Passat rear brake trouble

Hello people,

I took my 2003 VW Passat wagon in for its 20,000 mile service
maintenance yesterday. The mechanic observed that the rear brake
rotors were warped and replaced them. VW covered the cost f
replacement as a "one time warranty action".

I am perplexed as to why the rotors warped. I certainly don't drive
the car hard (or ride the brakes). When I asked the VW service
representative if the source of the problem had been fixed he replied
no, suggesting that the rotors may warp again, but VW will not pay
again to have them replaced. When I asked him why the brakes warped he
provided two reasons: 1. the rotors are made of a soft metal to reduce
noise while braking but this generates more heat than hard rotors, and;
2. the rotors don't have holes drilled in them to help dissipate heat.

Are other people having this problem? If yes, to the extent that it
could be recalled from VW? Should I install aftermarket brakes when
they warp again? I am curious to know what you think about this.
thanks,
Rich

While I have replaced more 2002 & 2003 Passat rear rotors for being warped,
once they are replaced the problem never returns. It's not that many car
either. So what's the cause... don't think we will ever know if it's the
owner's driving habits or just a funky batch of rotors that were produced
for VW. My 2 cents, "don't worry, be happy"! There are no TSB's on this
issue as of yet.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello people,
>
> I took my 2003 VW Passat wagon in for its 20,000 mile service
> maintenance yesterday. The mechanic observed that the rear brake
> rotors were warped and replaced them. VW covered the cost f
> replacement as a "one time warranty action".
>
> I am perplexed as to why the rotors warped. I certainly don't drive
> the car hard (or ride the brakes). When I asked the VW service
> representative if the source of the problem had been fixed he replied
> no, suggesting that the rotors may warp again, but VW will not pay
> again to have them replaced. When I asked him why the brakes warped he
> provided two reasons: 1. the rotors are made of a soft metal to reduce
> noise while braking but this generates more heat than hard rotors, and;
> 2. the rotors don't have holes drilled in them to help dissipate heat.
>
> Are other people having this problem? If yes, to the extent that it
> could be recalled from VW? Should I install aftermarket brakes when
> they warp again? I am curious to know what you think about this.
> thanks,
> Rich
>

Thanks for the reply, Woodchuck. If the problem doesn't return, it is
probably a bad batch of rotors, since the driving habits of the owner
most likely don't change when the rotors are replaced.
thanks again,
Rich

No such thing as warped rotors :
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm
Rgds

Thought provoking information on warped rotors, Alec. Thanks.

Rich

Interesting article but I have 2 questions.

1- using a runout micrometer how would you explain a varying reading of over
..015"?
2- how many years have you been working on VW's or other cars
professionally?





"Alec" > wrote in message
...
> No such thing as warped rotors :
> http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm
> Rgds
>

>From: "Woodchuck" XX
>
>Interesting article but I have 2 questions.
>
>1- using a runout micrometer how would you explain a varying reading of over
>.015"?
>2- how many years have you been working on VW's or other cars
>professionally?
>

>
>"Alec" > wrote in message
...
>> No such thing as warped rotors :
>> http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm
>> Rgds


I believe that the article is referring to what usually happens to "Straight"
or "True" rotors/discs and improper brake bedding.
I have seen warped rotors that were NEW and just out of the box!! So there ARE
such things as warped rotors. lol
I have also seen front hubs that were warped and needed surfacing which I
actually machined on the vehicle.


later,
dave
(One out of many Daves)

Hello VW Drivers:
My 2003 Passat GLX had to have the rear rotors replaced at 26,000 miles
after working with two dealerships for over a year trying to solve the
problem of breaking vibration. I was told the rotors were warped. A call
was put into VW to share the story, and they agreed to pay for the new
rotors but not the labor to replace them. My driving style is not hard on
a car or the breaking system. First time to have any automobile have
warped rotors.

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:59:25 -0500, "Goldenbear50"
> wrote:

>Hello VW Drivers:
>My 2003 Passat GLX had to have the rear rotors replaced at 26,000 miles
>after working with two dealerships for over a year trying to solve the
>problem of breaking vibration. I was told the rotors were warped. A call
>was put into VW to share the story, and they agreed to pay for the new
>rotors but not the labor to replace them. My driving style is not hard on
>a car or the breaking system. First time to have any automobile have
>warped rotors.

My 2002 Passat GLS V6 wagon just required rear pad replacement at
25,000 miles, which is surprisingly soon. I don't know whether the
rotors were also involved, but the following entry appeared on the
invoice:

"FOUND 2/32 REAR PADS AND 5 MM ROTORS RI REAR PADS AND ROTORS"

Have Goldenbear50 and I both been hit with a weak spot in the
2002-2003 Passats?

Richard Schulman (for email reply, remove the "-xyz" part)