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Problematic Brake Routers
This week, we're going to answer an e-mail from one of our viewers named Adam. He's got a 1999 Cavalier with 22,000km. He said "the brakes seems to squeak, so I took it in for check-up and was told that my front rotors and pads need replacement due to rust build-up on the top of the rotor. That cost me $400 to replace" and he says he "finds that hard to believe due to the low mileage. The brakes feel fine, what would you suggest I do?" First of all, let me explain why these brake rotors can get this terrible rust build-up. Remember that the brake rotors are an iron part that's underneath the vehicle that can get all kind of road slush and in most cases can't be protected by lubricant or paint. This one came off a Cavalier that is a few years older than our viewer's but it will do fine for our explanation because it's the same rotor that is used in Grand Ams and Sunfires; just to mention a few. This particular rotor has a good surface finish on both sides, there is no reason for it to be resurfaced or replaced for that reason. But it has a big rust build-up in the veins that cool the brake rotor. It's completely plugged with rust, and that's the reason for replacing that part.
Adam talked about rust build-up on the top edge of the rotor. This is rotor has a small amount of rust and it will continue to creep its way across the surface of the rotor, the area that the pads work against.
Remember that it's the actual scrubbing of the rotor by the brake pad that keeps it so clean while it's in service. When you park the car for an extended period of time, it doesn't have to be that long either, especially when you are around the Great Lakes or anywhere the humidity is high this iron part can corrode very quickly. If you're out in the Prairies you don't have as much of a problem.
On this other rotor you can see that the rust creeping around the edges is extremely extensive. You can see that it's extremely wide, it's broken, and that is just way too much to be acceptable. The other side of the rotor has narrowed right in on both sides with corrosion. That wears out the brake pad pre-maturely and causes a lot of harshness and roughness in the pedal.
If you keep your vehicle in a garage or parked inside where it's kept dry you can minimize that. But if you don't drive the vehicle for a while, the rust will build up. You need to drive it around to scrub off that corrosion. Getting back to his question: "what would you suggest I do?" You need to rely on the technician who actually inspected the car. If they think that the rust is too extensive, it probably best if you changed them.
I'm Bill Gardiner for Motoring.
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