When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front rotors
machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors, again due
to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors again because
the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on the rotors, and
told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert, but they seemed
pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I only had 22,000km
on them, he said it's not only distance that count, but time too. Huh?

That's 17,000km on the machined rotors, and now 22,600km on brand new
rotors. 10,625 and 14,125 in miles, mostly city, each time over a
two-year period.

Is 14,000 miles on a set of rotors normal, or is there something wrong
with the brakes on this car? Crappy Honda rotors? Crappy Honda brake
pads? And no, I don't drive like a maniac.

Signed,

Puzzled.

--
"What, me worry?" - Alfred E. Neuman

How bad is traffic in your area? I had the front rotors on my 2001 TL
machined at 59,000 kms to cure vibrations and they were replaced at 82,000
kms. At 104,000 kms, they might have to be machined again (very light
vibrations when braking at 80 km/h or more), but they definitely don't need
to be replaced. On mine, the vibrations issue never occurred during winter
(different rims are mounted during winter).

"Venture Rider" <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote:
> When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front rotors
> machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors, again due
> to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors again because
> the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on the rotors, and
> told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert, but they seemed
> pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I only had 22,000km
> on them, he said it's not only distance that count, but time too. Huh?
>
> That's 17,000km on the machined rotors, and now 22,600km on brand new
> rotors. 10,625 and 14,125 in miles, mostly city, each time over a
> two-year period.
>
> Is 14,000 miles on a set of rotors normal, or is there something wrong
> with the brakes on this car? Crappy Honda rotors? Crappy Honda brake
> pads? And no, I don't drive like a maniac.
>
> Signed,
>
> Puzzled.
>
> --
> "What, me worry?" - Alfred E. Neuman

"Venture Rider" <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote in message
news:489b53a8$0$18534$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
> When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front rotors
> machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors, again due
> to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors again because
> the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on the rotors, and
> told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert, but they seemed
> pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I only had 22,000km
> on them, he said it's not only distance that count, but time too. Huh?
>
> That's 17,000km on the machined rotors, and now 22,600km on brand new
> rotors. 10,625 and 14,125 in miles, mostly city, each time over a
> two-year period.
>
> Is 14,000 miles on a set of rotors normal, or is there something wrong
> with the brakes on this car? Crappy Honda rotors? Crappy Honda brake
> pads? And no, I don't drive like a maniac.
>
> Signed,
>
> Puzzled.
>
> --
> "What, me worry?" - Alfred E. Neuman

The brake pads on our 03 Pilot had to be replaced at 75k miles -- for the
1st time. Dealer said the rotors were OK and did not even need to be turned.
No shake at all and the Pilot is heavier than than the Acura. I can only
conclude that the Acura is "underbraked" as it were. Perhaps and
aftermarket brake system would cure the problem. Wonder if the newer TLs
have that problem.

I drove my car from the dealer straight home yesterday, about 1 km,
and this morning there is already surface rust on the brand new disks.
Is that normal?

On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:25:41 -0400, loudpipes@riskrights.com wrote:

>I drove my car from the dealer straight home yesterday, about 1 km,
>and this morning there is already surface rust on the brand new disks.
>Is that normal?

Yes. The surface rust will appear whenever water gets on the rotors,
and disappear after the brakes have been used again. Repeat ad
nauseam.
--
Dan.

Venture Rider <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote in news:489b53a8$0$18534$c3e8da3
@news.astraweb.com:

> When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front rotors
> machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors, again due
> to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors again because
> the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on the rotors, and
> told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert, but they seemed
> pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I only had 22,000km
> on them, he said it's not only distance that count, but time too. Huh?



How much "time"?

Where do you live? And how often/long do you drive?


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

loudpipes@riskrights.com wrote in news:02e77fc8$0$2341$c3e8da3
@news.astraweb.com:

> I drove my car from the dealer straight home yesterday, about 1 km,
> and this morning there is already surface rust on the brand new disks.
> Is that normal?



Yep. One rainfall will cause rust on ANY rotors.

Check out the cars in any parking lot after it rains and you'll see.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

<loudpipes@riskrights.com> wrote in message
news:02e77fc8$0$2341$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
>I drove my car from the dealer straight home yesterday, about 1 km,
> and this morning there is already surface rust on the brand new disks.
> Is that normal?

Every day..

On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 23:13:48 +0000 (UTC), Tegger said:

>Venture Rider <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote in news:489b53a8$0$18534$c3e8da3
>@news.astraweb.com:
>
>> When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front rotors
>> machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors, again due
>> to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors again because
>> the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on the rotors, and
>> told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert, but they seemed
>> pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I only had 22,000km
>> on them, he said it's not only distance that count, but time too. Huh?
>
>
>
>How much "time"?
>

Two years, each time.

>Where do you live? And how often/long do you drive?

I live in Canada, so I get the slush and snow (and plenty of rain
lately). I drive very little, a little over 10,000km a year, and it's
mostly city, for short trips. I don't commute with the car, though, I
take the bus and walk to work.

--
"What, me worry?" - Alfred E. Neuman

Venture Rider <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote in
news:02e7df51$0$26433$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com:

> On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 23:13:48 +0000 (UTC), Tegger said:
>
>>Venture Rider <dontbother@bogus.dom> wrote in
>>news:489b53a8$0$18534$c3e8da3 @news.astraweb.com:
>>
>>> When I bought my car used at 68,000km, the dealer had the front
>>> rotors machined due to shaking. At 85,000km they put in new rotors,
>>> again due to shaking. Now, at 107,600km, they replaced the rotors
>>> again because the shake was back. The dealer showed me the wear on
>>> the rotors, and told me they could not be machined. I'm no expert,
>>> but they seemed pretty worn to me. When I told the service manager I
>>> only had 22,000km on them, he said it's not only distance that
>>> count, but time too. Huh?
>>
>>
>>
>>How much "time"?
>>
>
> Two years, each time.
>
>>Where do you live? And how often/long do you drive?
>
> I live in Canada, so I get the slush and snow (and plenty of rain
> lately). I drive very little, a little over 10,000km a year, and it's
> mostly city, for short trips. I don't commute with the car, though, I
> take the bus and walk to work.
>



Well there ya go.

The car sits a lot and you live in the capital of the Rust Belt. Worst of
all possible worlds.

Time in this case is the operating factor, not mileage. Time and water
cause major rust.

Plus, you get patchy corrosion where the edges of the pads sit for the
extended length of time the car sits. That patchy corrosion creates a
frictional "boundary". As the brake pads cross that boundary in and out,
the frictional coefficient changes. This is felt as vibration. That means
the rotors are most likely not actually warped, just saddled with patchy
deposits resulting from disuse. There is no way of removing such deposits
outside of machining.

Cars hate to sit. The more you drive them, the better they are. The more
they sit, the worse they are. Unless you live in Phoenix, Arizona, where
there is no rust...


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/