Hi,
I was wondering if any of you could diagnose some brake issues.

1) when moderately hard braking at higher speeds (50-70mph), the steering wheel will vibrate side to side very quickly. I dont think ABS was triggered because I didnt feel the vibration through the brake pedal.
2) WHen lightly braking at low speed (<15mph), the braking power will pulse. i.e. slows car down then loosens up, slows and then loosens up. WHen I brake hard the pulsing is gone.

Are my rotors warped or do pads need replacing?
Just hit 90K on my car. Pads didnt need to be replaced yet at 60k check (70% remaining).
Thanks.
-Ray

 

It sounds like the classic symptoms of warped brake rotors to me. Probably front brake rotors. Dealers will always replace the pads when the turn or replace rotors. I'm not sure that's necessary if the pads look OK and have plenty of life left. I haven't had this happen on my RX yet, but it happened on my mother's ES300.

 

Warping is most likely caused by uneven deposit of brake pad material. I would not go to dealer since brake job is really a DIY-level job, no sense for Lexus to overcharge you in both labor and parts. If you prefer not to change the rotor yourself, just go to a trusty indepedent shop.
Two years ago, I brought my own Brembo blank rotor and Akebono front pads at EF1 Motorsport in Signal Hills and paid only $60 on labor. The shop is clean, professional, and hand torque my lug nuts. In Lexus dealer you will find mechanics use impact wrench to slam your rims against new rotors, which tend to make them warp again.

 

Thanks for the help.
Do you have links to a good DIY thread for the rotors?

 

Can't offer you any advice other than to say I have a similar issue when applying the brakes (shuddering through the steering wheel) which I'm pretty sure is warped/out of round rotors. I have 100,000 miles on my RX300 and am on the original pads and rotors also. I think the pads are getting down to the wear limits now so I'll probably replace them and get the rotors turned at the same time (see my post below on RX300 repair costs).

 

Once you remove the caliper, the rotor practically falls off. If the lug nuts are rusted then you may have to pry it off.

The other option is to turn the rotors. My personal preference would be to replace it. If there is any pitting /grooving on the rotor, then you should replace the pads as well.

Salim

 

Suggest Brembo rotors and akebono pads...great combination fairly cheap.. can be ordered online...dont bother with slotted etc, just plain old brembo disks..

 

I dunno, the drilled Brembos have a certain panache. They were a big hit with the mechanics at Sewell here in Dallas, they managed to put 4 miles on it during an oil change, lawd knows how many miles they scrubbed off the life of my brakes "testing" it.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. So I take it that removing the calipers is fairly straight forward? How much risk is there of totally messing up the braking system?

 

This sound like Rod Tod Ends and/or Control Arm Bushings (probably the lower ones). Get them inspected. Jack up the car and try to shake front wheels. If whey move front-to-end (even slightly) it is Rod Tod Ends. If top-to-bottom it is Control Arm Bushings.
I made a picture for you:

 

[QUOTE=Meetya;2642774]This sound like Rod Tod Ends and/or Control Arm Bushings (probably the lower ones). Get them inspected. Jack up the car and try to shake front wheels. If whey move front-to-end (even slightly) it is Rod Tod Ends. If top-to-bottom it is Control Arm Bushings.QUOTE]
It only happens when braking. IT IS THE ROTORS. Change the pads too when you change/shave the rotors no matter how new your pads are.

 

NO! IT IS BUSHINGS! I had EXACTLY the same problem on Mazda. Yes it was happening only during slight braking. Because when you brake the caliper tries to straiten loose wheel hub via torque applied to rotors. Tire shop even refused to do alignment until Rod Tod Ends and Control Arm bushings are replaced. Turning rotors won't help. Wanna bet $50?

 

sure if u were close by i would take that bet. The same thing happened to my RX about 4/5 mths ago. It was the rotors.

 

Where would be the best place to order these online? (I live in Canada, but can have parts shipped to WA state for pick-up.)

 

Akebono pads from www.rockauto.com, don't forget to Google for Rockauto's 5% discount code.