[yticolev]

Given the cost of German auto parts, it would be crazy to have Korean auto parts cost more.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I think the parts cost is also affected by the market, high volume cars will have lower parts costs, but there are many factors that could affect the price, the design of the rotor and cost to manufacture.

Also realize that different companies have different profit models for replacement parts.

Greg

 

[bradmorgan1]

By the way the pads and rotors should last at least 150k. mi. unless your really hard on your brakes.

I'm not a mechanic but 150K on pads or rotors is unlikely here in Vermont where they salt the roads in winter. BTW my Niro PHEV will cross 10k this weekend. Zero problems. Consistant 45+mpg in hybrid mode on long trip, reserving battery. 60+ when charged up and then depleting battery and using occasional gas.

 

[Jim Collins]

I took my 2018 Niro Hybrid in to the Dealer for normal maintenance at approximately 34K. They called and stated the brake pads on all 4 wheels were fine but the rotors needed replaced on the rear. Has anyone had this problem? Is this a known defect on these vehicles. Normally I would not expect to replace rotors until 50-80K miles.

Take it to any reputable brake shop, and have them do an inspection , usually free, if you live in the snow belt, that amount or rust can be expected, my Niro is a 2017 with only 21,000 miles on it and has no visible rust, and I live in Florida.

 

[Techy]

I'm not a mechanic but 150K on pads or rotors is unlikely here in Vermont where they salt the roads in winter. BTW my Niro PHEV will cross 10k this weekend. Zero problems. Consistant 45+mpg in hybrid mode on long trip, reserving battery. 60+ when charged up and then depleting battery and using occasional gas.

I am a (retired) mechanic and while I agree with your assertion for most cars, the regenerative braking could quite possibly allow for 150K on brake pads even with the salt on the roads. Too much salt in my area and what I am seeing with my Niro is the rusting of the rotors due to brake inaction and salt corrosion. I will not keep my Niro long enough to see test the life of the brake pads.

 

[FlNiro]

I'm not a mechanic but 150K on pads or rotors is unlikely here in Vermont where they salt the roads in winter. BTW my Niro PHEV will cross 10k this weekend. Zero problems. Consistant 45+mpg in hybrid mode on long trip, reserving battery. 60+ when charged up and then depleting battery and using occasional gas.

We lived in the Pocono's until 2015, where my last Prius lived most of it's life. Went to 166k. mi. on the original brakes. The last inspection in Pa. was about at 155k. mi. and the mechanic said it had 3mm. left. He said on a normal car you should think about doing the brakes then but the Prius should go another 10-15k. mi. It did.

 

[Paulksam]

I took my 2018 Niro Hybrid in to the Dealer for normal maintenance at approximately 34K. They called and stated the brake pads on all 4 wheels were fine but the rotors needed replaced on the rear. Has anyone had this problem? Is this a known defect on these vehicles. Normally I would not expect to replace rotors until 50-80K miles.

In 50 years as a shade tree mechanic I've NEVER heard of having to replace rotors before pads.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Ahh... I agree, but the dealerships here often want new rotors whenever you replace pads... total BS... even a few grooves in the disk make no nevermind... it's a common ploy, as is replacing pads too early.

Greg

 

[Techy]

Ahh... I agree, but the dealerships here often want new rotors whenever you replace pads... total BS... even a few grooves in the disk make no nevermind... it's a common ploy, as is replacing pads too early.

Greg

I agree rotors should not be replaced before pads and changing rotors without new pads is like taking a shower and then putting your old filthy clothes back on. I also agree that pads & rotors are often replaced before necessary.
But I fully support either replacing or machining rotors (industry standard) when replacing pads because the friction surface must be smooth initially - not grooved and uneven thickness. Of course, as has been mentioned in previous posts, replacing often is no more expensive than machining and much easier & quicker to perform, therefore the tendency to replace with new...keep the dealer profitable!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Actually, while it's clear that bedding new pads would work best on a smooth surfact, why could you not bed new pads on a surface that was thinner in one place?

Clearly the danger of glazing the surfaces is greater, with the lesser contact area initially, and bedding will take longer, but given that caveat, why can't you?

It's clear that before replacing, the surface and thickness of a rotor may not be perfect, but your brakes still work!

Again, I'm objecting to "must be smooth initially", where I would put "optimally to be smooth and even thickness initially".

Greg

 

[atc98092]

You're dealing with a very important safety feature on your car. I don't think it's worth saving a few bucks by not resurfacing or replacing the rotors when the pads are replaced.

 

[Techy]

You're dealing with a very important safety feature on your car. I don't think it's worth saving a few bucks by not resurfacing or replacing the rotors when the pads are replaced.

Exactly!!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

So it follows: at what point of scoring or wear from "flat to tapered" should you resurface the rotors irrespective of the pads?

I get you want a nice surface for new pads, but how is bedding a new pad to a slightly tapered surface DIFFERENT from just before replacing the pads? That is, are you in danger driving with a disk with taper? Not perfectly smooth?

I hope you see what I am driving at, clearly there must be criteria for the components in place to be attended to, not merely pad thickness.

Greg

 

[Techy]

So it follows: at what point of scoring or wear from "flat to tapered" should you resurface the rotors irrespective of the pads?

