Newbie here, and not really well inclinded mechanically, anywho, to my question if someone may assist, thanks in advance. As stated I have a Mazda 6 Sport Wagon with 48k on it bought it new, I took it to the dealership the other day to have the recall done, and they said my brakes needed replaced new rotors and pads. I can understand new pads, but are new rotors necessary at this point? They haven't mirrored....Any feedback or isnight would be great... Also am I a moron to think that brakes are covered in the initial 4/50k warranty? If they do need replaced what is the best place to by the parts and do it myself? Thx again...

 

Typically, anything that can be classified as normal wear and tear will fall under your waranty. So, yes they probably should, you may want to wait for a second opinion though. I would be completely floored, though, if you were to find out that a brake job doesn't fall under waranty. As far as parts you need and doing it yourself go, I can't help you out. Sorry, wish there was more I could tell you.

-Cameron Keffer

 

Actually, normal wear and tear items aren't typically covered under warranty. The warranty is to protect against defects, not normal wear and tear.

 

Really? Huh, that's interresting,and something to keep in mind over the next 10K miles left in my warranty. One question though, is 50K miles (give or take) typically the service life of our rotors?The brake padsI can understand, but is replacing (rather than machining) the rotors typical at this mileage?

-Cameron Keffer

 

50k miles is definitely too early for the rotors to be ruined, UNLESS the owner has abused them, such as letting the pads get so worn that they gouge the rotors. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you perform aheavy stop, but then don't slowly roll the car a wheel-rotation-or-two, then the part of the rotor that's underneath the pad cools more slowly than does the rest of the rotor. That's a recipe for warpage. If space allows, ALWAYS slowly roll the car a bit to allow the rotors to cool more evenly, if you've done a heavy stop. Space won't always allow this, though.

And please don't expect your warranty to cover wear-and-tear items...that's not whata warranty is intended for. Pad wear and NORMAL rotor wear won't be covered. Acracked rotor, as from a defect, would be an exception. Cheers,

David

 

I check my brakes (pad thickness) every 25,000 miles or so. I just replaced all (4) rotors and pads on my wife's 6 at just past 50,000. Although I changed the rotors for convenience, they can still be turned down and used again (which I will do when I do my next brake job on it.) I like to have the parts ready to bolt back on immediately rather than having to pull the rotors, then go get them turned, go back home and reassemble.

 

Thanks for the good advice from davidteachey about rolling the car after a heavy stop.
Normal rotor and pad wear is not covered under warranty. I say 50,000 miles is very reasonable wear. With high labor costs and the inconvenience for turning a rotor, a new one may be a better choice.

 

You're welcome, rx4to6! Somebody passed that tip on to me years ago, and it makes total sense.

I also have an old '85 BMW 325e, and the rotors are deliberately designed thin, to reduce unsprung weight. The result is that, if you machine-turn the rotors even once, they'll tend to quickly warp. I simply change the rotors when I change pads, as they're inexpensive, and SOOOO easy to change. Cheers,

David

 

Many times the rotors are simply too close to minimum thickness even at the first brake job. To reduce weight many new car brake rotors are being cast with not a lot of extra meat on them to allow turning and still keep the required rotor thickness.
If you're being told you need new rotors demand to see the measured thickness of the old ones along with the minimum thickness specs.