Do I really need new brakes?

Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
"Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"

Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
Otherwise, why would I need it?
This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
and are not making any noise.

Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?

Please advise.
Thanks!

> wrote in message
...
> Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
> "Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"
>
> Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
> Otherwise, why would I need it?
> This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
> and are not making any noise.
>
> Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
> I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?
>
> Please advise.
> Thanks!

I would guess that you have a 2009 or 2008 of some variety of Honda. 14k
seems far too early to have to replace brakes. My 06 Accord I4 coupe is
still on its original front pads at 65,000 -- rears were replaced at 55k.
Our 0-3 Pilot went 75k on fronts/rears and did not require rotors to be
turned. Get a 2nd opinion from a reputable mechanic would be my thought.

wrote in news:d74ec466-5311-43f5-9bbb-df1e05c05393@
23g2000pre.googlegroups.com:

> Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
> "Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"
>
> Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
> Otherwise, why would I need it?
> This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
> and are not making any noise.
>
> Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
> I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?
>
> Please advise.
> Thanks!



Normally the dealer wil indicate the thickness of the pads. Have they done
so in your case?

Honda explicitly specifies that the rotors should be turned each time the
pads are replaced. This is probably why the dealer wants to do it. There's
a good reason for it, too.



--
Tegger

On Tue, 18 May 2010 20:16:37 -0400, tww1491 > wrote:


> wrote in message
...
>> Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
>> "Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"
>>
>> Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
>> Otherwise, why would I need it?
>> This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
>> and are not making any noise.
>>
>> Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
>> I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?
>>
>> Please advise.
>> Thanks!

>I would guess that you have a 2009 or 2008 of some variety of Honda. 14k
>seems far too early to have to replace brakes. My 06 Accord I4 coupe is
>still on its original front pads at 65,000 -- rears were replaced at 55k.
>Our 0-3 Pilot went 75k on fronts/rears and did not require rotors to be
>turned. Get a 2nd opinion from a reputable mechanic would be my thought.

It depends on the driver as well. If you have a teenager, an
incompetant two foot driver, etc., it is entirely possible to run
through a set of brakes in 15K miles.

On May 18, 5:53*pm, AZ Nomad > wrote:
> On Tue, 18 May 2010 20:16:37 -0400, tww1491 > wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
> >> Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
> >> "Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"
>
> >> Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
> >> Otherwise, why would I need it?
> >> This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
> >> and are not making any noise.
>
> >> Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
> >> I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?
>
> >> Please advise.
> >> Thanks!
> >I would guess that you have a 2009 or 2008 of some variety of Honda. *14k
> >seems far too early to have to replace brakes. *My 06 Accord I4 coupe is
> >still on its original front pads at 65,000 -- rears were replaced at 55k..
> >Our 0-3 Pilot went 75k on fronts/rears and did not require rotors to be
> >turned. *Get a 2nd opinion from a reputable mechanic would be my thought.
>
> It depends on the driver as well. *If you have a teenager, an
> incompetant two foot driver, etc., it is entirely possible to run
> through a set of brakes in 15K miles.

Thanks all for the info and opinions.
It's a 2007 but I drive very little.
They say that the brakethickness is 2mm. That was 4k ago at 10,209 so
I was wrong on the mileage before. NOW I have 15k on it. I didn't
believe it really needed brakes so I waited.

Thanks for the info about needing to machine the rotors. I never heard
of that. What is the reason?

I guess based on this I'll consider having the dealer do it since I
have a coupon to get it a bit cheaper than it was when they
recommended it.

On May 18, 5:53*pm, AZ Nomad > wrote:
> On Tue, 18 May 2010 20:16:37 -0400, tww1491 > wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
> >> Went to the Honda dealer for an oil change and they told me I need:
> >> "Replace front brake pads and machine rotors"
>
> >> Is it standard procedure to machine the rotors when replacing pads?
> >> Otherwise, why would I need it?
> >> This car only has 14,337 miles (city miles) and the brakes seem fine
> >> and are not making any noise.
>
> >> Is the dealer likely trying to pull a fast one here, or is it possible
> >> I do need new front brakes and have the rotors machined?
>
> >> Please advise.
> >> Thanks!
> >I would guess that you have a 2009 or 2008 of some variety of Honda. *14k
> >seems far too early to have to replace brakes. *My 06 Accord I4 coupe is
> >still on its original front pads at 65,000 -- rears were replaced at 55k..
> >Our 0-3 Pilot went 75k on fronts/rears and did not require rotors to be
> >turned. *Get a 2nd opinion from a reputable mechanic would be my thought.
>
> It depends on the driver as well. *If you have a teenager, an
> incompetant two foot driver, etc., it is entirely possible to run
> through a set of brakes in 15K miles.

What is a "2 foot driver"? I'm not an incompetent driver, but I do
make quick stops sometimes and drive mostly big-city miles. Lots of
starting and stopping.

Frankly I am very skeptical about my brakes being at 2mm or needing to
be changed already so maybe I'll ask someone else to check it for me
instead of going to the dealer.

wrote in
:


>
> Thanks all for the info and opinions.
> It's a 2007 but I drive very little.
> They say that the brakethickness is 2mm. That was 4k ago at 10,209 so
> I was wrong on the mileage before. NOW I have 15k on it. I didn't
> believe it really needed brakes so I waited.
>
> Thanks for the info about needing to machine the rotors. I never heard
> of that. What is the reason?



