Alias

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for all the comments guys. I understand that over time the rotors will receive their share of wear and tear and will have to be tended too eventually. Right now there's no shimmying when i brake, and the rotors look...well the same for a while now. Only reason i decided to change my brake pads was because when i went to get my yearly safety inspection, the inspector said that i might want to change my brake pads sometime soon because its wearing down. Ok fair enough. what i wasnt expecting was that when i talked to the mechanic (whose shop specializes in lexus's) he told me i needed to change the whole entire rotor. i asked, cant it just be resurfaced? he said for my rotors they are the same type used on european cars, and they are made out of this material that cant resurfaced.... so he said he'll replace them with another brand (i forget the name) that can be resurfaced, so next time i wont have this problem...

i mean, if this is true, that sucks big time. why would i have to change out my whole entire rotor if i only have 40,000 miles on it... i mean at least the brake pads... but the whole rotor!?! i guess im just trying to see if its really necessary to do this at this point in time. i mean $520 is alot to drop for me right now. btw, $520 is only to do the 2 front rotors and brake pads. he said no need to do the back. what also makes me wonder is that he didnt even ask how much mileage was on my car, or if it shimmies, or anything like that. he just told me since my car is a 2006, he can almost guarantee they need to be changed for a new set. so in your honest opinions or experiences, do i need to change the rotors or can i just change the brake pads. i dont know if this will help, but i've attached some pics of my rotors so you can hopefully get an idea if they need to be changed or not.

pfdaxe

iTrader: (8)

That shop is full of it!! I have never met a shop that hasn't stated that you have to replace your rotors. It's a sales pitch. Like stated in prior posts, ask for the thickness to see if they are within specs, feel them to see if they are smooth or grooved. Hard to tell from your pics, but they don't look grooved. If they are within specs and not grooved, just replace the pads. They are also full of S*****T. They can be resurfaced. I've done it! $15 per rotor at Checker Auto Parts and they are just fine.

acefalcon2

iTrader: (20)

my car has 35k miles and i've changed my rotor once... so yeah... just go out to your car and feel it whether it needs a new set of rotors and pads...

it really depends on how you drive and not hw many miles you've driven... my neighbor had to change his rotors at 25k miles.. way earlier than most people due to the hard braking he does and etc... so yeah

at the dealership depending where you are is about $450 for the fronts to be done....

sometimes rotors have worn so much that it can't be resurfaced..

Andre

willfxp

I'd ask him what that material is, what the brand is, etc. Collect some data and then Google it.

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

bring it to another shop for estimate?

Alias

iTrader: (2)

yah thats actually what im going to try doing. it wont hurt to get other feedback.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

First, try and find a shop that won't lie to your face.

The OEM rotors CAN be resurfaced (though unless there's something actually wrong with them there's no need to, and doing so just wastes good metal).

CarbonDtls

iTrader: (4)

You do not need new rotors. You only have 40,000 miles and unless you really destroyed them which I doubt you can resurface them. They can and should be resurfaced. Go to another shop.
The shop either is not honest or maybe they have liability reasons behind replacing with new rotors. Some shops just do things different. Personally I would go to another shop.

The rear does less braking so probably don't need new pads but if he doesn't know how many miles are on the car or atleast visually inspected theres no way he would know if you need them or not.
Go to another shop.

Alias

iTrader: (2)

thanks guys. i asked another shop about it, its a general repair shop here (kind of like a jiffy lube, but they specialize in tires and brakes) and they said they can change the brake pads for much cheaper and they can resurface my rotors. im going to check them out.

juice14

if it aint broken dont change it

no but really, if the steerign wheel doesnt vibrate when you brake, and you drive normally (as in not track the car or anything) then you can wait another brake job to change them

gdinero

iTrader: (1)

I'd say probably not a scam.

I took my car to 3 different places because I kept hearing that my rotors couldn't be resurfaced and still stay in spec, and I would need to change out the rotors and pads with a break job. That said, my rotors were not warped (is350), and I ended up just having the pads replaced and no work on the rotors.

My guess is that the guy on the phone was giving you his best guess based on his experience with 250's. Probably many of his customers dont' change out the brakes until something is wrong, and by then, maybe the rotors are usually shot too...?