Just had a lot of pitted rust on relatively new rotors (1 year old) but the car was not used much and the rain had caused a lot of rust especially where the brake pads were touching. Just lost my job, have 4 kids... Sanded and sanded by hand like this but finally used a disk with velcro attachment. 80 grit. Went through 10 sheets easily (they clog up pretty fast) was careful to try to sand everything evenly. In the end the results were good, however, in hindsight it was barely worth it. Read rotors cost $40 canadian each, front vented rotors probably under $80. I saved money but now i have rust dust all over the driveway, probably burnt 1 years worth of brush life from my electic drill. The sanding disks weren't free, the velcro is now peeling off the sanding disk holder, and my back hurts from sanding for hours. (At least 20-30 min per rotor I would say). As I was doing it all i could say in my defense is that "its good for the environment not to throw out these mostly working rotors" other than that i had some pride that I "did it myself" but thats about it. Not worth it, your brakes will be perfect with nice new rotors. And i agree, if your rotors are warped, its not even going to fix the problem!
I went through the same as you. My car is almost brand new and new rotor, but sat on my driveway for long time without being driven. The rotor developed embedded rust. I tried with sanding machine with 36 grit and then 80 , 120 but still feel the rough surface. $100 for OEM rotor each.
Hello theredscourge, I love the insight. I think it's great that you are trying to provide more ideas to better sand down this rotor. Trying to make things better, I love it. Thank you so much.
You could sand both sides flat but still could be warped. Complete front slotted and drilled rotors with pads are cheap, seen it at $60 for a complete front. I rather do it once and forget about it.
never use DRILLED ROTORS...they SUCK and it wont last long.. i rather buy expensive rotors and it last more than 7 years and i dont need to do resurface at all... will save u a lot of time... dont buy cheap rotors bc they last u only 2-3 years then u havve to buy a new one or resurface it.. go for expensive one ..
@BabyGangsterIsMe. Changed my oem front discs to Max Advanced drilled/slotted in 2018...just changed them (2024) for the same kind. And they still had good thickness, but the pads were 2mm so I changed them all.✌🙃
@muttomman Good point, here in California, Bay Area, $60 is sit down lunch for two, fast food for three without tipping, $60 won't get half a bag of groceries, $100 a day to rent an average house for a family, $80 for a tankful of gas and so on.
Come on man" buy a set of rotors' that type of rotor, without bearings, don't cost that much. Think about your family, and you, riding in a Safe' and dependable situation !!! 🙏 🛠
This is still a great method since even brake shops that still resurface rotors said no when I told them I have drilled rotors. I still don't get why so many shops say you can't re-cut with a lathe machine if they are not regular rotors. I know for sure that is bulls****, I have seen it done many times, all it takes is having a machine that can be set to the lowest rotational speed and doing 3 or 4 passes with the least amount of depth cut on each pass. Probably overkill with that many passes, but with those 2 settings, perfect rotors. Plus the machine does most of the work for you automatically. So I already don't trust the mechanic or shop that says it can't be done without damage to aftermarket rotors. Here is the proof, just search this video - Can You Resurface a Drilled & Slotted Rotor? | PowerStop The real reason seems to be that they are lazy and don't want to do it because selling you new rotors makes them more money. If you are a mechanic, I would like to hear your reasons, honestly. Thanks for the upload.
Where I live, the back of the rotor always gets rusty and grooved. What I like to do is take them off and slide the rotors flat against the asphalt road, turning them frequently. After about 15 minutes, the back will be completely resurfaced.
if you buy expensive rotors, it wont happen ... go to toyota and buy it ... i used to buy cheap rotors and wasted my time to replace it every 3 years or resurface ..wasting a lot of time.. if u go with expensive rotors, u dont need to worry about rusty
If you're getting vibration when you brake due to warped rotors, this idea will do nothing for you. Warped rotors are dangerous & should be replaced, the cost is irrelevant, your life depends on them!