I get you want a nice surface for new pads, but how is bedding a new pad to a slightly tapered surface DIFFERENT from just before replacing the pads? That is, are you in danger driving with a disk with taper? Not perfectly smooth?

I hope you see what I am driving at, clearly there must be criteria for the components in place to be attended to, not merely pad thickness.

Greg

Not sure why anyone would resurface rotors irrespective of pads??
There are certainly criteria in place and for rotors, it is basically thickness must be above min spec. Small grooves and some rust are not necessarily an issue but...
If you want to replace pads without doing anything with rotors, that is your option but only if you are doing the work yourself
If you take it to a reputable repair shop, they will not simply replace pads without machining or replacing rotors as they have a liability issue overshadowing incorrect procedures.
If you personally replace someone's brake pads without rotor machining or replacement then the liability could become your problem

 

[atc98092]

So it follows: at what point of scoring or wear from "flat to tapered" should you resurface the rotors irrespective of the pads?

I get you want a nice surface for new pads, but how is bedding a new pad to a slightly tapered surface DIFFERENT from just before replacing the pads? That is, are you in danger driving with a disk with taper? Not perfectly smooth?

I hope you see what I am driving at, clearly there must be criteria for the components in place to be attended to, not merely pad thickness.

Greg

I don't believe a new pad will fully "bed" onto a rotor that is not perfectly smooth. Initially it will only contact a portion of the rotor, eventually wearing to the point that the pad finally contacts the entire surface. But until that happens you've lost some percentage of braking power, potentially a safety issue. Even when that point is reached, you have a brake pad that has a different thickness on one side compared to the other, which might impact heat dissipation, which might impact brake performance.

My rule of thumb was to resurface/replace a rotor if there's any groove or scoring that I can catch a fingernail in, and even then it would have to be something really minor for me to let it pass. I also find out what a new rotor/brake drum costs, and compare that to the machine shop cost to resurface it. If I don't save at least half the cost, I go new. Today, I make enough money that I don't even consider anything but a new rotor/drum. Braking systems are life-critical on a vehicle, and not a place to pinch a few pennies.

 

[atc98092]

Not sure why anyone would resurface rotors irrespective of pads??
There are certainly criteria in place and for rotors, it is basically thickness must be above min spec. Small grooves and some rust are not necessarily an issue but...
If you want to replace pads without doing anything with rotors, that is your option but only if you are doing the work yourself
If you take it to a reputable repair shop, they will not simply replace pads without machining or replacing rotors as they have a liability issue overshadowing incorrect procedures.
If you personally replace someone's brake pads without rotor machining or replacement then the liability could become your problem

I would never replace the rotor or drum without also changing the pads/shoes. Whatever reason there is for replacing the rotor would assuredly have impacted the pads as well. Not worth messing with. If my family is going to be in that vehicle, I replace everything.

 

[Techy]

I don't believe a new pad will fully "bed" onto a rotor that is not perfectly smooth. Initially it will only contact a portion of the rotor, eventually wearing to the point that the pad finally contacts the entire surface. But until that happens you've lost some percentage of braking power, potentially a safety issue. Even when that point is reached, you have a brake pad that has a different thickness on one side compared to the other, which might impact heat dissipation, which might impact brake performance.

My rule of thumb was to resurface/replace a rotor if there's any groove or scoring that I can catch a fingernail in, and even then it would have to be something really minor for me to let it pass. I also find out what a new rotor/brake drum costs, and compare that to the machine shop cost to resurface it. If I don't save at least half the cost, I go new. Today, I make enough money that I don't even consider anything but a new rotor/drum. Braking systems are life-critical on a vehicle, and not a place to pinch a few pennies.

I fully agree

 

[Techy]

I would never replace the rotor or drum without also changing the pads/shoes. Whatever reason there is for replacing the rotor would assuredly have impacted the pads as well. Not worth messing with. If my family is going to be in that vehicle, I replace everything.

I fully agree again.
When I was doing my apprenticeship in the 70's, at a small repair shop, we rebuilt all calipers and wheel cylinders when doing brakes. That also included machining every drum & rotor along with pad and shoe replacement. I personally did not support the rebuilding of wheel cylinders and calipers but that was not my decision to make...I must admit, our brake jobs were well done

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes, you answered the question:

Your first sentence is wrong, but you correct it later with: "eventually wearing to the point that the pad finally contacts the entire surface"

That is what I was driving at.... yes of course until ANY pad has not fully bedded, you don't have the full braking power, new rotor, surfaced rotor, or old rotor.

Also different thickness on one side does not hold water at all, they never wear evenly side to side, especially with disks with a single piston.

I don't want to argue, and I rarely do not replace the rotor (resurfacing rotors is pretty much gone in the US since there is very little extra "meat" on calipers as opposed to years past)

My point was, while not a great practice, you can bed new pads to a non-resurfaced rotor, and the front brakes bed pretty darn quickly in "normal cars".

With regenerative braking, and the much longer life of brakes, when/if I need new pads, new rotors will be purchased.

Greg

ATC's post:
I don't believe a new pad will fully "bed" onto a rotor that is not perfectly smooth. Initially it will only contact a portion of the rotor, eventually wearing to the point that the pad finally contacts the entire surface. But until that happens you've lost some percentage of braking power, potentially a safety issue. Even when that point is reached, you have a brake pad that has a different thickness on one side compared to the other, which might impact heat dissipation, which might impact brake performance.