New brakes don't look so new

zeph

zeph

Member
Car
2005 FX35 AWD
On January 16, we took the car in for brake service, and on the mechanic's advise, we had the rear brake rotors, pads and shoes replaced. Fronts still looked good and needed no replacement yet. I just took a look at them, and the rear rotors are brownish, looks like oxidation/rust. I have photos but can't upload them yet. Is that normal after two weeks?!?
 
Depends on your weather where you are. My rotors develop light surface rust during winter/wet weather very quickly. As soon as they are used, they will develop some discoloration. Where exactly are you seeing the rust? The area of the rotor in contact with the pad will discolour very quickly.
 
Thanks for your reply. I am in Southern California, and I noticed it after a 10 mile drive. I wish I could post the photos, all the more because the front brakes don't exhibit this discolorization to the same extent. It's there, but barely noticeable and since they are as old as the vehicle, I wouldn't be surprised. The rears are supposedly brand-new, though.

---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------

Weather here is always mild, hardly ever rains, although it did a little last weekend. We do have chilly nights right now and morning dew/condensation.
 
No worries, that's why IS is here!

Do you know the model/brand of the rotors? Some are likely more prone to discoloration than others. As well, it could just be that they were packaged with a coating to protect them during shipping and that has worn off. Perhaps, given some time to break in, the discoloration will fade to resemble the forward rotors. Either way, it should not effect performance in any noticeable way.
 
OK, I had half a mind to go to the garage and complain...but didn't want to go in there and throw baseless accusations around. Thank you. I do not know make/model of the rotors, but the work order does show SKU's: R DISC BRAKE ROTOR BR31348/CP at $136.50 each.
 
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My advice would be to keep an eye on it. If it progresses any further or begins to effect performance (I.E rough braking) then I would head in and tell them. However, if it is purely cosmetic, I would not worry about it. As well, if it is discoloring on the collar and not the pad contact surface, it can always be painted.

Rust on brake rotors is just a sad fact of automotive life. Essentially impossible to avoid entirely.
 
The spotting looks pretty normal on all except the second picture. However, I say normal for a wet climate. As well, there is a fair amount of rust on the collars, which is not normal for brand new. It almost looks like they were stored somewhere damp... Especially your second picture, that looks like extreme spotting for new. Mine have never looked that rough, even in Albertan winters.

When you say croaking... Do you mean an ABS type repetitive sound, or more of a scrapping.grinding noise?
 
those brake rotors in the picture look exactly like my original 10 years old brake rotors, you sure they didnt just resurface the old ones?

And the croaking sound should be coming from the clips and or shims, ive had the same issue before
 
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If they are aftermarket rotors they will rust fast. I changed both my back rotors (aftermarket) and they are rusted while the front (originals) are not. Don't think anything is wrong. Should have aksed for OEM rotors but i'm sure they would have been more money
 
Looking at those photos, these rotors will rust like that because they're unpainted. OEM rotors are painted black on the collar and the unpainted parts are on the inside of the collar or where the pads touch.

I traced back the part number to a company called Dura International which makes brake parts for all makes and models.

I also found this rotors on amazon for $23 ... so that $136, is that plus labour or parts alone? An OEM rotor would be less than that...

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Dura-International-BR31348-Vented-Brake/dp/B00AMNKNXO/ref=au_as_r?ie=UTF8&Make=Infiniti%7C68&Model=FX35%7C928&Year=2005%7C2005&carId=001&n=15684181&newCar=1&s=automotive&vehicleType=automotive

---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 PM ----------

Here's the company link:

http://www.duraintl.com/
 
That $136 is excl. labor, blow me. When i came in for the job, I asked them to just machine the rotors. Then they called me saying the parking brake had destroyed the rotors and they had to be replaced. I could believe that about the parking brake, because there was a metallic noise coming from the brakes while driving. So I said go, but now I wonder if they replaced the rotors at all.
 
Parking brake is on the inside of the middle part of the rotor like a drum brake. It will wear a groove into the inside of the drum area, but not sure how it would make the rotor unusable. if you left the parking break on and drove it a long distance, I would expect the hardware inside to get ruined rather than the rotor/drum surface.

I think I would complain to the shop, but probably not much they will do about it. You could take them into a place that does a free brake check and ask them if they think they're new.

I was annoyed with the rusty look, and replaced my rotors with some from rotorpros. You can probably have the rotors sanded and painted or coated to get them to stay looking nice.
 
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Just got back from the local Firestone and had a mechanic look at it. He assured me they were new, said that is common with aftermarket parts. So other than a $100 markup (per unit) for the rotors, it would seem the garage did the job. I did see what were supposed to be the old rotors, and they were definitely grooved inside, ostensibly by the parking brake. It seemed believable.

---------- Post added at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

Thanks all for replying, your help and advise is appreciated!
 
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Possibly, I feel bad for the guy. But we all get caught in these kinds of things at least once... I say all the Cali members show up at the shop and demand money back ;) I'm not sure they'd say no..

Sent from my SGH-I747
 
My best advice in the future would be to go to a local NISSAN/INFINITI master tech who has his own shop. Luckily I have a local NISSAN master tech with his own shop, hillsgarage.net. I get all of my regular maintenance and performance work done by him. I know a break job should be easy and straightforward, but having work done from an independent shop who specializes in NISSAN/INFINITI is always the best way to go.
 
Exotich said:
My best advice in the future would be to go to a local NISSAN/INFINITI master tech who has his own shop. Luckily I have a local NISSAN master tech with his own shop, hillsgarage.net. I get all of my regular maintenance and performance work done by him. I know a break job should be easy and straightforward, but having work done from an independent shop who specializes in NISSAN/INFINITI is always the best way to go.
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While this is true. If your car is newer, they wouldn't have an advantage.

Say he got his nissan training in 1999. And left the dealership in 01 to own a shop. Cars of 2006 or so he might not have that experience/advantage.

I'm not saying the guy doesn't know anything. He could read up but he doesn't have access to the stuff he normally has. Few of my friends are like that working at Indy shops now. They don't see enough newer cars to know about them.

Sent from my SGH-I337
 
^^ Exactly. My father in law is trained to work on MB and BMW. But he was trained in the late 70's and has been working at the same shop since then. He's an expert on anything through the mid 80's, but for newer stuff, he looks at the repair manual just like the rest of us. Plus just about the only time the training would come in handy is on the complicated electronics. The rest of it, especially a brake job is basic stuff. OP got ripped off on the parts, but it's not uncommon. Lesson learned.
TurTLeG said:
While this is true. If your car is newer, they wouldn't have an advantage.

Say he got his nissan training in 1999. And left the dealership in 01 to own a shop. Cars of 2006 or so he might not have that experience/advantage.

I'm not saying the guy doesn't know anything. He could read up but he doesn't have access to the stuff he normally has. Few of my friends are like that working at Indy shops now. They don't see enough newer cars to know about them.

Sent from my SGH-I337
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