Are you asking /me/? You replied to /AZ Nomad/ with a point /I/ had made,
so I'm not too sure.


>
> I guess based on this I'll consider having the dealer do it since I
> have a coupon to get it a bit cheaper than it was when they
> recommended it.



Why don't you just wait until you hear/feel a loud grinding noise coming
from the wheels? That way you'll know for 100% certain that the brakes need
doing.


--
Tegger

On 5/19/10 10:16 PM, in article ,
"Tegger" > wrote:

> wrote in
> :
>
>
>>
>> Thanks all for the info and opinions.
>> It's a 2007 but I drive very little.
>> They say that the brakethickness is 2mm. That was 4k ago at 10,209 so
>> I was wrong on the mileage before. NOW I have 15k on it. I didn't
>> believe it really needed brakes so I waited.
>>
>> Thanks for the info about needing to machine the rotors. I never heard
>> of that. What is the reason?
>
>
>
> Are you asking /me/? You replied to /AZ Nomad/ with a point /I/ had made,
> so I'm not too sure.
>
>
>>
>> I guess based on this I'll consider having the dealer do it since I
>> have a coupon to get it a bit cheaper than it was when they
>> recommended it.
>
>
>
> Why don't you just wait until you hear/feel a loud grinding noise coming
> from the wheels? That way you'll know for 100% certain that the brakes need
> doing.
>

There seems to be an unusual edge to your comments here. I'm sure he would
hear the wear indicators before any loud grinding noises & if you get it
done immediately when the wear indicators start to squeal, there is no
damage to the rotors.

I don't subscribe to the machining of rotors at every pad change. I've
never had a rotor machined since the first disk brakes on the '77 Chevy and
never suffered any consequences because of it (other than rotors that lasted
the life of the cars and more money staying in my pocket).

On 05/20/2010 06:29 AM, E. Meyer wrote:
> On 5/19/10 10:16 PM, in article ,
> > wrote:
>
>> wrote in
>> :
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Thanks all for the info and opinions.
>>> It's a 2007 but I drive very little.
>>> They say that the brakethickness is 2mm. That was 4k ago at 10,209 so
>>> I was wrong on the mileage before. NOW I have 15k on it. I didn't
>>> believe it really needed brakes so I waited.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the info about needing to machine the rotors. I never heard
>>> of that. What is the reason?
>>
>>
>>
>> Are you asking /me/? You replied to /AZ Nomad/ with a point /I/ had made,
>> so I'm not too sure.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I guess based on this I'll consider having the dealer do it since I
>>> have a coupon to get it a bit cheaper than it was when they
>>> recommended it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Why don't you just wait until you hear/feel a loud grinding noise coming
>> from the wheels? That way you'll know for 100% certain that the brakes need
>> doing.
>>
>
> There seems to be an unusual edge to your comments here. I'm sure he would
> hear the wear indicators before any loud grinding noises& if you get it
> done immediately when the wear indicators start to squeal, there is no
> damage to the rotors.
>
> I don't subscribe to the machining of rotors at every pad change. I've
> never had a rotor machined since the first disk brakes on the '77 Chevy and
> never suffered any consequences because of it (other than rotors that lasted
> the life of the cars and more money staying in my pocket).
>

i think the reason they say to turn the disks is the mistaken belief
that rotors are warping. sure, they can give brake shudder symptoms
that seem /similar/ to warping, but the actual problem is that of wheel
seating, not anything actually wrong with the disk.

i proved this yet again a couple of weekends ago - friend got new tires,
the wheels were air-tooled back on, and sure enough, the brakes
shuddered like crazy. i took them off, scraped the rust off the
interface, wheel and hub, applied a little anti-seize, torqued the lug
nuts back on correctly, and "hey presto", all problems gone. i think
that when disks get turned, it's usually accompanied by general
clean-up, and it's that coincidence fixing any problems, not the actual
machining process.

regarding machining though, it does have a place. some aftermarket pads
can lead to very uneven wear of the disk surface. that is when you need
to machine - to make them flat again. when returning to use of a
quality or oem pad of course...

--
nomina rutrum rutrum

On Thu, 20 May 2010 07:19:59 -0700, jim beam > wrote:
>i think the reason they say to turn the disks is the mistaken belief
>that rotors are warping. sure, they can give brake shudder symptoms
>that seem /similar/ to warping, but the actual problem is that of wheel
>seating, not anything actually wrong with the disk.

>i proved this yet again a couple of weekends ago - friend got new tires,
>the wheels were air-tooled back on, and sure enough, the brakes
>shuddered like crazy. i took them off, scraped the rust off the
>interface, wheel and hub, applied a little anti-seize, torqued the lug
>nuts back on correctly, and "hey presto", all problems gone. i think
>that when disks get turned, it's usually accompanied by general
>clean-up, and it's that coincidence fixing any problems, not the actual
>machining process.

>regarding machining though, it does have a place. some aftermarket pads
>can lead to very uneven wear of the disk surface. that is when you need
>to machine - to make them flat again. when returning to use of a
>quality or oem pad of course...

I had a mechanic tell me that I should have my rotors turned as the pads
would wear faster with even mild grooving.

Not sure I agree. I never turn rotors; I replace them and only replace
them if I can detect vibration during braking. I'd rather replace
pads twice as frequently than lose metal on the rotors to turning them.