Brake Update

[01Y87]

I finally decided to go to the local Pontiac dealer (because the Chevy place sucks) and get OEM stock pads. Well...... the mechanic tells me i need rotors! He said, whoever turned them did a Butcher Job on them! (That would be the Tire place..)

So to save $$$ I went with Autozone's Aimco standard rotors as many of you have. Stock pads + Aimco rotors.

I did a gentle 100 mile breakin, and in some ways my brakes are better....but I am still disappointed because they are pulsating! it only happens when the brakes are hot. Why???????

The Pontiac shop gave me back my old pads for inspection. I see where the Wear Squealer is, and it is not down that far but on that pad, the wear is thinner on the other side of that pad. Is it normal for a pad to wear more on one end than the other???

Anyway, I am thinking that this Aimco rotor may be slightly imperfect and need a light turning before installing....could this be true? I think they may have simply taken the box I gave them and bolted it right on without checking anything.

If pads and rotors are new, why else would it be pulsating?????

[Benm109]

It's not uncommon to have one pad wear more than the other, especially on floating/sliding calipers. Pulsating brakes are almost always because of an out-of-round rotor or drum, or hard spots on a rotor or drum (I know you don't have drums, just saying).

Now about the new rotors you got, you should definetely not have to turn them before you put them on. I'd take it to a tire and brake shop and get them to check your brakes out. Tell them to check for thickness variation and runout on your rotors. If the problem does turn out to be your rotors, then I'd try to get my money back or something. You should never have to turn brand new rotors.

[SS_CarGuy]

Did you swap out both front and rear rotors? If you only swapped out the front, it could be the rears are bad too.

[01Y87]

only replaced the front. I went into the dealer and they reminded me that only if you feel pulsating thru the steering wheel would it be the front wheels...feeling it in the body of the car or seat would be the rear.

so...with 57k mi on the rear rotors it could be that they are in need of a new surface. The pads are not worn down to the throw-away limit so I don't know whether I should pay and get them re-surfaced only or get new pads.

The mechanice tells me that thin pads on a new surfaced rotor can make them run hotter and thus warp again soon...this is also what the tire place told me. What do you all think? Well, the tire place turned my rotors and they were warped again the next day (like they said would happen) BUT, they did a butcher job on the rotor so maybe that's it. I don't want to butcher the rear's.

[01Y87]

Update

My GM dealer said I needed rear brakes, so I trusted them to do it: replace pads and turn rear rotors. NOW my car stops quiet and smooth like a new car again..........

I had them return the old pads to me and upon inspection, they do look like they still have some thousands of miles left and they're not near the squealer. Really all I needed was to have the rotors turned but dealers always like to sell stuff I guess...

I also have the old front pads, and they are worn down a little more than the rears but still probably usable. All I probably needed in the first place was to have all 4 rotors turned. The dealer makes it sound so dire.... you're going to be down to metal in another 500 miles... and your thin pads are going to get hot faster and cause the rotors to warp again real soon...and stuff like that. That is one reason I hate dealer service departments. I'm not saying they did a bad job on the work but they always try to over-sell. My car stops like new now, but it most likely would be like new if only the rotors were (properly) turned w/my old pads.