I have a 2008 GX 470 with 200K miles. Within the past 3 months, the front end vibrates when I apply the brakes. And I recently replaced both the rotors and the pads with quality parts. The ones I removed were in good shape, but I thought the rotors might be warped a bit. At 175K miles, I replaced the brakes, new rotors, new brake fluid, flush brake lines, Front Struts and Rear shocks, New Spark Plugs, Outer Tie rods (both sides) new Rack & Pinion, and new tire pressure sensors. My mechanic said I should be good for another 100K . Well, that wasn't the case. We love our Lexus, but I've always been a believer that at some point when your vehicle starts to "nickel and dime you to death", it's time to replace her. However, I am retired and don't want a new car payment (at least not until interest rates come back down). So, I am hoping someone has some suggestions for me to try. This forum (and YouTube videos) has helped me keep my Lexus going to 200K. Most of the repairs and maintenance I perform myself (one exception noted above). Thanks

 

A couple of things to look into coming from someone that has been through the ringer with my GX that I've owned since new, it now has 230k miles on it...

1) It is possible you got a bad out of round rotor. Did you replace with aftermarket rotors vs OEM? Your shop should be able to easily check both rotors for run out. The fact that it wasn't vibrating right away leads me to believe it's something other than an out of spec rotor out of the box. Still can be easily checked.

2) Your shop over torqued one or both rotors. But then again, you should've felt the vibration right away.

4) Which brings me to your calipers... One of your brake caliper pistons might be seized. Yes, this will cause vibration/pulsation under braking. These calipers are well known for seizing. This can also be easily checked.

 

I didn’t think about the calipers. That is a great suggestion. The rotors I purchased were after market but they are the ones with grooves and holes. My wife can be a little heavy footed with the brake so I was hoping these new rotors cool better. Also I put on ceramic pads. Thanks for the tip!

 

If calipers seize truck will not stop in a straight line, it will pull. Usually slotted rotors are.

 

I have had this same issue.

Check your calipers for stuck pistons first, as mentioned above. This will definitely cause vibration.

If not, could be your rotors. From my understanding, a “warped” rotor is actually caused by deposits from your brake pads on to the rotor. I once replaced my OEM rotors only to realize my front pads were almost out. Bought a set of pads from O’Reilys out of convenience. Cost the same as OEM, so I figured they were good. Warped my rotors in less than 6K miles. Complete junk. Went to write a bad review on O’Reilys website and the pads were no longer for sale (like 10 months later).

Learned my lesson. I only use OEM rotors and pads. I”ll never make that mistake again.

 

Also, I assume you had an alignment done after replacing the outer tie rods.

 

An alignment would correct abnormal tracking if the truck, pulling while driving, steering wheel on center and abnormal tire wear. Shudder during braking…it’s the pads contacting he rotors….rotors don’t “warp” just a build up of residue from pads. Slotted and drilled rotors might night be a good combination with some pads or for daily driving.

 

Well, I bought my rotors on 1AAuto. Hopefully, they are good. I was having the issue before I replaced the pads and rotors and nothing changed AFTER I replaced them. I am going to rebuild the calipers next and try that.

 

I purchased new slotted and drilled rotors along with new ceramic pads and the issue is still the same...

The rotors and pads I took off looked good, so that explains why there was no change.

 

Any feedback/suggestions on whether to rebuild calipers or replace them? I have rebuilt calipers before, but replacing the seal was a pain! However, the cost of a rebuild kit is much cheaper than purchasing new calipers. Thanks.

 

Just saying...

"Another common cause for why your car trembles when braking has nothing to do with your brakes themselves, but rather, your tires. Sometimes, if your tires are out of alignment or just a bit old, your suspension has to work extra hard to keep your vehicle balanced and taut. If this happens, you’ll usually feel your steering wheel shaking. Unevenly work or misaligned tires can, thus, cause a car to shake when braking. Sometimes, tires will only require alignment or another service like tire rotation. Other times, you may need new tires. Tire alignment is usually checked during a routine tire rotation, which should be performed every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Check your owner’s manual or contact us to learn more about tire service tips."

Source:
https://www.ryannissan.com/service/s...%2C500%20miles.

If it was my car, I'd definitely make sure that the front tires were aligned.

 

You can buy remanufactured calipers straight from Toyota. Just FYI, the Lexus part number is the same as the Toyota part number with the Toyota part being cheaper based on name alone.

With that said, I have had good luck with the Power Stop powdered coated calipers from RockAuto. If you have a truly stuck piston in your caliper, you will never be able to "rebuild" it. The piston cup will never come out.

 

why would you go and just purchase new rotors and pads without first checking to see if your other new rotors had run out?

You were provided suggestions on what to check but it doesn't sound like youve checked anything and youre asking for more suggestions.

Have you checked to see if one or both of your calipers is sticking/seized? Of course you could just go and buy all new calipers too to rule that out but that kid of diagnostic strategy gets expensive after a while.

 

I think OP (I.e. original poster) was saying he bought new pads and rotors once before (not recently), and it did not solve the current issue.

To the OP, check your calipers as you previously noted, and post back with the results.

 

I've never rebuilt calipers, but I've replaced a pile of front calipers (3 during the time I've owned it, and evidence that one had been done already when I bought it). Ended up swapping to GX460 spec calipers and rotors when doing a brake job a few years ago, and so far no more seized calipers.

As far as if you should rebuild or replace, how big a deal is unexpected downtime to you? If the calipers end up not being rebuildable, and the parts stores are already closed for the night, and you can't use the truck the next day, is that a mild inconvenience or a big deal to you?