My wife took her 2003 Accord v-6 with 53,000 miles on it into the dealer for routine service today. (I am not allowed to repair her car.) The service advisor said it needed front brakes (first time)and the rotors needed to be "machined". She agreed.

She later asked the advisor what they had "machined" the rotors down to. The advisor said down to 17mm which is the minimum legal limit.

If you "machine" the rotors down to the legal limit, will this cause a problem after repeatedly applying the new brake pad brakes? I suspect that the rotors will wear down soon and be below the legal limit. The advisor told my wife to watch for uneven braking and then bring it in for a rotor change. Is that the only bad thing that happens when your rotors are below the limit or should I watch out for other problems?

I suspect the dealer was trying to soften the financial hit (53,500 service, a brake job and a power steering fluid flush). I know rotors are expensive, but isn't "machining" down to the legal limit pennywise and safety foolish?

Tinkerer

 

Rotors are not expensive...they cost about $70 for the complete front set.

Surface grinding the rotors is debatable...I do my own work so it's never worth it for me, but somehow the dealer gets away with charging more to change the rotors even though machining them takes more time and effort. The only real downside to surface grinding is that you make the rotors more likely to warp in the future. And if they warp, you're going to have to get new pads as well to do the job right or else the old pads run the risk wearing the new rotors the exact same way. But if it's her car, let her worry about it, right?

 

What did the dealer charge you to machine the rotors? Probably more than new rotors if you purchased them yourself (not throught the dealer). I'd just get new ones.



http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...ar=&perfCode=P

Brembo blanks for a 2003 V6 Accord - $46 for a pair. FTW.

 

:werd: Brembo blanks are a great option and work well with stock pads.