser quoted $120 for a pair. These rotors are $50 a pair in the USA but no-one carries them in Canada. Hence, they cost more here.

If money was not an issue, I would have gone OME. I am impressed by OME pads. They gave me 80k and still may have some life in them.

When the breaks are replaced, do you have to replace brake oil. Is bleeding brakes necessary?

[silverstarmazda]

you could always try and salvage something from the wreckers...but its a hit or miss with those but could potentially save you a LOT of money.

its not necessary to replace the brake fluid after a rotor/pad change. but a proper bleed or flush wouldnt hurt and can release any air bubble you might have in the system. cant go wrong with fresh brake fluid. ;)

[McGuyver_3]

you could always try and salvage something from the wreckers...but its a hit or miss with those but could potentially save you a LOT of money.

its not necessary to replace the brake fluid after a rotor/pad change. but a proper bleed or flush wouldnt hurt and can release any air bubble you might have in the system. cant go wrong with fresh brake fluid. ;)

If you have air in your brake system you will notice no matter how big or small. Brake systems are generally a sealed system and air doesn't just get in.

[silverstarmazda]

If you have air in your brake system you will notice no matter how big or small. Brake systems are generally a sealed system and air doesn't just get in.

yup, a good time to find out if theres a problem or not. depending on how long the fluid has been in there for, it could be dirty and "wet". not really a problem but better to just flush it out with fresh "dry" fluid as preventative maintenance.

[McGuyver_3]

yup, a good time to find out if theres a problem or not. depending on how long the fluid has been in there for, it could be dirty and "wet". not really a problem but better to just flush it out with fresh "dry" fluid as preventative maintenance.

Excuse my ignorance but what the heck is "wet" and "dry" brake fluid? It gets dirty yes I am aware of that but the fluid keeps clean for a long time.

[bubba1983]

Hahaha
And its hydroscopic, so does that men its "dry" to you

[silverstarmazda]

Excuse my ignorance but what the heck is "wet" and "dry" brake fluid? It gets dirty yes I am aware of that but the fluid keeps clean for a long time.

brake fluid can absorb moisture over time and reduce its boiling point. hence the wet and dry boiling point. boiling is usually not a problem unless your driving extremely spiritedly or tracking.

its main purpose is to keep the brake system free of moisture/water so nothing rusts and fails inside the system. however over time, brake fluid can absorb moisture from the air/boot (weather it be from a fault from a seal or the small vent on the master cylinder cap). no matter how well a system is sealed, water/air will eventually penetrate into the system and rubber parts will age prematurely or over time. but yes, the system is generally sealed off. but nothing is ever %100 on an automobile or else all mechanics will go out of business haha

routine bleeding can show possible problems which cant be seen by just looking at the brake system (unless theres an obvious leak). i also find it keeps the bleeder screw from seizing which is a nice plus over the years



Hahaha
And its hydroscopic, so does that men its "dry" to you

apparently its hygroscopic, not hydroscopic :chuckle the brake fluid from the first flush i did when i got the car was dark and disgusting. did a full flush with ford dot 3 synthetic. then did another flush recently (2 years later) with super blue to find out if the ford fluid became contaminated. it came out clear so i know theres nothing wrong. plus the super blue has a longer life cycle which is one of the main points for me.

its a bit over kill, but its not expensive and doesnt take long to do. it can even save on costly repairs down the road and probably save lives.

[Flagrum_3]

silverstarmazda. You make some valid points but; You ever hear the saying-"If it ain't broke don't fix it". Unless the system has been compromised, the fluid will very rarely need changing. I've kept cars long-term and never had an issue with fluid; either moisture or air, one car for 14 years. Bleeder screws are easy to replace. Bleeding should only be done if there is signs of air in the system, (spongy peddle), otherwise you never want to open the system. Opening the system, flushing, etc.; can promote contamination and you experienced it yourself as you state in your comment...doubt it was the ford fluid.

Few of us track our vehicles or drive spirited enough to 'heat' our brake fluid to the point it would boil....

_3

[r4BBiT]

plus the super blue has a longer life cycle which is one of the main points for me.

From what I read before the racing brake fluid have shorter life span then "regular" ones and absorb more moisture. Therefore should be changed more often. I don't remember where I read that though.

[Zotaga]

I'm not sure if they are still in business or not but you could try Roto-Tech Cross-Drilled/Slotted Rotors.

That's what I have on my car and I've had them for 3 years with no real issues. I had the front rotors turned last month and the guy who turned it said he didn't even have to do much to it. Very good rotors!

[sarujo]

rotors should be replaced, not turned.

[silverstarmazda]

silverstarmazda. You make some valid points but; You ever hear the saying-"If it ain't broke don't fix it". Unless the system has been compromised, the fluid will very rarely need changing. I've kept cars long-term and never had an issue with fluid; either moisture or air, one car for 14 years. Bleeder screws are easy to replace. Bleeding should only be done if there is signs of air in the system, (spongy peddle), otherwise you never want to open the system. Opening the system, flushing, etc.; can promote contamination and you experienced it yourself as you state in your comment...doubt it was the ford fluid.

Few of us track our vehicles or drive spirited enough to 'heat' our brake fluid to the point it would boil....

_3


i didnt experience any contamination during my time with the ford fluid or super blue. the first flush with the ford fluid was to clear the old nasty stuff out (probably oem). the second flush showed no contamination at all indicating the system is not compromised. i didnt state anywhere in my comment that i had contamination. its a preventative maintenance to keep an eye on the condition of the system to catch early symptoms of a costly repair or failure. cost of brake fluid and diy flush vs possible system failure/fatal accident... its a price id pay any day. if the procedure is performed correctly, contamination should not be an issue. if performed at a set schedule, you can be confident the system has fresh fluid operating the way it was designed for.

bleeder screws are a bitch to replace when they snap off. i never want to go through that again lol.

yes, if it aint broke dont fix it. coolant technically doesnt need to be changed if its working fine. oil can go much much longer without changing. filters dont need to be changed/cleaned even when extremely dirty. tires dont need to be changed as long as they hold air. but we change them regularly so the systems lasts longer and perform at there optimal state. its also a clear and direct indication of any problems that might occur in the future.

i myself have also driven pretty hard as some here can remember (smoking brakes :chuckle) but not to the point of boiling as far as i can tell.


From what I read before the racing brake fluid have shorter life span then "regular" ones and absorb more moisture. Therefore should be changed more often. I don't remember where I read that though.

depends, considering what type of condition/environment the fluid is subjected to. the super blue im using has been rated to 3 years of service life. while the ate G, SL, SL.6 fluid was rated at 1-2 years.

racing fluid is recommended to be changed out more often so it stays in its "dry" boiling point. im unsure about the rate of absorption between fluids



rotors should be replaced, not turned.

really depends on the type of rotor and the problem at hand. ive myself turned dozens of blank oem rotors with great success. as long as the final shave is within spec of minimum thickness. slotted and drilled rotors are another story though as ive never turned those before.

[Booter22]

rotors should be replaced, not turned.

sort of true.. on the 3s with hella thin rotors to begin with, might be a better idea to replace them, maybe even with something of better quality, EBC or stoptech / centric is what im going to do when the time comes and i think those could be turned once or twice. actually surprised at hyundai how many cars get rotor machines and how thick alot of the rotors are from stock. but same as the mazdas on the little econoboxs like the elatnra and even veloster i would think it more sensable to replace

[buckethead99]

How come no one suggrsted rockauto.com

I asked the same question a week ago and this was the inly suggestion. Massive website with pretty mich everything yoy couod ever want for your 3