Rotor resurfacing is a pretty straightforward service. Basically, anyone with a brake lathe can do it. I've had several rotors resurfaced at Rick Case, but their pricing seems to have gone through the roof lately and isn't too convenient for you Russ. I've also used a Firestone shop in Davie that did a decent job at very competitive prices. Expect to pay $10-20 per rotor depending on who does the work. Have them remove as little metal as possible to preserve the longevity of the rotor.

The best way to do this service is to double-cut the rotor. This puts some fine bi-directional hatch marks on the surface that is supposed to aid in the bedding-in process of pads. I've had rotors done with a single pass and they seem to work fine too.

I'm not certain, but it appeared that you were running cadmium plated rotors on your car Russ. If this is the case be aware of a few "rotor realities". Cadmium plated rotors look great and work well, but normal use will eventually remove the cadmium plating from the swept surface. Then the surface of the rotor will rust just like the OEM rotors do. Since only one of the rotors has been damaged, that's the one that is rusting (only where the grooves are?). If you have it resurfaced, the entire swept area will rust, not just the grooved portions. So, the only solution to eliminate the rusting (albeit temporarily) is to replace the rotor. However, bear in mind that they would have started rusting anyway at some point later in their life. The simplest solution is to have the rotor lightly machined to remove the uneven surface and then live with the rust.

Joshua

 

Actually Josh, they are nickel plated but Ranko saw the rotor and agreed it looks like
crap. There are fine lines surrounding the entire rotor where the metal on metal contact
grooved into it. I'm having it resurfaced tomorrow and will let folks know how it came out.
I've seen the work of the place that is doing it and liked their results. All I know is even
after all the rain recently, the other three rotors were spotless and that one was nice
and orange. blah! lol

 

Nickel plating or Cadmium plating - either way the plating will wear through over time in the other three and the iron core will start to rust. I couldn't say how long it will take, but it will happen. I'll be very interested to hear about their oxidation resistance after the work is done. Since it sounds like the grooves are deep, it should be resurfaced for functional reasons in any case.

 

Well, one problem fixed, another created. The car now has this slight pulsating
effect when I'm braking. Not from the pedal (ala ABS) but sort of a very sutle pulsating motion. Nothing THAT annoying but you can feel it just enough to notice and I can bet it's from that rotor that they resurfaced today. Either they over torqued
the lugs or somehow the pad isn't cooperating with the new surface. I guess I should
just try and find someone who can sell me one left rear cross/drilled rotor nickel plated
but it seems like they all come in pairs.

 

The pulsations are likely due to inadequate deposition of pad material on the freshly cut rotor. Give the pad a little time to bed in, allow some pad material to transfer to the rotor and see if the pulsations disappear. If not, the rotor may be warped, but that should not be the case if it was cut correctly.

Also, it has just occurred to me that you may want to also cut the rotor on the other side of the car from the one that was just cut. I suggest this not from any real world experience but from thinking that the coeficient of friction is probably diffferent between the plated rotor and cut rotor. If they're on the same axle, that will induce some yaw under braking if they are slowing at different rates.