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Brake Rotors Replaced 0n 2005

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by anj48, Jul 30, 2007.

  1. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    Bad news for me. I just learned that my front brake rotors are being replaced due to corrosion - cost $350 - needed to pass PA State inspection - 47k miles on my 2 year old 2005 pkg 6. The service tech says the problem is under use of the hydraulic brakes due to regen braking - recommends forcing use of the hydraulic brakes to remove corrosion. I think this can be done by shifting into neutral while going down hill and dragging the brakes.

    I've heard of similar things happening to cars with over 100K miles but never this soon. Any thoughts?
     
  2. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    First of all I hope you have a repudable place doing the work. Even if the rotors were corroeded I don't see why a light turning of the rotors wouldn't fix the problem. Some places just love to sell rotors. One time our Chevy venture needed brakes when i took it to our local tire store where I usually got my oil changes done. It had 52k on it and it was it's first brake job and it didn't wear out all the lining so the rotors weren't gouged or anything like that. Right away they said it needed new rotors. When I asked them why they couldn't turn the rotors they gave me a bunch of baloney so I told them to forget it and I would get it done elsewhere. I took it to the Chevy dealer i do business with. They said well the brakes could probably last for another year but even though it would pass as is they would put brakes on it if I wanted and the rotors were fine. turns out it cost me about half to have the brakes done at the Chevy dealer compared to what the tire store wanted.
     
  3. slair

    slair Ubër Senior Member

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    Wth? $350 for rotors? Are they drilled/slotted gold platted? Rotors are like $40.

    Unless there is something special about the ones on the prius that I dont know about.
     
  4. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paprius4030 @ Jul 30 2007, 01:34 PM) [snapback]487493[/snapback]</div>

    The work is being done at my local Toyota dealer. I've been dealing with them for 9 years (also have Highlander and had Corolla) with no real bad experiences. I trust them as much as any dealer. My wife took the car in this AM and they showed her the rotors but she told me that she didn't know what she was looking at. No mention of turning.

    I have heard that in recent years rotors are being made of poor quality metal, low nickle content, and also that they include layers of composite so it is more difficult to turn them.
     
  5. Elephanthead

    Elephanthead Junior Member

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    aren't these just toyota echo rotors? They should cost 20 bucks each at the local parts store. You never use them anyway, take some sandpaper to them, shine them up and get reinspected.
     
  6. iDonna

    iDonna Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(anj48 @ Jul 30 2007, 12:35 PM) [snapback]487470[/snapback]</div>

    I had issues with rotors on my Honda Accord ('99). I believe I had to replace them at least twice, maybe three times. It was, in a word, ridiculous.

    But back to your issue. I bring my Prius into the dealer for the regular servicing. I would expect that the service people, who are very meticulous in advising me of the my car's condition, would report a problem with the rotors since they see it every $100/5K miles. <_<

    I would go ballistic if this was "sprung" on me at 47K miles. But then again, that's waaay better than my Honda ever did.
     
  7. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ Jul 30 2007, 01:44 PM) [snapback]487502[/snapback]</div>
    $350 is total bill, subtract $55 for PA inspection. I'm getting this via phone from my wife so I haven't seen the details, labor/parts breakdown, but I assume they are replacing the pads at the same time.
     
  8. Elephanthead

    Elephanthead Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(anj48 @ Jul 30 2007, 01:50 PM) [snapback]487508[/snapback]</div>
    After some checking it is not that bad, the rotors are 65 bucks each, $130, they have unsealed wheel bearings, so it is a major pain to change them, can anyone confirm that you have to swap and regrease the bearings? 295 is about right, they are going to charge about double for the parts then a parts store will. I would get a second opnion if you have the free time from someone that can see the condition they are in.
     
  9. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Elephanthead @ Jul 30 2007, 01:50 PM) [snapback]487506[/snapback]</div>
    I don't think that would cut it in this state, must meet inspection requirements. The techs have liability so they are usually pretty careful.

    I just heard back from my wife and she said they told her the rotors were pitted too deep to turn. She is still waiting for them to complete the work.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Elephanthead @ Jul 30 2007, 02:04 PM) [snapback]487515[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks for the legwork but it is too late now. Inspection sticker expires tomorrow anyway.
     
  10. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I'm pretty surprised they are that bad with so few miles. I am VERY easy on my brakes so there's little opportunity for them to be friction polished and at my 60k mile inspection they looked quite good. I also got to see them myself last week when Gal's hubby put my shims in and they looked like new.

    Maybe there's some corrosive they use on the roads in Penn., but I have to wonder if the inspectors just overreacted to the usual rust/corrosion that Prius brakes get due to the minimized use.
     
  11. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jul 30 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]487524[/snapback]</div>
    I hope not, this dealer has sold a good many Prius so they should be familiar with these issues. I have had this problem with other cars. I had to replace all 4 rotors on my 2001 Highlander (99K miles) a few months ago due to pitted corrosion. So maybe there is something about my local area that is causing this?
     
  12. joefrompa

    joefrompa New Member

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    Chipping in as a non-Prii owner here:

    Alot of shops don't like turning rotors. It's very simple:

    If the rotor costs $40, and it costs $30 of labor to take off and machine, then they'd rather just give you a new rotor. Turned rotors don't tend to last as long (on normal cars, I can see this not being a problem on a Prius due to lack of use...). So alot of shops just don't want to turn them. Plus, with turning rotors you have a greater chance of brake vibration coming back to haunt the shop. Again, just easier to replace them.

