I just had my 2003 Camry in for 60k service at the dealer and was told
that it needed a brake job. I have ~61k miles on the car and I had a
brake job done exactly 1 year and 1 week ago at the dealer at ~47k
miles. I was told that the pads still had plently of life left on
them (as expected), but the rotors need another resurfacing. They
were resurfaced (or at least I was told they were) at the 47k brake
job. There is a shaking in the steering wheel when the brakes are
applied. The cost for a standard brake job (new pads and rotor
resurfacing) is $169 at the dealer. I told them no, considering I had
the job done not that long ago. I am questioning their work and
wondering if I should try going somewhere else, or see if I can get
the rotors replaced without getting new pads. Since I got 47k out of
my first set of pads, I am reluctant to change them out so soon. Is
it possible (or logical) to replace the rotors without replacing the
pads? I am kind of reluctant to have them resurfaced again if this
problem were to return. I am also reluctant to go back to the same
place...not really trusting their work. What is my best option? Any
idea on the cost just to replace the rotors?

Thanks

Resurfacing is usually a false economy. Resurfacing without changing pads is
OK if you accept you may need new rotors next year, but its not ideal
expecially as your brakes wont be as effective for a while. Is it a toyota
dealer or a car sales place? Its common for aftermarket pads to not wear but
chew up the rotors.

On Mar 14, 1:14Â*pm, Hachiroku ãƒ�ãƒ�ãƒ*ク <Tru... (AT) AE86 (DOT) gts> wrote:
The job was done by a Toyota dealer. This is the same dealer wanting
me to have the same work performed again. I may see what the cost
would be to get new rotors installed. Again, could (or should) this
be done without changing the pads. Since it was a Toyota dealer that
did the work, they should be Toyota pads.

Thanks

Ph@Boy wrote:
Thanks for the advice. The determination was made that the rotors
were the culprit yesterday during the 60k service. Brake fluid, etc.
were checked during the 60k inspections (or should have been). The
dealer is not willing to do any repairs for free since the last brake
job was done exactly 1 year and 1 week ago. If I had brought the car
in a week earlier, they probably would have covered it. I think they
should have remedied it yesterday free of charge personally. I could
try calling the service manager directly and see where that gets me
because in the end they will be losing my business and I have been a
loyal customer up until now. I think I should get way more than 1
year and 12,000+ miles out of a brake job.

I am generally pretty easy on my brakes...I think that's why I got 48k
miles out of my first set of pads. Probably could have gotten even
more life out of them, but didn't want to push it.

"Hachiroku ãƒ�ãƒ�ãƒ*ク" <Trueno (AT) AE86 (DOT) gts> wrote

And Toyota is a non-profit.

"bill730" <fsubilly2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

In my experience, I've found that resurfaced rotors almost always give
shuddering or pulsing in a year to 18 months so I am not a fan of
resurfacing rotors. If you get all of your service performed at the
dealership, see if the service department will give you a break (no pun
intended) where you pay for new rotors and they provide the labor.

Another possibility is for you to change the rotors yourself. If you have a
jack, jack stands, a large C-clamp, 14 and 17 mm wrenches, a can of brake
cleaner, and some anti-seize or wheel bearing grease, you should be able to
do the job yourself fairly easily. To change the rotors:

Jack up the end of the car you are working on and place on jack stands.
NEVER work under the car supported only by the jack!

If you are working on the front brakes, turn the wheels towards the side you
are working on, ie., turn the wheel all the way to the left if you are
working on the left side.

Remove the 2 14 MM bolts that hold the caliper in place. Being careful to
not wise or pinch the brake hose, rest it on top of the rotor and backing
plate or hold it in place with a coathanger wire.

Remove the 2 17 mm bolts (I think that is the size) that hold the caliper
bracket in place and remove the caliper bracket.

The rotor will now slide off. Wash the replacement rotor with the brake
cleaner and place it on the hub.

Replace the caliper bracket.

Using the C-clamp, retract the caliper piston by squeezing between the
inboard side of the caliper and the brake pad. To avoid damaging the pad,
use a piece of wood or old brake pad if you have one laying around. Replace
the pad if necessary and replace the caliper.

Grab each sleeve where the caliper bolt passes through and make sure you can
push-pull the sleeve in and out to the extent allowed by the rubber boot.
If it does not slide easily, pull the sleeve all the way out and clean it up
and coat with anti-seize or wheel bearing or caliper grease.

Clean off the caliper bolts and coat with anti-seize, wheel bearing grease,
or caliper grease and replace.

turn the steering wheel to the opposite side and repeat on the other side.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"bill730" <fsubilly2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote



Believe it or not...
Worn tires that do not get rotated could be the cause also.
If it is the cause rotating them to the rear would make real obvious right away.

"bill730" <fsubilly2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

The job was done by a Toyota dealer. This is the same dealer wanting
me to have the same work performed again. I may see what the cost
would be to get new rotors installed. Again, could (or should) this
be done without changing the pads. Since it was a Toyota dealer that
did the work, they should be Toyota pads.

While I realize that technically you're out of warranty on the brake job, if
the dealer had the sense God gave geese, he'd do the resurface for little or
no cost to maintain your good will, or give you a really fine deal on the
replacement rotors.
I'm with Ray O about resurfacing rotors, in that if they remove too much
'meat' from the rotors, they'll be out of minimum specs, and will tend to
warp even faster. But unless you live in a steep mountain community with
lots of braking on downgrades, in the course of normal events you shouldn't
be even halfway through a brake replacement in 14 K miles. (I had a Honda
Accord '77 that went for 95 K before the front discs needed redoing. But I
didn't live in the mountains.)

"bill730" <fsubilly2002 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Shaking in the steering wheel under braking is an indicator of warped
rotors. I can get my rotors turned at the local Kragen, and several other
places, for about $15 each. I have to hand-carry them in to get that price.

You have 24k miles since the last brake work, and 61k total miles. My
instinct is that you should be able to turn the rotors you have without any
trouble. Rotors have numbers stamped into them to indicate the MINIMUM
thickness, beyond which they are no longer serviceable. You can easily
locate this number and perform a few cursory checks to see what the current
measurement is. If close to the Min. spec, then you should go ahead and get
new rotors. If there is plenty of meat left, then by all means give the
lathe the chance to clean them up for you. If you need to buy new rotors, my
limited experience is that they shoudl be turned before you install them to
assure there are no machining errors that will make them warp again.







The cost for a standard brake job (new pads and rotor

On Mar 14, 6:55Â*pm, Hachiroku ãƒ�ãƒ�ãƒ*ク <Tru... (AT) AE86 (DOT) gts> wrote:
I am intrigued by your brake problems. I have a 2003 Camry SE with
67,000 mi. At last oil change (65,000) the brakes still looked great
and they perform as new. The SE has discs both front and rear and I
don't know if they differ from LE's or XLE's.

We live in the mountains of Siskiyou County in far northern
California, so our brakes get a pretty good workout. I had
significant problems with disc warpage on a previous 91 Ford Contour,
but have been very happy with the Camry.

Anyone have any related thoughts?

Incidentally, our Camry has seen the inside of a Toyota dealership
only to have an inxplicably shattered moonroof replaced under warranty
and to purchase an exorbitantly priced replacement remote entry
transducer that I lost.