ap0718

So I went to Lexus of Tampa Bay today to have them check out the god awful squeal coming from the brakes. I've read through the 5000+ posts about the issue and read up on the TSB.

Earlier last year, I replaced the brakes myself so now, the "stealership" is saying that they can't be responsible for the squealing or any brake repair that occurred in the past. I think we all know that replacing brake pads is not rocket science and the squealing is a known issue with this model.

Anyway, so I asked them to look at it, and tell me what they think the problem is. They come back to me after an hour and tell me that the rotors need to be replaced because they are under spec and I will need new brake pads and that should stop all the squealing. Keep in mind that they have looked at the car twice in the last 3 months (when i brought it in for the dash rattle and the recall) informing me that the brakes were fine at that time and they couldn't recreate the squeal. WTF!!!!

I'm sure that the dealership put notes on my car of this and that, so there goes any shot of taking it to another dealer to get this done. Of course after reading all the experiences you guys have had of getting brakes and rotors replaced.

I hate the delaership!!! $765 dollars for the brakes and rotors, including labor. Are you kidding me!!!! The rotors are $260 and pads are $65 on Sewell. I told him that too!!!

Sorry, had to vent.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i am really sorry to hear about the problems you going through. it's really tough. however, this is what i think. i am sure some people will not agree with me here because their theories or experiences say otherwise. however, changing brake pads can be more involved than what you think.

see, for the longest time before 2006, lexus never had really strong or powerful brakes (in terms of piston counts or pad materials). they always get a lot of complaints from customers about their brakes, and people ask for more aggressive / powerful brakes.

came 2006, lexus listened and we started seeing more powerful brakes on their cars, and the pad materials are also more aggressive for better stopping power. but the downside? just like everything else, things have to be maintained and done right in order to perform in adequate condition.

i know more than a few good technicians out there, some with decades of experience, and some who can take apart a car down to the last bolt and put everything back up just fine. i talk to them, i take my cars to them for services. every time i brought my cars in for pad changes, they always say the following steps have to be done

1) take out old pads, clean out dust and residues on rotors, if any
2) measure the rotors and make sure they are in spec
3) check to make sure rotor surface is still completely flat. most of the time it's not, and the middle part is "deeper" because of how the pressure is applied by the pistons.
4) install new pads
5) bed in the pads

that's ALWAYS the case, always the steps. this is regardless of whether i take it to aftermarket shops, or my friend at lexus dealership.

fact is, for less aggressive brake setup, rotors are smaller, and pad materials are generally less aggressive. it does not grind into the rotors as hard, and also doesn't generate as much heat.

if one is to live up to the performance of these powerful brakes from lexus (they are some damn good stuff), one should understand what's involved and how to truly maintain it.

with that said, i will just re-iterate what i have said before. just changing the pads blindly without checking / inspecting other parts is WRONG, period. i am not saying you need to resurface the rotor for sure, but you need to inspect it.

you want me to explain further? aggressive pads eat into rotors (the ones from factory). the materials can squeak (possible and i have seen before), and the middle part of the rotors generally got eaten up faster than outside. you bring the car in for dustless or squeakless (less aggressive) pads. dealerships / techs blindly install them and call it a day. what happens is, the pads aren't in contact with the rotors completely, maybe only 20% contact. now the friction is different, you grind the rotors differently, and same wit the pads. this will create noise (again).

more example? my old ap racing brakes. went through first set of pads. got 2nd set, i made the mistake of just installing pads without checking rotors. results? uneven wear on rotors, and i killed the pads too. ended up the rotors went out of spec, and pads bad. so i had to shell out 800 bucks for rotors, and another 200 for pads.

again, for some normal cars, this might not be a problem. but we are talking about our cars with powerful and more aggressive brakes. things aren't the same anymore. i have had bbk on all my cars, and i know a few techs. so maybe i know more about brakes than some (or maybe not). but all i try is to avoid people from making the kind of mistake i did before.

hope this helps. i think i have said enough about these brakes and all the complaints people put up regarding lexus. i am not siding with lexus by all means, but i think at the very least, people should understand what's going on. you go to bmw m cars, mb amg, porsche cars with brembo brakes, etc... you go through these stuff every day

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

^ great detailed explanation!