    No malice, just experience in their business.

    On my wife's car, at 35k miles (Saturn Ion 5-spd) and 3 years of ownership, her rotors were actually cut fairly deep. The pads were pretty much worn down. I replaced them myself, no big deal. Why did they wear down so fast? Maybe the rotor material is too soft and the pad too hard; maybe they used a material in the pad that caused very little brake dust, and that grooved the rotor more...

    Pennsylvania has some of the harshest roads in the country for corrosives. The long months of icy temperatures, with alot of fluctuations to above freezing, means constant use of Salt and Cinder, and it means those products are constantly dissolved in slush and then splattered on every inch of the car. They tend to eat non-stainless steel rustable metal pretty quickly.

    For other prius owners, I'd say you need to do some 60-30 quick slow-downs, a few in a row, a couple times a week. That'll get your rotors nice and hot and help fight corrosion, as well as keep them working at their optimal.

    Put another way: if your brakes are actually corroding, then in an emergency-stop they are obviously not at their peak. You should be braking regularly enough to get your braking components very hot.

    Just my thoughts at least.

    Joe
     
  13. FBear

    FBear Senior Member

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    The brakes on a Prius have a 100k life expectancy, so my thought is the dealer needs a boat payment. Go else where, if the rotors have some corrosion on them just get up to about 60 mph (road must be clear) hit the brakes very hard to get the ABS working. This should clear the corrosion quite quickly. Or if you don't want to do that put the car up on some jack stands get some fine emory paper and sand them slightly, use some brake cleaner to get rid of the residue. Save you self a boat load of money.
     
  14. joefrompa

    joefrompa New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FBear @ Jul 30 2007, 02:51 PM) [snapback]487545[/snapback]</div>

    Didn't the OP mention that the corrosion was, according to the dealership, too deep for turning? The brakes might have a 100k expectancy on them, but that doesn't affect the life-altering effects of corrosion. If it's actually that deep, then no amount of sanding will take it out.

    Also, OP, if it's that deep you should be able to look at the rotor (I guess with the wheel off) and see deep pitting on it. If you can see pitting, and you can get a pen-tip to "stick" on the pitting, then that's some hard-core corrosion you've got going on there.

    For comparison, all new-car rotors will completely rust over about 1 hour after you hose them down (or in a downpour). In a few days of sitting, your brake pads will get "stuck" to your rotor from rust growing onto them.

    I really don't know alot about how much Prii brake rotors are used, how hard, how often, etc...

    but do you tend to let your car sit in damp conditions? Did you leave your car sit for a long time this past winter?

    Alot of posters on this thread are knocking on the garage and saying they are probably full of it, which they might be. But no one is really commenting on what the garage said: They didn't say they wore out at 47k, they said they were too corroded.

    That's a pretty significant difference. One you should be able to investigate yourself with a visual check. I assure you, all they did was look closely at them and maybe use a micrometer to measure their thickness (it's like a big caliper).

    Joe
     
  15. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Car parked in a heated garage in winter? That plays havoc with corrosion. I think this winter I'm going to rinse off the wheels etc and underside each week when it's snowing. Only costs about $1 each time at the "self wash".
     
  16. anj48

    anj48 New Member

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    Thanks for your comments. I am not having a problem with the shop, but think that other forces are at work here.

    Thinking this through a little more:
    1. I have the same issue with two vehicles,
    2. In both cases the rotors are little used, in the Prius due to regen braking and in the Highlander due to rarely driving it,
    3. My personal driving style is to avoid the brakes and drive with the gas pedal,
    4. I live in the country - no garage, no paved driveway.

    I'm thinking that parking in the dirt (sometimes mud or snow) promotes corrosion. A small amount of pitting forms but there is not enough brake wear to completely smooth it over, so the bottom of the pitting continues to corrode and deepen. Result: premature need to replace rotors.

    That's the best theory I have for now. I'll will surely take your suggestions regarding 60-30 quick slow downs a couple of times a week and hope I'm not replacing rotors again at 90-95K miles.
     
  17. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Salty PA winters are almost certainly the cause here. With the most road salt, Prius brakes need service on 'conventional car' intervals. At the other extreme, maybe on 100 to 300 k mile intervals.

    Make sure that the wheel cylinders have not suffered the same fate.
     
  18. KD6HDX

    KD6HDX New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joefrompa @ Jul 30 2007, 12:17 PM) [snapback]487556[/snapback]</div>
    I have seen this on my 05 front rotors after washing the car and also after rains. The brakes make a grinding sound for a little bit, and then it goes away. I am glad we do not need salt on the roads here in So Cal. Good luck with your brakes.

    Since there is so much mystery and rumor surrounding the Prius, I would have to suspect that most shops would say anything to sell you something. Your car wasn't bought used somewhere near Louisiana after hurricane Katrina was it????
     
  19. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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  20. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    [attachmentid=10290]

    Here is a 2004 from West Virginia at about 90k. It will probably need rotors soon, and maybe calipers. Anonymous because I have not asked the owner's permission to post a photo of the car undressed.
     

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