cwest94 Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) The dealer just put all new brakes and rotors on my SS two weeks ago. I could feel my brakes were bad and when I took it in, they said they went bad because I never drive it much, not sure how much of that is true or not. But anyways, I washed it today and seen that my brand new rotors look like they have been sitting in the bottom of the ocean for years, is this normal? Here are some pics: The original rotors looked good still after 3 years, I dont feel like looking at rust all the time, it's very noticeable and makes the wheels and side view of my truck look like I should note that ALL 4 of my wheels look like this now, they replaced all 4 of my rotors. Edited July 30, 2007 by cwest94 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox_forma Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 damn, never seen it that bad before, I have had some rust build up before but nothing like that, not even close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 My Baers look like that after using Macguire's wheel cleaner, it obviously has some kind of acid in it but after a trip to/from work the brake pads polish it all away. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 The dealer just put all new brakes and rotors on my SS two weeks ago. I could feel my brakes were bad and when I took it in, they said they went bad because I never drive it much, not sure how much of that is true or not.I should note that ALL 4 of my wheels look like this now, they replaced all 4 of my rotors. Granted you don't drive your SSS much, is it stored outdoors? If stored indoors, is it in a humid environment? Exposure to the elements and moisture can rot the rotors over time, especialy if the truck isn't used much. GM had a problem with rotor rot over the past 5 years or so. At my office, we have a handfull of 2004 and 2005 Astro vans that were sent in for brake work and had to have all 4 rotors replaced due to rotor rot. Oh yeah, and everyone of them was in for their first brake job since being bought new. Washing your vehicle will cause some minor oxidation on the rotor contact surface that will scrub off on the next time the truck is driven. Any normal brake rotor is going to rust, especially in the hub and vent area over time. For 4 new rotors to rust that quick, that bad, something is wrong. If I was in your shoes, I would be paying the dealer a visit soon......... FYI - there are some symptoms to diagnose rotor rot.........you will see large loose flakes of metal in the rotor vent area, you can in some circumstances grab the flakes and pull them off. Also, the rotor contact surface will be pitted. In this case, you can try to cut the rotors, but replacing them is a better idea, as the pitting could be quite deep and lead to larger pits or worse yet cracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006SilverSS Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 My Baers look like that after using Macguire's wheel cleaner, it obviously has some kind of acid in it but after a trip to/from work the brake pads polish it all away. Mr. P. although mine just do it with water, but it's usually gone after a quick trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireRescueSS Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Rusting is a normal, slow oxidation/chemical reaction... for it to be that bad, something isn't right. Maybe they were "used" rotors? Something just isn't right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black2003SS Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 No...that is right for a truck sitting for two weeks. My grand prix did that as well. The rotors obviously were not coated. Looks like whoever did the brake job put $30 china specials on there with no coating. Usually, good quality rotors have a coating on the hat section of the rotor and in the vent fins to prevent rust for a few thousand miles. Those are not stock rotors they put on (I mean the exact manufacturer that came on the truck originally). I used to design brakes for TRW. Just cheap rotors. Dont spary anything on them, just drive the truck. You can remove them yourself and clean them and paint them if you want...but I would just let it go to be honest...We used to have to test rotors and make sure they wouldnt rust for 3 months because of build time to delivery time to sitting on the lot, dealers dont want rusty brakes on a new car! It still happens. If you go walk a dealer lot and look at some new cars, some of the cheaper models brakes will look like that after time of sitting as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelleyperformance Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 thats normal.... go drive it arround the block and they will be shiny again. they arent actually rusted, the surface just turns rusty from water and like P said, certain chemicals and especially well water like from sprinklers. if you dont want them to look like that, dont let it sit so long lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 The rotor rusting at the pad surface is normal. The rotor rusting at the hub surface like that though is not common at all if you had GM or AC Delco installed. I'd say that they either sold you aftermarket crap rotors or installed aftermarket crap rotors and sold you/billed you the GM/AC Delco versions. That's the reason your GM rotors looked so good after 3 years. GM and AC Delco rotors are coated at the hub area to keap that looking better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelleyperformance Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 ^^ very well could be dura-stop rotors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 The rotors obviously were not coated. Looks like whoever did the brake job put $30 china specials on there with no coating. Usually, good quality rotors have a coating on the hat section of the rotor and in the vent fins to prevent rust for a few thousand miles. Those are not stock rotors they put on (I mean the exact manufacturer that came on the truck originally). I agree, those look like Okebono cheap crap rotors from Pep Boys........a factory GM rotor will not rust that quick....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwest94 Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Thanks for all the info guys. When I went out last evening to wash the truck and seen all that rust, I was in shock at what my eyes were showing me. Yes I do let it sit for periods of time, and unfortunately it sits outside in all the weather, no indoor garage. The original rotors still looked all shiny and silver after 40 months and 15k miles, but there was chunks of metal coming off them by the vents, they were just rotted like fireman31 noted above and could not be resurfaced. I took the truck to my local Chevy dealer, I looked at the invoice and it says nothing about brand name parts, so I have no clue if ACDelco was used or not. I'm going to guess here and say they got some cheap crap from somewhere else, my total bill came to 500 bucks for all new brake pads and rotors on all 4 corners. I drove the truck to work today and back, which is 50 miles. The rotor surface looks better then it did, but you can still see rust there. Whats killing me is just how badly rusted the hubs are. Now all I see is rusty parts when i look at my wheels, it's embarrassing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I took the truck to my local Chevy dealer, I looked at the invoice and it says nothing about brand name parts, so I have no clue if ACDelco was used or not. I'm going to guess here and say they got some cheap crap from somewhere else, my total bill came to 500 bucks for all new brake pads and rotors on all 4 corners. A 4 wheel brake job with 4 new rotors and pads plus labor should be more than that....quality GM parts alone should have cost you at least $300-400............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester08 Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Yeah man..I agree with them.I have encountered almost the same problem with my car particularly my BMW brake pads...it becomes more complicated 'coz I'm not cleaning my brakes every now and then...Well, I'm not very good at that...So, the advice of my mechanic is that I should always ensure my car's maintenance by visiting him at least once a month...I'm still contemplating on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Bowtie Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 All 3 dealerships that I have worked at, ALL have had the PN#'s on the invoice for each repair line. In fact, if it was a warranty invoice it would simply say "warranty" where the price for each part would normally be displayed at (on a customer pay invoice). If this was done under warranty, go back to the dealership parts dept. with ur invoice. Ask them to see 1 of the old rotors that they have stored in a special warranty parts return bin. Then u will see the box/type of rotors they installed on ur truck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.