Hey guys, Its time for my brake pads to be changed and I was wondering how I can tell if my rotor needs re-surfacing or not. I dont trust the brake place to give me an honest answer. BTW, I have about 19900 miles on my S2 and it will be my first change.

Thanks A lot,
Chris.

 

Opinions vary on this. If you have any brake chatter (pulsing brake pedal, vibration during heavy braking, or a feeling like the brake grabs a little with each tire revolution), then have the rotors turned. Check the rotor surface. If you see significant grooves or ridges in the swept surfaces, you need them turned.

Now here's the controversy. If the swept surfaces look pretty smooth (without ridges) and you aren't getting any brake chatter, then I'd just put new brake pads on and leave the rotors alone. Some people will disagree, saying that they should be turned every time. Since it's your first brake change, I wouldn't worry about it. You have plenty of meat on your rotors. Besides, turned rotors have a little less metal, and therefore can't absorb as much heat. As a result, they are more prone to warpage.

If you do get them turned, the cheapest way to do this is to bring them to a machine shop that turns rotors, or an auto parts store that does this.

 

Thanks a lot. Great help!

 

slalom44 pretty much covered it. Shops will also try to tell you that your calipers need to be rebuilt. Unless there is a significant problem, like leakage or braking issues, this is just a way for them to pocket some extra money. They will also try to tell you that it's best to do all the brakes at the same time. This is also not true. They just need to be done when they need to be done. Now if you're bleeding the brake system, yes, bleed the entire system. Simply changing the pads is a pretty simple operation. You really should do it yourself. Don't let a lack of confidence get in your way. There is a great write-up on this forum:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=123081
You'll save a chunk of money and will develop more understanding of how your car actually works.

 

Per slalom44 - I've done lots (dozens?) of brake jobs & have only turned the rotors if they were warped, and only replaced them when they were worn to the factory specified minimum. I have sometimes scuffed up the rotors with a bit of emery paper if they were glazed in an effort to help seat the pads. I don't know if that helps though, because I've put new pads on glazed rotors & had good brake performance also.

There is a slight chance that if you don't turn the rotors your pads will not seat. If I were a professional mechanic & someone paid me to do the brakes, I'd likely turn the rotors just to make sure that does not happen. If I'm doing it myself & if they don't seat (which they always have) I'd just pull them apart again. No big deal.

--Mike