CyFactor

Hi, folks. New here. Wife's car. 2008 IS-350.

How long do the front brake rotors typically last? Wife was told both her front brakes and rotors needed to be replaced, and the dealer wanted over $600 and change. Already ordered the low dust pads from Sewell. debating on the rotors. I will pull it apart and inspect them tomorrow. She was told she's at 3mm, so it should be okay for a bit.

She has her second set of front pads on it (changed to the low-dust pads free at around 28K miles). Now she has around 45K miles on it. Not sure if the dealer changed the rotors when they swapped the pads, but I'll pull them and mic them.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks.

--Vince

CCJ22

iTrader: (26)

Contigent on mileage, how hot do the rotors get (aka how hard does she drive the car), weather, etc... as far as rotors lasting. It's very contingent upon conditions they're in.

If you're forcing me to put a number on it... I'd say around 70k

You'll know when rotors are bad because as you come to a stop you'll feel the car slightly shake by every full revolution the wheel makes... Thus as you begin to slow down the shake happens less frequently. Almost feels like the pads are grabbing then releasing really fast, then fast, then medium speed, then slowly grabbing & releasing.

CyFactor

Appreciate the feedback. She's not a red light racer (unlike me) so I doubt she's that hard on them. But then considering she's about to be on her third set of front pads in less than 50K miles (OEM pads on my Silverado lasted over 65K miles, but my Vette is about done after 21K miles), I have some reasonable doubt that she's "easy" on the brakes especially considering the amount of brake dust even with the "low dust" pads.

I'll know more when I pull the wheels tomorrow.

Thanks.

CCJ22

iTrader: (26)

No problem. Keep in mind the mechanic is out to get paid. The best way to see if you need new rotors is to inspect them yourself

StpdSavant

How about rotors as a function of brake pad lives? It's a little tougher to measure rotor thickness or make an estimate based on miles, but roughly how many brake pad changes can the rotors endure?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

again that's tough to say... there's folk who get 50k or more miles out of a set of pads... there's others who change 2-3 times more often than that. (and the pads used would impact rotor life too).

nabbun

I love driving my car very spiritedly. I'm on my first set of pads and rotors @ 37,900 miles on my 2007 IS 250 AWD. Last time I took my car in for the 35k service, the mech told me that my rotors looked ok but my pads were getting pretty thin. When I go in for my 40k, I'm going to get my pads checked and rotors measured.

BamaIS

iTrader: (3)

Rotors themselves aren't going to wear down. The thing that makes rotors thin is having them turned (on a brake lathe). If at the first pad change they turned them and had to turn them several times to get the high spots out, there's a good chance that they are too thin to turn again. Some people turn their rotors every time they change pads. The only time I turn mine is when I feel a vibration while braking. The problem you run into is when you turn them you make them thinner and then they warp more easily. I just put new pads all the way around on my 06 with 104,000 miles on it and didn't turn any of the rotors because I had zero vibrations.

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

There are many types of pads (though the stock ones aren't really guilty of this) that will wear rotors, and quickly. Again, the stock pads don't really do this, but if you're going with an aftermarket performance pad, expect to lose rotor material, it will happen.

Jeff

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

Wait, does this mean you've been running the same rotors for over 100K miles now??? Or have you changed your rotors before?

Also, to the OP, that $600 price actually seems pretty reasonable by dealer pricing standards. ESPECIALLY if that included labor (which I doubt it did). Even if you get the Club Lexus discount from Sewell online, all four pads and rotors alone will cost you close to $600.

... On that note, does anyone know if those pricing for OEM rotors from Sewell is normal? $200 for front rotors and $250 for rear rotors seems pretty steep to me (and why are the rear rotors more expensive?). Are we better off buying aftermarket rotors or something?

BamaIS

iTrader: (3)

I bought the car with 100,000 on it so I can't say for sure that it is still running the rotors that came on it. I'm 99% sure they are. This isn't uncommon with a manual transmission if it's driven correctly. Downshifting when you slow saves on brakes. Let's the engine do the braking.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

My 350 was at 33k when I put on new front rotors. The previous, female driver must have been infamous for late braking. Those OEM rotors and pads where toast.

Soap

Just wanted to add a little to this. I just brought in my 08 IS350 for the low dust brake pads. I have just over 23,000 miles and the original pads were at 4mm. They did not try to sell me rotors or suggest they needed to be cut. I was actually expecting it, but pleasently suprised it was not needed.