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ed11563


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Did Outside Storage Cause Rotors to Warp?
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Did Outside Storage Cause Rotors to Warp?

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Dear Car Talk

Sep 3, 2015 (Archives)

2 Comments

rotors
Dear Car Talk:

My 2003 Honda CR-V recently was part of a recall involving the air bags. Due to the risk of injury or death, I left my CR-V at a local dealership, and they provided me with a loaner while they waited for the replacement parts to come in. During that time, my CR-V sat outside in the rain and snow without being driven for two months. When I picked it up after they repaired the air bags, there was rust on the brakes, which they said would wear off quickly. However, the rotors also feel warped and vibrate heavily when I brake.

They've offered to resurface the pads and rotors for about half the normal price (still $100 front and $100 back), but I don't think I should have to pay for it at all. I just replaced all the pads and rotors myself last year, and it would be cheaper for me to completely replace them again. Should they take care of this for free, or am I looking at another afternoon in the driveway?

-- Galen

I don't think they're at fault here at all, Galen. Nothing about sitting in a parking lot (even in rain and snow) would make the rotors warp or the pads wear out.

Brake rotors do get rust on them when they sit. But your dealer is correct that the rust is quickly scraped off by the pads when you drive the car. So I'm guessing you bought real cheap rotors last year, not the Honda ones.

So if the rotors really are warped, you can try complaining to the people who sold them to you. If you're lucky, they'll stand behind them and give you another set, which you can spend an afternoon installing in the driveway.

But keep in mind, if those rotors warped in a year, your next set probably will not be any better.

So I'd ask your Honda dealer what kind of price he'd give you to install a set of factory rotors and pads. It seems like he's being very nice to you. Or maybe you've berated him to the point where he'll do almost anything to get rid of you now.

But the factory rotors and pads definitely last longer, in our experience. So that's your best long-term solution.

Well, that's not true. Your best long-term solution would be to forget to return the loaner car!


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ed11563


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    SalesGeek • 43 minutes ago

    This actually has nothing to do with warped rotors. I had the same problem with an elderly BMW that had to sit out in the rain and snow for a couple of months. When I started driving it again, it had the same issues as the CR-V. The dealer wanted to replace all four sets of pads/rotors ($$$$$). I declined and pulled the rear wheels myself. What had happened is that the pads had been stuck to the rotors for quite some time and left a high spot of brake material on the rotor(s). These rotors were not designed to be resurfaced and had quite a few miles on them so i just replaced them (and the pads as long as I had the wheels off).

    After going through this I found out this is not uncommon but it is almost always diagnosed as "warped rotors" which it certainly is not. Since the fix is the same most people don't investigate further which is why it's not a common diagnosis.

    I don't really see this as the dealer's fault. At worst it's an arguable design flaw. Also, using the OEM parts would be the smartest thing to do. In my case it was only an extra $40 over the non-OEM parts that got crappy reviews. Good luck!

  • cwatkin • 2 hours ago

    Aftermarket rotors can be questionable, especially if you bought the cheapest grade at your local or chain parts store. Since you are doing the labor, I would suggest buying the best pads and rotors they sell so you don't have to repeat the job as often. Some of these parts also have a lifetime warranty which is nice.

    I see the same thing in my line of work. People bring me a computer or electronic to repair and suddenly ANY future problem with it is my fault, even YEARS later. It has gotten so bad that I now require people sign a form. I don't know how much of this is ignorance or people wanting something for nothing but it seems to have gotten worse in recent years.



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