Warped rotors normal wear?
 

I have been reading this forum for a long time but I think this is my first post. I have a 2002 ES that has about 29,000 miles on it. I took it in to have the clutch chatter problem and a brake problem checked out. I took the TSB from this board regarding the clutch and they are replacing it. They said my rotors were warped and that it was considered "normal wear and tear". I know that the brake pads and the rotors will wear down over time but the warping should not happen. The dealership has used an impact wrench on the wheels and I know that improper tightening can cause warping. The service manager is a nice guy and I hate to cause him any problems but he said that Mazda would not reimburse them and that either I would have to pay for it or he would. I called Mazda customer service and they said that "normal wear and tear" was not covered but she could not tell me if warping of the rotors was considered normal wear and tear. I have read where several of the people on this board have had this problem. Any suggestions?

Tell them you want them replaced and that you aren't going to pay for them. It will not come out of the service managers pocket. It comes from the dealer's. Rotors should not warp, unless you have been taking it to track days.

50000kms is getting up there! Pads would need to be checked, but rotors should last 2 pad changes! Anyways, I would complain! :) But I hate dealers! :(

Oh ya, welcome!! :)

That's Bullshit
 

Sorry to be so blunt, but saying warped rotors are "normal wear and tear" is utter bullshit. For a car with 29k miles on it? Bullshit, I say!!

I had a warped rotor issue with my '01 ES. I recall at around 8k miles my stops weren't clean anymore-- Jerky, uneven stops that decidedly wasn't normal. I finally found the time to bring the car in, and the service department at the local dealership found that the front rotors were warped. Their report was that the front brake pads were defective-- They had an uneven surface that created uneven heat on the brakes that eventually warped the rotors. I wasn't sure about that, but took their explanation knowing that this was A WARRANTY REPAIR. I had never driven this car hard and certainly never stressed the brakes unusually. This was defective manufacturing, hands down.

Your car is still in warranty if you're at 29k miles. As such, it sounds to me like the dealership, or Mazda, is trying to weasel out of honoring their responsibility. Call them on that crap.

NO brake assembly should be warping rotors on a car with that few miles. Have them fix it or call a lawyer...

At around 85,000km I had my brakes finally changed. They took a skim of my rotors, and after a day, my rotors warped. So they took another skim of them...

2002 LX 21k miles

Just got the car back from some work.

Rotors were warped and they machined them for me for free. I am finding out Warped rotors are normal for most small Japanses cars. Civics and Sentra too. Very Thin rotors from the factory. This is what I have heard from the Mazda dealership as well and the Nissan Dealers.

That's still crap. Under normal wear it would be very rare to warp the rotors. Usually caused by uneven heat or lack-thereof distribution and heavy braking.

Over the course of some homemade auto-x's and pushing the limits on that I completely warped the rotors of my 01 at 11,400km. But anything under 20,000km is considered a manufacture problem and was covered. ha :D

But no, NORMAL wear would not cause warped rotors.

Get used to warped rotors, every time you have them cut, they get thinner and thinner, and warp faster and faster. It's better to just buy new ones, they're cheap enough.

Agreed - you guys who allowed the dealer to simply cut the rotors are going to have them warp even faster now. Warped rotors - especially on a newer car - need to be replaced. The statement earlier that rotors should last two pad changes is generous; I mean, many cars have the rotors last damn near forever, only needing to be cut if the brakes wear ALL the way down and scar them. Otherwise, they don't warp.

And NO WAY is warped rotors "normal wear and tear". It's a defect, plain and simple. Have them replaced (NOT resurfaced which only worsens the issue). If the dealer will not do it, go somewhere else (if possible) or start threatening lawsuits. After all, this is a SAFETY issue. Remind them of that; keep your paperwork, and get them to admit in writing that your rotors are defective and they would not warranty them. Calmly remind them what might happen if your DEFECTIVE BRAKES cause you to have a serious accident....hmmmm.......

~HH

a worthwhile read:

http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/sho...threadid=17195

I agree, rotors should never warp under normal use, given my experiences. My GT-S (1985) has 4 wheel discs, and 192K miles, and I've never had the rotors warp and, in fact, never have had them turned, either. My brakes have remained very solid. Our 1990 Bronco II recently required new rotors, but then again it has over 200 K miles, and does do some mountain duty. I have heard FWD is harder on rotors than RWD, but, my feeling is that the OEM components must be becoming cheaper over time.

Since this thread started, I have changed my driving habits... except for the hard acceleration and cornering :D

I realized it´s actually possible to drive from work, all the way home, and use the brakes ONLY to keep the car from rolling back at stop lights.

I bet I could park infront of my house, and touch the discs/drums with my tongue.

All you have to do, is let go of the gas a little earlier than you used to, and the car will slow down (unless you´re going downhill, of course).

My brakes could last a lifetime driving like that.

Wow, you should have seen how fast I went through rotors and pads on my 98 merc mystique. Theres a car with no engine braking at all. You have to slow this puppy down.

P.S. I must be working my pads too long as I have had rotors changed on all my cars/van. I suck! :( I just purchased a Ford Focus wagon and traded my Voyager. I love the handling, hate the looks. Focus on the Focus and you'll go blind and dumb. But its pretty confortable and I love waranty. :) Anyways, I am scared shi8888S! I have heard that their brakes on the Focus can wear in as little of tiem as 15000miles. (replacement-15000miles :(

Oh well! We should all agree that quality pads are very important in maintaining a smooth ride and prolonging rotor wear!

your rotors, like said should last 2 pad changes... and thats NOT being generous. every pad changing that you have on your car, you are supposed to resurface the rotors each time... and rotors on a protege can only be resurfaced 2 times before they are worn too thin to resurface, so 2 pad changes is the maximum. so, lets say front brake wise, if you figure that 15,000 miles is what a set of pads lasts on a hard, brake happy driver, and 27,000 is about what the easy driver is going to get out of a pair of pads, your rotors are going to be too damn thin after 45,000 miles if you're heavy on the brakes, or all the way up to 90,000 miles if you're an easy driver. though i have yet to hear of an idiot consistantly running 15,000 between front brake changes (i run abou 22,000 between changes)... but if your car has hit 100,000 miles, you definately should get new rotors

Well, just for reference - I have almost 39,000 miles on my brakes, and they are now 75% worn up front. This is according to the shop that did my inspection.

Who says an easy driver should have the pads last 25,000 miles? Looks like I might double that - and with all the driving I do, I make plenty of hard stops, and am not the easiest on my brakes.

~HH