jbbancroft Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hello, Just had the dealer check my brakes. I had intermitant grinding. I have 35000 miles on car and it just went off warrantee in October. Dealer quoted a price of somewhere over $300.00, to replace both front rotors and pads. I didn't have them do it, I figured I could do it myself. I checked with local parts stores. They list brake pads but no rotors. I'm wondering, is this a dealer item only, or are they available somewhere else? Dealer price is $79.00 each. Also kind of strange the rotors failed with only this many miles? Thanks for any assistance, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb21 Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Does sound like an unusually low mileage for this to happen, I have about 30k on my outback and it's got about half the pad left. I guess it's possible that if the pad cracked off you could be hitting the backing plate on one side. If you're hearing a grinding I'd check the surface of the rotors, see if there are any deep grooves, else I would think you could have them re-surfaced (if they haven't been already). You might also want to check to make sure the grinding isn't else where, like a torn CV boot causing the joint to get upset. In either MY2001 or MY2002 they increased the size of the front rotor to deal with the extra weight of the new design, can't remember which, but make sure it's the bigger size. I've seen this site mentioned on these forums as a pretty good place for parts, http://www.1stsubaruparts.com/ . Hope this helps. --Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbbancroft Posted November 30, 2003 Author Share Posted November 30, 2003 Nick, thanks for the reply and that parts site. I bought this car used, in June, with 20,000 mi.. I took it to the Subaru dealer in July or early August, because of brake grinding. They resurfaced the front rotors at that time. They said I had 60% wear left on the brakes . After that I still had intermittant grinding, maybe once every 2-3 weeks and then it would only last for about 15 minutes and go away. Anyway a couple days ago I took it back to the same dealer to have the grinding checked out. This was the diagnosis taken off the work order they gave me. " 35695 FRT BRAKE JOB NEEDED LEFT INBOARD PAD SHOT, RIGHT ROTOR .887 L IS .920, WILL NEED RIGHT ROTOR REPLACED". The warrantee expired on Oct 21, 2003. I told the service guy I would probably do the job myself as I think it was near $400.00 with parts and labor. He also said, they alway replace both rotors and all pads on the front when they do this job. I hope they diagnosis this right, being a Subaru shop, I would think they know what they are talking about. Thanks, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 sounds like one of the 4 pads up front went funky somehow. Check the caliper to make sure the piston is moving freely, and that all of the shims are where they are supposed to be...especially the metal clips. Yeah, they will have to replace everything. Since they already turned the rotors once, you shouldnt do it again. Just replace the pads and rotors...very easy job to do yourself Good luck! Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbbancroft Posted November 30, 2003 Author Share Posted November 30, 2003 Thanks Kevin, Guess I'll have to get the rotors from Subaru dealer, looks like the only place that has them. I'll get the parts and tackle this myself. Thanks for the info. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 In 2001 the Outback got the bigger rotors, the 2000 model's were way to small. The 2000 had the same brakes as the 99 model, but gained 350lbs in weight. Brakes are not warrantied anyways (I think 1yr/12,000 miles only) as they are a wear and tear item. In Canada replacement rotors are about $60 and pads are about $55. The parts I get are aftermarket, but curiously look to be 100% identical to Subaru OEM parts. Rotors will usually last a lot longer than just 36,000 miles. They usually go for 100,000 + (I got over 250,000 miles out of mine and they never warped or required turning). I also get better than 70,000 miles on my front pads and well over 100,00 miles on my rear pads. I do have a manual transmission which is a lot easier on the brakes, and I do mostly highway miles though. If you allow the brake pads to totally wear out, it will score and destroy the rotor which is what sounds like happened to you. If the brakes start grinding or squealling, it is a "fix it yesterday" condition, driving even a little with this condition destroys the rotors, and turns a simple inexpensive brake pad job into a more expensive one. Ideally you should check the brake pads everytime you rotate tires(every 6,000 miles), and note the pad wear. You can see the pads though a hole in the caliper when the wheel is off. If you note accelerated or eneven pad wear, deal with it promptly. Slightly uneven pad wear on the inner and outer pads is normal, but yours sounds excessive, so I would check the caliper sliders to insure that they are not stuck. The inner (piston side) brake pads always wear a little faster if the brakes are correctly functioning. Check the new pad wear in 5,000 miles (take the wheel off and look through the caliper) and see if the new pads are wearing evenly, if not get the caliper/sliders fixed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb21 Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I had some warped rotors that the dealer took care of under the 3/36, not sure if that's always the case.. Is there a better aftermarket replacement for the stock rotors? Nothing crazy like like slotted or X-drilled, but I've noticed mine start to rust/corrode very easily, the car only has to sit a day or two for it to be visibly noticeable (and you hear it the first two or three times you brake ). So i'm guessing it's just a combo of my climate and the rotor material... