Hi l don't know much about mechanics.
l have a 15 year old Camry done 300,000 kms, they said it needs new brakes both front and rear and it will cost $400.
They said they put in new brake pads and machine the rotors, but l read online it's better to replace the rotors rather than machine them. Is the mechanic correct to machine the rotors or should he replace them, would that be a lot more expensive?
Personally would replace, probably charge $60 to machine, where you can buy new for $100 a pair
https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p238005…
New pads, then get either one done. Price up a machining and price up new rotors. Then "math". Might pay to check the minimum thickness of the rotors, as they may not take a machining. At 300,000km, they might be well past the machining stage.
And $400 for a full set of front and rears for a Camry including machining? Make sure you get that in writing and just get it done.
InB4 OP returns because they cant machine the rotors and now want $1,800 for new pads and rotors.
thanks, so would it be safer to pay a bit extra to get the rotors replaced rather then machined. is there less risk of something going wrong if they are replaced rather then machined incase they are not thick enough to machine or they machine too much off, Should l tell my mechanic l want new rotors an not machined
Not necessarily safer. New discs mean you will probably get longer life. Machining discs just gets them closer to their minimum thickness.
Get new rotors, do not machine the old ones. They are likely near their minimum thickness at 300k kms and even if they can be machined and stay within the minimum thickness spec they may warp quickly due to having less material to absorb heat compared to a new rotor.
Another risk is the mechanic may not machine them correctly and you may end up with a shudder during braking - new rotors will be machined correctly preventing this possibility. For the sake of <100$, do it right the first time.
Machining discs is fine..
Machining is fine, but a lot of mechanics want to charge almost the price of new rotors just to machine them. In that case I would say just get new ones.
$400 seems like a very good price to replace all pads and machine rotors.
brake related question
had a dealership service few weeks ago, mentioned that the front and rear disc brakes needed to be replaced. Didn't mention anything about the pads. Called up a few places, and most of them recommend replacing both discs and pads.. should i replace both?
If you're putting in new discs then you should also replace the pads and let the two bed in nicely.
how many klms on them? are they beyond machining? EG: there is a legal minimum thickness they need to be to machine them.
The discs near 90k, the pads I’m pretty sure I got replaced about 1-1.5 years ago
How many km’s in the last 1.5years?
My brakes still have plenty of life in them after 40k km.
You should also be able to look at the pads without taking the wheels off for a simple look. You’re not going to be able to measure them but on average pads are 10mm thick give or take.
Word of advice - check your brake fluid as well.
Brake rotors have a minimum recommended thickness. As long as you are above the minimum thickness (after machining), then machining the rotors is fine. They will perform exactly the same as a new set of rotors.
As others have mentioned, check the price of a new set of rotors. If the price difference is minimal, then I would opt for a new set (why pay essentially the same price for a refurbished item, when a new item is nearly the same price?). If however the price of new rotors is considerably more expensive, then opt for machining the existing rotors (as long as the minimum thickness is not exceeded).
Always use new brake pads with new or machined rotors. Don't reuse old brake pads with new/machined rotors.
When did you change your brake fluid last? Generally this is a service item, and is changed every few years, however this is not always required. Have your brake fluid tested. If its moisture/water content is above 3%, then you should have your brake fluid flushed and replaced with new brake fluid.
Lol. Now in the penalty box.
I'll guess. Forgotten password and old email is no longer accessible.
I would go with "I'll add a 79 to the back of my name and no one will suspect I've asked a million questions on Camries"
I thought the OP was the Camry guy. He's probably spent more time chasing info on here than the replacement car is worth
Depends on the price difference.
Some mechanics will recommend machining etc, as they make more money.
Trust me, as a mechanic, there is way more money to be made selling people new rotors than (fropanity) around with a brake rotor resurfacing machine.
How much are the machines? Sure the business can depreciate the asset but do they need to upsell machining to get a return on investment?
Dont know, we dont have one. They take more man power and stuffing around than what a new set of rotors are generally worth.
Rotors are pretty cheap and take about 15 mins a wheel to replace. These machines can take up just as much time to get them set up, and then there is the machining of the rotor on top of that. You have to do almost everything you would do just to replace a rotor just to get the machine mounted up (remove calipers and pads.)