I don't sell parts or anything like that. I just know that poor / defective brakes are dangerous, I mean, it's only your life that depends on them working properly isn't it!
@jeffbilbrough6494 yall got to stop spreading ignorance and stay in your lane. Chevyhighrider already explained it. Manufactures have specs to properly service rotors. I recommend you delete this comment.
IF your steering wheel Shakes!! your car is DAMAGED get it to a shop.. yesterday! Rotor warp is felt as a slight pulsing of the brake pedal during heavy braking.
I would not recommend doing this on a customer's car. The rotors would either have to be cut if it can still be cut or replaced. This was more of an experiment and not an official repair. It wasn't perfect, but it did smooth out the ride a little bit.
Dude , I have turned down thousands of rotors with the right equipment. They are ALL WARPED , just buy a new rotor every time, because you can't machine them any more like I use to do, the metal is Junk they are not cast iron so can't be machined
dont waste time to resurface the rotors... just go to toyota and buy rotors from them, it is expensive but it last you more than 7 years and no rusty at all .. u save a lot of time ... dont buy cheap rotors bc it lasts only 3 years and u have to resurface it again and again .. wasting time bro ... for parts, buy orginal one and it will last u a long time... i hate after market parts... it sucks
Just had a lot of pitted rust on relatively new rotors (1 year old) but the car was not used much and the rain had caused a lot of rust especially where the brake pads were touching. Just lost my job, have 4 kids... Sanded and sanded by hand like this but finally used a disk with velcro attachment. 80 grit. Went through 10 sheets easily (they clog up pretty fast) was careful to try to sand everything evenly. In the end the results were good, however, in hindsight it was barely worth it. Read rotors cost $40 canadian each, front vented rotors probably under $80. I saved money but now i have rust dust all over the driveway, probably burnt 1 years worth of brush life from my electic drill. The sanding disks weren't free, the velcro is now peeling off the sanding disk holder, and my back hurts from sanding for hours. (At least 20-30 min per rotor I would say). As I was doing it all i could say in my defense is that "its good for the environment not to throw out these mostly working rotors" other than that i had some pride that I "did it myself" but thats about it. Not worth it, your brakes will be perfect with nice new rotors. And i agree, if your rotors are warped, its not even going to fix the problem!
I went through the same as you. My car is almost brand new and new rotor, but sat on my driveway for long time without being driven. The rotor developed embedded rust. I tried with sanding machine with 36 grit and then 80 , 120 but still feel the rough surface. $100 for OEM rotor each.
circular strokes might be a better idea, or maybe using a palm sander in circles at a constant speed and pressure.
Hello theredscourge, I love the insight. I think it's great that you are trying to provide more ideas to better sand down this rotor. Trying to make things better, I love it. Thank you so much.
You could sand both sides flat but still could be warped. Complete front slotted and drilled rotors with pads are cheap, seen it at $60 for a complete front. I rather do it once and forget about it.
never use DRILLED ROTORS...they SUCK and it wont last long.. i rather buy expensive rotors and it last more than 7 years and i dont need to do resurface at all... will save u a lot of time... dont buy cheap rotors bc they last u only 2-3 years then u havve to buy a new one or resurface it.. go for expensive one ..
@BabyGangsterIsMe. Changed my oem front discs to Max Advanced drilled/slotted in 2018...just changed them (2024) for the same kind. And they still had good thickness, but the pads were 2mm so I changed them all.✌🙃
@muttomman
Good point, here in California, Bay Area, $60 is sit down lunch for two, fast food for three without tipping, $60 won't get half a bag of groceries, $100 a day to rent an average house for a family, $80 for a tankful of gas and so on.