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Originally posted by nickb21 I had some warped rotors that the dealer took care of under the 3/36, not sure if that's always the case.. Is there a better aftermarket replacement for the stock rotors? Nothing crazy like like slotted or X-drilled, but I've noticed mine start to rust/corrode very easily, the car only has to sit a day or two for it to be visibly noticeable (and you hear it the first two or three times you brake ). So i'm guessing it's just a combo of my climate and the rotor material... All rotors will rust easily...... Everytime you apply the brakes you put small scratches in the rotors, and you also end up with some rotor and pad dust deposits containing iron. The iron dust and the scratched rotor surface will rust very quickly, especially in wet climates. I see rust on my rotors within 3 hours of washing my car. It is not an issue..... or not an issue that can be solved by anything but switching to not metalic rotors and pads. You will note the amount of rust on the rotors after two days is about the same amount of rust after ten days. The fine coating of rust quickly develops but also acts as a barrier slowing further rusting. One or two brake applications will scrape the rotors clean. I find the Subaru rotors to be excellent, as I have only replaced two of them in over 700,000 km of driving Subaru's. So I can't really recommend anything else.... Other's find that Subaru rotors suck, were they unlucky to get bad ones, or is it their driving habits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb21 Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Definitley not complaining, just nit-picking. It struck me odd that none of my other cars showed that amount of rust. The brakes have done their job thus far, I don't see any problems in that area, I'm pretty easy on 'em anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Robot Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 As the recent purchaser of an '01 Outback I'm curious about brake issues as well... Any ceramic brake pads available for this vehicle? I put them on my '00 Honda Odyssey a few months back and so far so good- very little brake dust on the rims. Slightly more expensive, but worth it IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 jbbancroft, http://www.rockauto.com has a variety of rotors for 2001 Outbacks. You may find one suitable for your car. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intrigueing Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Lex - Or anyone else - Ever use rockauto.com? Recommended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I've used RockAuto twice, with good results both times. The first time I bought two brake calipers for an older Honda. The price was half that of other sources on the web that I checked. The shipping time was short and the return of the cores went as RockAuto promised. The next purchase was simpler, involving only brake pads. It also was problem-free. I will use RockAuto again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 If you are serious about brake performance then slotted rotors are the only thing. Drilled rotors reduce fade when the pads are hot, but lacking the slots means that they cannot rejuvenate the pad surface properly. Only drawback with slots is reduced pad life, mine last 30k miles of mixed city/rural/highway driving. Mintex OE-replacement pads. I will be happy explain why this is my belief if anyone doubts me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remarcable Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I have a set of nice formerly-cadmium-plated slotted rotors which look really cool. The slots do help keep fresh pad material on the surface and prevent glazing, which is a problem I had with the 99 outback's factory brake setup. I'm also using a set of KVR semi-kevlar pads in the front and stock brakes in the rear. My rear pads have lasted 56k miles so far and still have some life yet. I've also found to my delight that mud and grit from offroad adventures get cleaned off the rotor and pad area much faster, along with water. Avoid cross-drilled unless you pay more than a few month's rent for them, but slotted rotors do have function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarunation 713 Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Another good place for decent brake parts is http://www.tirerack.com They have the best prices on pads and rotors for my particular car (96 OBW) than any other place I tried. They also have ceramic pads available. my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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