brakes are warped slightly. do they need to be replaced right away

[gramps]

my old mechanic used garbage rotors on my rears more than once. i no longer go to him. they failed 3 times over the course of 3 years. I am going back to hawkpad/oem for next replacement. The current rears don't make full contact as i can see rust rings. I would say maybe 50% contact. I believe they are also warped but, my steering wheel don't vibrate at highway speed.
i believe i can also hear a metal to metal sound which is not constant, but close, but don't know what is rubbing together.

i am taking my car in for winter service soon and wonder if it is a must to replace them now, or can they wait.
what is metal to metal sound?

thanks
-g

[stock3]

Your problem is not with garbage parts but with garbage workmanship. No point in spending big money on premium parts, only to have them slapped on by a lazy grease monkey.

Find a good mechanic that will clean everything properly and lube all the necessary contact point with proper brake grease and even the cheap parts will work for a long time.
My favorite combo for our cars is the cheapest rotors (about $30 apiece) , you can paint them with Tremclad so they stay pretty longer, and good quality ceramic brake pads. Mine are going on 5 years front and 4 years back with OEM performance at a fraction of the cost.

[gramps]

Your problem is not with garbage parts but with garbage workmanship. No point in spending big money on premium parts, only to have them slapped on by a lazy grease monkey.

Find a good mechanic that will clean everything properly and lube all the necessary contact point with proper brake grease and even the cheap parts will work for a long time.
My favorite combo for our cars is the cheapest rotors (about $30 apiece) , you can paint them with Tremclad so they stay pretty longer, and good quality ceramic brake pads. Mine are going on 5 years front and 4 years back with OEM performance at a fraction of the cost.

as i mentioned in the post, i have a new mechanic now, so i am just trying to figure out what to do at this point

[m_bisson]

If your rotors are warped you'll feel it in the brake pedal, not the steering wheel.

[slam525i]

My favorite combo for our cars is the cheapest rotors (about $30 apiece) , you can paint them with Tremclad so they stay pretty longer

You paint your rotors? With Tremclad? Like, the actual surface that contacts the brake pad? Are you serious? (Surely, I'm mis-reading this!)


If your rotors are warped you'll feel it in the brake pedal, not the steering wheel.

A seriously warped rotor can transmit through the steering as one of the front wheels pulses. It has to be pretty bad though.

[Cab0oze]

A seriously warped rotor can transmit through the steering as one of the front wheels pulses. It has to be pretty bad though.

Ditto. My dba T2s with hawk pads do this like crazy on all 4 wheels. Won't be buying expensive rotors ever again, what a waste of money.

[gramps]

Ditto. My dba T2s with hawk pads do this like crazy on all 4 wheels. Won't be buying expensive rotors ever again, what a waste of money.

so the question remains. how long should i wait for a replacement?
am i damaging other components by letting the almost constant squeek go on?

[stock3]

You paint your rotors? With Tremclad? Like, the actual surface that contacts the brake pad? Are you serious? (Surely, I'm mis-reading this!)


... and I grease the pads so they don't squeal...;)

The paint goes on all surfaces except thhe pad contact area. And Tremclad rust paint is actually an excellent product for this application. It's surprisingly durable.


so the question remains. how long should i wait for a replacement?
am i damaging other components by letting the almost constant squeek go on?

Take it to the mechanic and he will tell you if parts need to be replaced. Don't expect an internet forum to guide your hand every step of the way.

[Flagrum_3]

so the question remains. how long should i wait for a replacement?
am i damaging other components by letting the almost constant squeek go on?

Depending on how bad the warp is you could be shortening the life of other components, excessive vibrations could put undo stress on other parts. Get it fixed asap, driving with bad brakes is not a safe practice and can effect your ability to stop properly, especially in winter conditions...Now that I've stated the obvious;....

Have the brakes done properly, new components; oem rotors, 'possibly' ceramic pads and I would suggest new slider pins (at only $8 it's well worth the change) and have all components lubed properly.

My 2c


_3

[Punisher-One]

You will feel a warped FRONT rotor during braking in both the pedal and the steering wheel.
Warping is usually a result of putting heat (during lots of braking or heavy braking) into a cheap rotor made with inferior metal that can not dissipate the heat properly.

I'd replace them as soon as you can. Replace them with the higher quality OEM replacements available at most parts stores. Run away screaming from anything white-box.