making use of what you have to work with. I like your thinking
Come on man" buy a set of rotors' that type of rotor, without bearings, don't cost that much. Think about your family, and you, riding in a Safe' and dependable situation !!! 🙏 🛠
So Sorry / I guess, I just wasn't thinking of all' the reasons. 🙏
This is still a great method since even brake shops that still resurface rotors said no when I told them I have drilled rotors. I still don't get why so many shops say you can't re-cut with a lathe machine if they are not regular rotors. I know for sure that is bulls****, I have seen it done many times, all it takes is having a machine that can be set to the lowest rotational speed and doing 3 or 4 passes with the least amount of depth cut on each pass. Probably overkill with that many passes, but with those 2 settings, perfect rotors. Plus the machine does most of the work for you automatically. So I already don't trust the mechanic or shop that says it can't be done without damage to aftermarket rotors. Here is the proof, just search this video - Can You Resurface a Drilled & Slotted Rotor? | PowerStop The real reason seems to be that they are lazy and don't want to do it because selling you new rotors makes them more money. If you are a mechanic, I would like to hear your reasons, honestly. Thanks for the upload.
No it's cause people want to pay 10$ for 150$ worth of labor.
Where I live, the back of the rotor always gets rusty and grooved. What I like to do is take them off and slide the rotors flat against the asphalt road, turning them frequently. After about 15 minutes, the back will be completely resurfaced.
if you buy expensive rotors, it wont happen ... go to toyota and buy it ... i used to buy cheap rotors and wasted my time to replace it every 3 years or resurface ..wasting a lot of time.. if u go with expensive rotors, u dont need to worry about rusty
just put them back on the car, put the lug nuts with a spacer, and used a angle grinder with 80 grit, put the car on drive, and skim the rotor ...
If you're getting vibration when you brake due to warped rotors, this idea will do nothing for you. Warped rotors are dangerous & should be replaced, the cost is irrelevant, your life depends on them!
Often times “warped rotors” are not actually warping at all. Rather it’s uneven pad deposits on the rotors.
Do you actually work on this stuff or do you sell parts. Sounds like you sell parts.
I don't sell parts or anything like that. I just know that poor / defective brakes are dangerous, I mean, it's only your life that depends on them working properly isn't it!
@jeffbilbrough6494 yall got to stop spreading ignorance and stay in your lane. Chevyhighrider already explained it. Manufactures have specs to properly service rotors. I recommend you delete this comment.
Also warped rotors are about as dangerous as a bottle of texas pete
Vibrating sander might do better
Sand all you want.. If that rotor is warped your just wasting time.
You will never solve the problem of a warped rotor by doing this. Have them turned or buy new ones.
Thankyou for the help Thankyou
IF your steering wheel Shakes!! your car is DAMAGED get it to a shop.. yesterday!
Rotor warp is felt as a slight pulsing of the brake pedal during heavy braking.
You can’t😅 fix stupid!
What a complete waste of time. Do everyone a favour and never ever do work on anyone’s or your vehicles ever again.
I would not recommend doing this on a customer's car. The rotors would either have to be cut if it can still be cut or replaced. This was more of an experiment and not an official repair. It wasn't perfect, but it did smooth out the ride a little bit.
@fixwhat1137 then don't make a video. Bad repair is a bad repair.
@muttommanwith 38 years in the trade and fully qualified, yes I am.
@muttommanyour starting to sound like a Biden voter to me.
You just wasted 10 minutes
Not totally true. It could take the glaze off but not going to fix a warped rotor
Dude , I have turned down thousands of rotors with the right equipment. They are ALL WARPED , just buy a new rotor every time, because you can't machine them any more like I use to do, the metal is Junk they are not cast iron so can't be machined
You're right about that but sometimes ppl don't have money to buy new ones so they gotta figure out other methods to what they have.
Don’t do this. Buy new for the safety of us all!
To fast
dont waste time to resurface the rotors... just go to toyota and buy rotors from them, it is expensive but it last you more than 7 years and no rusty at all .. u save a lot of time ... dont buy cheap rotors bc it lasts only 3 years and u have to resurface it again and again .. wasting time bro ... for parts, buy orginal one and it will last u a long time... i hate after market parts... it sucks
Awesome