Hi. Curious - I got my front rotors cut / turned this past weekend. Car is braking darn good now - no more vibrations.

Question: when I had them cut, one rotor appeared to be newer than the other (because it measured at 1.16 vs 1.22). One of them was really warped while the other was almost perfect.

should I be concerned ? Is it possible that the previous owner only swapped 1 rotor and didn’t swap the other? What are your thoughts? I changed to new brake pads (huge fan of Wagner Thermoquiet brake pads as I’ve used them on all my Lexus vehicles)!

also the rotor that was warped had to be cut 2x before it was even! That’s a lot of warping haha. But the other rotor was practically perfect. Should I worry or nah? Car is driving and braking really well right now after I turned the rotors and got new pads.

 

Inspect the caliper on the side with the problematic rotor and insure that pistons can be pushed in freely. Check the piston boots for cracks or missing pieces.

Nobody will be able to tell you what the previous owner did with the car. But it is possible that only one rotor was replaced. Some people do not adhere to common car maintenance guidance.

 

ah ok thanks for the advice. Yes I was able to press the pistons back into the caliper for both sides! (Remove the black cap on the brake fluid reservoir of course). But yeah no tears or anything. I might be ok. Only time will tell lol.

side question: what tool do you use to remove the caliper bolts? Lol 12” ratchet? I’m thinking about buying a 1/2 drive with an extendable handle so that it goes from 12” to 18” so that I can easily lengthen it while in the wheel well! Haha

 

I do indeed use a 16" Proto 1/2 inch 24 tooth ratchet (US made). Before I got it, I used a box wrench with a dead blow hammer only to loosen.

 

ahhh nice nice. Ok yeah I think I’ll grab myself an extendable ratchet then. Harbor freight sells $19.99 for 12” that extends to 24” inch I think. It’ll work perfect for the wheel well

 

Almost certainly the previous owner only replaced one rotor because .06 is a huge difference (unless one pad wore out and the pad backing or caliper was grinding on the rotor).

Since the car is braking well now, I wouldn't be concerned. Sounds like you are good to go!

 

thank you for the confirmation that .06 is large. Lol I know nothing about rotors and brakes other than how to replace them! Good to know old owners prob replaced only one of the rotors. Ahah love love this site.

 

8-12 inch 1/2 inch wrench with the assistance of the rubber dead blow

 

Maybe something like this
KUNTEC 26 Piece Disc Brake Caliper Tool Kit Front Rear Brake Piston Compression Tool Brake Pad Replacement Reset Wind Back Kit

 

lol thanks. I’m good with pushing the pistons back into the caliper though. I have a tool for that. Just needed assistance with how to easily remove the bolts that hold the caliper on but it looks like a few blows to the socket wrench is how most are doing it lol

 

Yes, a few blows should do it, good luck !
I used to do brakes on my cars using that kind of kit, it helped a lot !