[Cab0oze]

You will feel a warped FRONT rotor during braking in both the pedal and the steering wheel.
Warping is usually a result of putting heat (during lots of braking or heavy braking) into a cheap rotor made with inferior metal that can not dissipate the heat properly.

I'd replace them as soon as you can. Replace them with the higher quality OEM replacements available at most parts stores. Run away screaming from anything white-box.

Yeah, or an expensive rotor such as dba that is also made with the exact same damn metal. You just never know.

[TheMAN]

not torquing down the lug nuts evenly will warp any rotors

[Punisher-One]

Yeah, or an expensive rotor such as dba that is also made with the exact same damn metal. You just never know.

True enough....by "cheap" I meant cheap quality...sometimes fly by night "performance" companies will sell you garbage in a cool box.

I've had nothing but good luck with the "professional" line from Raybestos and the "Premium" line from CarQuest. For a daily-driven vehicle those types of rotors/pads will be more than good enough. Racing I'd probably go with something by a higher end performance company.

[Cab0oze]

True enough....by "cheap" I meant cheap quality...sometimes fly by night "performance" companies will sell you garbage in a cool box.

I've had nothing but good luck with the "professional" line from Raybestos and the "Premium" line from CarQuest. For a daily-driven vehicle those types of rotors/pads will be more than good enough. Racing I'd probably go with something by a higher end performance company.

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I had gone that route. Oh well, lesson learned.

[Punisher-One]

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I had gone that route. Oh well, lesson learned.

If you can do your own brakes at least it only costs you new rotors right.

Oh an advice....make sure you buy all steel one-piece rotors. The ones that came on my M3 from the factory were those two-piece ones where the rotor portion is steel but the hub is aluminum-bonded to the steel. They rusted onto that hub like they were friggen welded. I have never had to break a rotor to get them off until the M3! Not looking forward to doing the rears in the spring. I'll see if I can post a picture of what I did to remove them lol. Cheapo-parts from the factory.

[Punisher-One]

Here's a picture for you. Steel clad aluminum rotors = fail.

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu266/officer_vince/Mobile%20Uploads/20141110_145332_zps8uhhd5x8.jpg

[Cab0oze]

If you can do your own brakes at least it only costs you new rotors right.
Yeah but the slotted rotors I have on right now that are warped cost me 500 bucks. Hesitant to just throw them in the garbage for obvious reasons.

[Punisher-One]

Yeah but the slotted rotors I have on right now that are warped cost me 500 bucks. Hesitant to just throw them in the garbage for obvious reasons.

Ouch man that sucks. Try the manufacturer/dealer first. See if they will do anything for you. Rotors that expensive should not be warping.

[Cab0oze]

Ouch man that sucks. Try the manufacturer/dealer first. See if they will do anything for you. Rotors that expensive should not be warping.

They told me to get them machined and then they would consider me shipping them back to them for a replacement. I wasn't able to find a garage that would do it, and now its the winter and I have no free time sooooo... kinda just dealing with it right now. Also, machining them would probably cost about $150 plus another $50 for shipping so it's not like its even that good of a deal. I may as well just buy new rotors =/

[Punisher-One]

Yeah at that point you are right.
Machining will smooth out the rotor but depending on how bad they are warped it may take a lot of material off.
I never bother with machining of rotors I always replace mine with brand new ones. For the $75-$90 a rotor it's worth it to me. I do it all myself so no labour costs lol.

[Flagrum_3]

Yeah at that point you are right.
Machining will smooth out the rotor but depending on how bad they are warped it may take a lot of material off.
I never bother with machining of rotors I always replace mine with brand new ones. For the $75-$90 a rotor it's worth it to me. I do it all myself so no labour costs lol.

Machining rotors is a waste of money, your right the amount of material removed to eliminate the warp will basically make the rotors too thin and prone to overheat...basically useless.

Wish I knew what happen to the JR Auto guys, they were a sponsor located in Pickering awhile back. I got my present slotted rotors and pads off them and they are an awesome combination and talk about low cost...Apparently both made by a manufacturer right in Pickering...Anyone have any idea how to contact them?Would be nice to know the manufacturer, maybe buy them direct.

_3

[Zuluwun]

Wish I knew what happen to the JR Auto guys,

_3

You and me both. I tried getting in touch with them shortly after they left TM3 by text/Facebook to no avail. It's a shame, they seemed like good guys.

[stock3]

Yeah but the slotted rotors I have on right now that are warped cost me 500 bucks. Hesitant to just throw them in the garbage for obvious reasons.


