Brake rotors stacking up

Just thought I would share a pic of the rotor pile where we keep our scrap. This is about 2 weeks worth

Gus

Might hurt a little if they got knocked over. LOL

So that's where you and the others take your "breaks" at work?

I'm so Damn old, I was trained to turn both rotors and drums in college automotive technology courses.

This reminds me of the pile of rotors my wife's previous Sebring ate over the years.
Eventually I gave up any reasonable service strategy and experimented with different brands until,
shockingly I finally found one that held up.

So wasteful to just throw the stuff out when there's a slight issue, but no other choice.

autozone brand is pretty good, full 2 year warranty or the coated rotor with a 3 year warranty..as for cutting, that trade is lost..not many know how or even have the machine

At one dealership where I worked, the lot man would make a trip to the local scrap dealer when the piles go too big. The service manager bought us all lunch with the proceeds.

the dealership i work at USED to do this 10+ years ago.
there is a scrap metal dumpster behind the shop now. it usually gets filled up and hauled away every month. the $$$ go to the owners now.
most dealerships and larger repair shops do it this way now.

Reputable shops still service the original rotors and drums VS. jumping on the 'scrap metal' train.

The last two times I had my rotors replaced at my Dodge dealer they WOULD NOT turn them, only replace with new. It seems that ALL the manufacturers recommend the same thing, so what has changed? People complaining too much about warped rotors 6 months after they are turned? Chinese steel sucks so much that they cannot be turned reliably? Cheap wheel bearings failing so they MUST replace them also?

The last time I bought rotors for the Ramcharger I had them mic the new ones since they already had the mic out to check the old ones, they were just a few thousands over the minimum to be turned. IMHO, just the wear from one set of brake pads lifespan will take the rotor under the minimum specification to be turned.

Another reason to go EV as they use regenerative braking LOL

A lot more issues with rotor rot than rotor thickness

It’s less expensive to put on new Chinese rotors.

Its all a big hustle for the people who cant turn a wrench, I average 130-150k miles off oem rotors with simple pad changes and light da scuffing on the rotors then and simply drive like ive got some sense.

I am at 111k miles on the OEM rotors and pads for the work truck.

Got over 90k on the OEM tires.

I have a pair of brake drums off of a 44,000 mile truck. The shoes looked great, but the chassis was going under something else, so the owner wanted new shoes and wheel cylinders. One rear drum had a little warp and created a noise at slow stopping speeds. Took the drum in to get turned, only one of 6 parts stores in town turns drums now. and then only one guy. The drums only have .060 that they can be turned (even new off the shelf), The 1st cut only cut about 1/4 of the drum. The 2nd cut cleaned up about 3/4 of the drum, The 3rd cut cleaned up the entire braking surface, but that cut was not smooth. The guy took one more small cut to try to clean up the surface, after he replaced the cutting tool. It was just slightly better, but I took it home, it was just under specs. The guy did not charge me to turn that drum ($20 normal cost). My cost on a replacement drum was $60 (the local store was cheaper then what was available on line right at the time), but would have had to be ordered. Before Dec I priced out those drums and they were only $42 each then, but the week later the price jumped to $60. The front rotors only have an allowable .060 cut as well, try getting a warp out of a rotor in a .060 cut once, at .060, you would be lucky to get a smooth cut on both sides from a rotor that wasn't warped. By the way, its cheaper these days to buy a rotor kit, (both rotors, and pads), then it is to buy just rotors. You can get the master front brake kit that included calipers and hardware as well as the rotors and pads for less the the calipers and the rotor kits separately.

If the brake noise come back, the customer gets new drums, at whatever they cost then. I spent a couple hours jacking with that drum for a questionable return. Would have been more cost effective to order the new drums before the project started.

