When my dealer says I need new Brake Pads, they usually tell me I need the complete "Brake Job" which includes resurfacing/turning the rotors. I usually tell them to forget about the resurfacing/turning and just put the brake pads on. One time they implied it was dangerous and a safety issue and tried to scare me and said "we won't do that" - and I said fine I'll take my business elsewhere. I said "what's the worst that can happen?" and they admittedly sheepishly said "well uh, it will squeal". Finally they agreed to do it but warned me "If it squeals, we won't be responsible." I said "Fine, I'll take my chances." Of course, everything was OK and no squeal/problems. I now have 53k on my car and everything is still fine. at maybe 100k or more i may get them turned, but this business of getting them turned at every brake pad replacement I think is a SCAM for more $$$$$$$ for the dealer. What are your thoughts?

 

No scam. As your brake pads wear down they ultimately glaze the surface of the rotor, thus reducing braking capability. On glazed rotors brake fade can become a big issue, especially on larger vehicles and/or high performance driving. As for resurfacing it also "trues" the surface of the rotor creating a completely flat surface for braking. Warped rotors can cause severe vibration during braking. When you opt not to turn rotors, you put the dealership/mechanic in a very compromising position. Factors that are compromised include integrity of repair(squeal), liability(brake fade), among other factors. As far as all this goes, you own a Lexus. How can you complain about $$$ and accuse the dealership of scamming you when you own a vehicle that was well over 30K when new?

 

>How can you complain about $$$ and accuse the dealership of scamming you when you own a vehicle that was well over 30K when new?

1. dealers are in the business of making money and they will take every opportunity to do so at the customer's expense- see any "dealer recommended maintenance schedules".
2. just because i happened to buy a car over $30k does not mean that I am required to passively bend over and let the dealer stick me in the rear and pick my pockets.
3. i don't mind spending money for legitimate maintenance, but i will not allow myself to get fleeced.

 

It's a scam, You can only turn a rotor so much until you pass the point that the rotors will warp from heat, cause so much metal was shaved off.

 

The first time one steps on the brake. Brake pads material is transferred on the new surface and make the rotor "untrue". Glazing happens, vibration happens when there is uneven deposit of pad material, why would one cut a even surfaced rotor is beyond me.
Dealer always try to make you to pay for services that you don't need. There is no secret, cut the rotor will benefit them short term (service $) and long term (quicker replacement of rotor, more service & part $).

 

they actually charge money for turning rotors? any time a customer comes in for a brake job, we include turning the rotors as part of the deal... On most cars, it should be done - most rotors have some pretty decent grooving and it needs to be done...

If the rotors are thick enough and are fairly flat with no noticeable warping, then fine, slap some pads on, however, you will find that if you don't turn the rotors and they are grooved in the slightest, then you will get grinding, accelerated pad wear and squealing...

 

I have never in my life done a brake job, and not turned the rotors.

How are pads supposed to properly bed into the rotors, if the rotor doesnt have a clean and true surface? You will never get the best performance out of your brakes, unless you turn the rotors.

Scam? I doubt it... the cost of resurfacing/turning a rotor isnt exactly expensive, nor does it take a lot of time.

 

I remember reading an article here saying that it's better to replace the rotors than turning them. Even if you've turned them, the performance would still not be the same as the new ones.

 

All rotors over time get rotor runout and you will eventually feel it in the steering wheel as a vibration or in the seat of your pants if its in the rear or both. Also they glaze up and need to be resurfaced to allow them to produce more friction with the pad. Stuff wears out, cars need maintenance, and yes you will eventually have to replace the rotors from being turned too much but it will be thousands of miles unless you beat the crap out of your car. Pay to Play. Nothing lasts forever on any vehicle. To think its some master scam that dealerships pull to cause the rotors to warp is ridiculous. It's dangerous and puts you in risk and no one would want to take the responsibility of killing someone or risk it trying to get them to bring their car in. Can you see Lexus allowing dealerships to put their name on anything like that? They hold tight reigns around dealerships and if you run across any that aren't up to spec call Lexus about it! Also try to DIY all your rotors and pads in an hour with all OEM parts and I doubt no one here has had thousands of man hours of training and experience in order to be certified to put their hands on their beloved car.

 

You need to get them resurfaced to make sure the rotors are "true" and it only costs a few bucks.

 

I love turning/machining/resurfacing my rotors...cheap and effective.

 

The true even surface on the rotor is a surface layer of even transfered pad material.

99% of mechanics just cut the rotor and unaware that proper pad bed-in process needs to take place to prevent furture warping. As a result, customers come back with more brake vibration later because of what of what is happening in this picture


I recommend an excellent white paper by StopTech on Warped Brake Disc Myth

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

Few excerpts on the topic of uneven deposit, pad bed-in, and cutting rotors.

 

It is definitely possible to warp a rotor...

I have seen it with my own eyes... Ford E350 cargo van, an Enterprise rental vehicle... runout was .100 on both front rotors... you can't tell me a tenth of an inch of material was transferred from the pad to the rotor to build it up that much... on our lathe, you could watch the whole rotor wobble - that is not pad transfer - that is downright rotor warpage.... HOWEVER, most times you have a wobble or pedal pulsation, you can attribute it to rotor hot spots and uneven pad transfer... In the situation above and also with hot spots, the rotors need to be replaced...

As MGS4 mentioned, replacing rotors with every brake pad replacement would ultimately be the best, but is not economically available to everyone. Certain vehicles do not have serviceable rotors at all, some BMW's, some Mercedes, and others have non-serviceable rotors, which basically means replace them every time you replace pads...

 

Circle back to the original poster's question, if driver do not feel vibration, which is what most people care regardless of cause, why cut rotors unnecessarily? All the shops that I encounters charges $ to cut rotor.

I don't see shops recommendate changing oxygen sensors before they die, or changing trannies before they slip. Gekko was able to get >53K of trouble free miles without cutting rotors. Obviously there was no warping to begin with. Why cutting an even surface that works perfectly fine?

 

The problem is that rarely ever are rotors in good enough shape to not turn.... My most recent brake job was just a pad slap (no turning of rotors), and everything is fine - I did, however, scrub the rotor surface with an aluminum oxide sanding disc... there were no grooves in the rotors however.... now, if there were grooves, then I would have turned them or replaced them... it's subjective - every car and every situation will be different...