There is WAY more money in selling new pads and new rotors than machinging them. MAybe 20 years ago when a single rotor was $350 and machining was $50…But now, with labour costs up and parts costs down, it may be $90 to get machined and $80 for new rotors…
@pegaxs: What would typical cost to replace a set of Rotors and pads be these days for your avarage sedan and how much time would it take?
$400 quoted to OP seems good value assuming $100 x 2 for discs, 50 x 2 for pads and 1.5hrs labour?
Thanks for asking. Cheers.
The machines are bench lathes. They are pretty cheap. 5K for a very good one or 1K for a very crap one.
Just don't buy crap rotors or they'll warp and need to be machined or replaced.
Rotors almost never warp - they're a lump of cast iron - they just don't. What people think is warping is the pads leaving inconsistent residue on the rotors so you get inconsistent friction as the wheel rotates. Then you get inconsistent wear, which leads to an inconsistent surface. But it's not warping.
but l read online it's better to replace the rotors rather than machine them
You read correctly.
FYI, since you have a 15yo Camry, you may consider a DIY brake pad & rotor replacement. Save a couple of hundred.
It is actually quite easy, especially with youtube. (old drum brakes in contrast were much messier.)
If I were you, I'd slap on a few DBA rotors, Bendix Ultimate+ pads and call it a day.
Nah, I think OP should upgrade to 8 pot carbon ceramics
Question to ask the mechanic: "if you machine these rotors now are they likely to still be in spec when the new pads are worn out?" It's a guesstimate because rotor wear is dependent on many things including how aggressive the new pads are. If the rotors are likely to outlast the new pads then just machining them should be fine and $400 probably isn't a bad price.
ebay: $80 odd a pair with discounts. Maybe check repco? cheap pads are bad though, definite waste of time. First cheapy pads wore quickly, new replacement was only marginally better. Going bendix next time. The rotors are a big chunk of steel, so harder to use dodgy materials I guess. found cheapy slotted rotors for $107: Long ebay link
Some of these arm chair 'I did this once' experts, brings me to tears for the Ops asking these questions. Oh and yes…..some excellent answers too.
There isn't a definitive Yes or No answer on paper to your question as there are so much info missing.
It varies, and depends on the condition of the rotors now, and why the advise was to change them. Hot spots, cracks, warped, grooved, undersized, corrosion and or other damage. Or even labour cost/time = $$, workshop/mechanic habit, to be sure to be sure, or for Brake Pad/repair warranty.
The cost of machining if viable to the replacement cost if required, your style of driving/braking, life left in the vehicle, time to go before you consider changing vehicle, and your budget all are things to throw in. Some shops do not have a machine, or mobile machinist available.
Once all these Facts are known and considered, only then can you make a more informed decision for yourself. Reading above, weed out the some are just guessing, or this is what I did once. As Mechanics, we see it all, and over many years of disc brake repairs, and the life thereafter of different scenarios. Times and costs, are also changing, along with the attitude of the mechanic doing the work.
Assume they are all honest and you can trust them because you need to. When they fail this trust, walk away and hope all their work does not come back to bite you.
Whether to Machine rotors today 'can' be varied model to model, and definitely different now to 20yrs and also 50 years ago - older or larger vehicles with one piece heavy rotor hub assemblies. With the EU and Asian vehicles flooding the world with FWD and the 2 piece hub-rotor as yours, the ability to successfully machine multiple times was diminished in comparison. Some rotors can not be machined, some with warps or cracks, or both, and the limits and or cracks are not discovered until the process is near or complete. You still pay to the machining only to scrap the buggered rotors.
It is knowledge, math, forethought, common sense, honesty, straight advise and again - your budget.
I know, big post and lots of info - maybe too late… even though just fitting new rotors is the quickest and easiest…. I hope the explanations helps.
It does not make sense to machine a common car disc rotor in such high labour cost on Australian soil. Your basically paying close to a new rotor price machining an old rotor. Besides, the old rotor may not have much meat left which means you just over paid for a shaving a disc rotor. Soon you have to visit the mechanic again for new discs.
Brake rotors are a lot cheaper these days you're done 300,000 city driving? Id say replace.
I machined my car's front brakes, last year. Oh boy, each rotor cost around $90 to get machined, I could have put new bosch rotors and a pair was $90 at that time. Normally, you can feel the groves on the disc rotors. my front brakes were like the rings of Saturn.