Here is why I think manufactures now don't turn brake rotors and brake drums because of liability. I know from having to do brake certification for on-highway motorcycles for a manufacture one of the requirements for NHTSA/FMVSS is that brake fluid reservoirs must maintain or have in them 15% more brake fluid if the brake disc or drum is at the minimum thickness or the drum to its maximum wear limit. Then with the brake pads or shoe material completely gone still the plus 15% remaining fluid in the reservoir. Think about when bleeding your brakes how you have to constantly top off the reservoir as you're doing it. All it takes is one mechanic to over turn a brake disc or drum, a set of well worn brake pads or shoes and someone forgot to top off the reservoir and a claim of brake failure, lawyers and expert witnesses measuring things and someone is going for the deepest pocket. So even the national service shops put the brakes (pun) on turning brake discs and brake drums to avoid any liabilities. You can still find or even buy brake turning machines but you won't find major shops or dealerships that will do them it's the way it has been. You can do it yourself as far as turning the discs but you'll probably find it cheaper and quicker to just buy some good non-China brake discs and drums the next time.

Assuming the originals came from????

Here is what usually happens in our shop. The car is in the lube bay and they notice the brakes are worn under 4 mm. The writer sells the job with rotors because they don't trust the lube guys ability to judge the condition of the rotors. I don't machine a lot of rotors anymore maybe 1 or 2 sets a week. I look at it this way they only pay me 1.8 to machine rotors,replace pads,and service the arbors and pins. The pay me 1.5 to replace the rotors,pads and service the arbors and pins So is it worth it for me to set up the lathe and machine some rusted rotors for 0.3 ?

Gus

The customer has no say in the decision?

That is for the writer / service manager/ and the customer to come up with a plan. The strange part is lately customers have ASKED for new rotors instead of cutting them. The whole Covid deal with people not driving as much they leave their cars sitting out in the driveway for a week or so the rotors don't last long here in the rust belt. If I can get them to clean up in 1 or 2 passes I would rather cut them, but if it takes 3 or 4 passes then it eats into my flat-rate time and I'm loosing money so I can save the customer a few bucks

Gus

Your money is loose? Really?

Wonder how many warped rotors are due to poor installation and bad driving habits? Brake dragging by people who drive with both feet is still a thing.

See all these idiots with nobody behind them who drive all gas right up to the last moment at red lights and stop unnecessarily harder than they need to. I see a light change, or about to change, up the street and if there is nobody behind me I roll off the throttle and coast. Saves on brakes, and if done right sometimes (in rural areas or low traffic times) the light will change again and you don't have to come to a complete stop.

Also see a lot of newer vehicles with excessive brake dust on their wheels. Must be some aggressive brake pads or hard drivers?

Undersized brakes with aggressive pad compound to save a few pounds for CAFE.

Our Public Works has piles like this. I've never asked if they ever turn any and only scrap when they are beyond that.

With nearly 30 years in the business, I can confidently say most guys don't know how to turn rotors. That's where the myth that turning rotors let's them warp came from.

They turn rotors wobbly, you won't notice it at first but eventually the pads try to wear the rotors straight again and the crookedness shows up.
As to Gus' pictures , here in the Salt belt, rotors tend to rust away before getting wrapped. By the time you turn out all the rust pits, the rotors are under spec.

I have my own lathe, I turn my own rotors and drums.

A12 has it. I've noticed with brake shops (Brake Check, etc) have lifetime warranties for their brake jobs but are replacing the whole brake system from firewall back. Coupla years ago, friend took his Chrysler min-van to Midas for brakes. Midas offered the lifetime warranty, so he took it. Replaced the entire brake system, even the master cyl. Lawyers-ugh.

And 10 years ago, the Midas lifetime warranty cost 2x what the original brake repair cost, they actually charged you double up front for that warranty. Read the warranty price quote one time, it will shock you with the stuff they have gotten away with the last 50 or how ever many years they have been doing it..

The last 3 vehicles I've built get the entire brake system replaced, including the master. That last one I didn't replace the master on, the master failed about 2 months later. Why take the chance anymore. The new stuff is of questionable quality right out of the box, who knows what the "last guy" bought, and when it was bought? Cover your butt, the stuff that was new out of the box reduces your liability.