They told me to get them machined and then they would consider me shipping them back to them for a replacement. I wasn't able to find a garage that would do it, and now its the winter and I have no free time sooooo... kinda just dealing with it right now. Also, machining them would probably cost about $150 plus another $50 for shipping so it's not like its even that good of a deal. I may as well just buy new rotors =/

If the rotors were that expensive then it would be prudent to find out why they are "warped". I put warped in quotes, as 99% of the time the rotors are not actually warped, but other things contribute to the rotor run out. Instead of blindly machining them, any garage can check the run out on these rotors with a dial indicator or you can do it easily yourself.

First check the run out while the rotors are on the axle, just make sure they are torques with few stud bolts to make sure they sit properly on the hub. They should not have more than 1-2 thou run out, but since you feel it in the brake pedal, most likely they are beyond that value. You could find out that only one rotor has too much run out, but in any case, remove them, clean the mating surface of the hub and the rotor, put it back and measure again. Marking the original position of the rotor is also recommended, as later on you can index the rotor to see if it makes any difference.

It may sound like a lot of work, but given the expense of the rotors and in my experience they don't actually warp (as in loose the material properties that would cause the rotor surface to distort), there is probably a good chance that you can fix the run out without machining the rotors.

Re-bedding the pads would also be a good idea, I know it helped me get rid of some mild brake pulsations before.

[TheMAN]

turning rotors improperly can cause more harm than good... most of the time shops do not finish them with cross hatches, which causes a record player effect... pads will try to follow the grooves till they can't any more and bounce back... causing a knocking noise till the rotor wears in

but like I said... you can take any good rotor and turn it into crap quickly by just blasting lug nuts on without a torque stick or just using a torque wrench when doing it by hand

[Cab0oze]

If the rotors were that expensive then it would be prudent to find out why they are "warped". I put warped in quotes, as 99% of the time the rotors are not actually warped, but other things contribute to the rotor run out. Instead of blindly machining them, any garage can check the run out on these rotors with a dial indicator or you can do it easily yourself.

First check the run out while the rotors are on the axle, just make sure they are torques with few stud bolts to make sure they sit properly on the hub. They should not have more than 1-2 thou run out, but since you feel it in the brake pedal, most likely they are beyond that value. You could find out that only one rotor has too much run out, but in any case, remove them, clean the mating surface of the hub and the rotor, put it back and measure again. Marking the original position of the rotor is also recommended, as later on you can index the rotor to see if it makes any difference.

It may sound like a lot of work, but given the expense of the rotors and in my experience they don't actually warp (as in loose the material properties that would cause the rotor surface to distort), there is probably a good chance that you can fix the run out without machining the rotors.

Re-bedding the pads would also be a good idea, I know it helped me get rid of some mild brake pulsations before.

Every single rotor has the same problem unfortunately. Rebedding the pads (or more likely brushing off the uneven pad deposits) fixes the problem for about a week of highway driving but it always comes back.

I wasn't the only one either, SKYMP3 had the same problem:
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?75548-DBA-Slotted-Rotors
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?76314-DBA-Street-Series-T2-Slotted-Rotors-Front-2007-2009-Mazdaspeed3&highlight=

Hah, he managed to sell his, I should do that :P

[gramps]

Every single rotor has the same problem unfortunately. Rebedding the pads (or more likely brushing off the uneven pad deposits) fixes the problem for about a week of highway driving but it always comes back.

I wasn't the only one either, SKYMP3 had the same problem:
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?75548-DBA-Slotted-Rotors
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?76314-DBA-Street-Series-T2-Slotted-Rotors-Front-2007-2009-Mazdaspeed3&highlight=

Hah, he managed to sell his, I should do that :P

Yeah, i don't think my mech ever rebedded the pads anywal. I would have expected him to tell me if he did.
The lesson learned is that unfortunately both rotors and pads must be replaced at the same time if I want to save time and money.
the fronts are raybestos and M3 rotors. I think they have been pretty good so far.

[TheMAN]

most mechanics don't spend the time to bed the pads... they're not building race cars, and they're getting paid flat rate... they don't care

all they will do is take the car around the block to make sure the car stops OK
after that, all they will do at most is tell you to "drive the car gently for the next few hundred kms", which is what will bed the pads after some time

if you want to bed the pads, do it yourself!

and like I said... most mechanics don't tighten lug nuts using torque sticks or torque wrenches... so you might as well go back and retighten the lug nuts yourself properly to keep the rotors from warping