pmf823 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I have an 01 ll bean outback with 125k miles. Had all 4 rotors and pads replaced (not resurfaced) five years ago at 80k miles by local repair shop. Brought into my Subaru dealer 2 years ago for 105k tune-up and they told me all 4 rotors and pads had to be replaced again (not resurfaced), so I had the work done by them figuring my local shop screwed-up. Now I've just been told by someone who put snowtires on my car that the rear two rotors are bad - one might be able to be resurfaced but the other is too "pockmarked" and needs to be replaced. Front rotors are better but not great. What is going on with my brakes??? Haven't driven the car hard - mix of city/highway. Is there some kind of chronic problem with this model's brake system? No way am I going to pay anyone to do any brake work unless they can pinpoint why 4 rotors fail after 25k miles and 1 or 2 again after 20k miles.... I'm going to bring the car back to the same Subaru dealer since I would think they'd have the most experience with this model, but the problem isn't under warranty, and I find that repairmen look for the quickest fix, and don't know how to look deeper for systemic problems, unless you tell them where to look.... So would appreciate anyone's thoughts and advice. Thanks!... and would also appreciate knowing about any great mechanics in Brooklyn, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 The tire guy might be trying to get some extra $$$$ to make up for what he spent on Christmas. About the only way I could conceive that both rears would be bad already is that they're dragging. Which would be due to sticky or locked slide pins, degraded brake hoses, or the parking brake is sticking. That or the last job was done with very poor quality parts, which I would hope a Subaru dealer would not use. But you just never know with dealers these days. Normally the rear rotors will last twice as long as the front rotors, because they don't get as much use. If the rears are worn out already, the front rotors would be shot. If the brakes are/were dragging you would certainly notice it in your fuel mileage, and the rear wheels (one or both) would be very warm after a drive. If there were a problem, I would bet on the slide pins. But like I said, I think your tire guy was trying to come up with some work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Are all these shops ion brooklyn? That would be my 1st worry. Have you looked at these items yourself? What do you see? nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Does the car sit for extended periods without use? "Pockmarked" rotors sound like they have rusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf823 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Thanks for the responses. hankosolder2: Yes, this is a "weekend" car and I use it once per week at most. Otherwise, it's parked outside on the street. Would that really cause the rotors to rust out and be unusable after 20-25k miles? nipper: I don't have any experience with fixing my car. Any suggestions of a good mechanic in the tri-state area would be appreciated! Fairtax4me: I don't think I'm being taken by the tire guy b/c someone else who looked at something else few months back said something similar. I'll pass your suggestions along to the next mechanic to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log1call Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Yup, rust is what came to mind as soon as I read the discription. Parked for long periods... more than about three days can do it in some climates. Parked up with wet brakes. Parked in humid conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf823 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Log1call: So are you saying I just have to bite the bullet and expect to replace the rotors everything 20-25k miles given my driving habits (or lack thereof)? And if so, I don't suppose anyone's come up with stainless steel rotors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Cars are made to be driven. I also suspect that you are not driving the car far enough to clean the rotors and pads of rust before you get to the repair shop. I would however make sure all the sliders are lubed once a year (learn how to do it) as that will help if the car spends alot of time parked. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log1call Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 The rust does happen if the cars sit for a while in damp weather. The disk gets hot and clean when the brakes are used which, if there is a bit of moisture around, is a sure fire recipe for rust. Usualy it is just surface rust and cleans off with a drive. If it sits for too long it will eat into the rotors. Next time you park the car after a drive have a peep in through or behind the wheel and see how clean the disks are, then have a look in before you drive it next and you will probably be surprised how much light rust has appeared. There is really no cure for it but regular use. To try and minimize the damage done to the pads you should apply the brakes gently a few times when you first start driving to clear the rust off. If you don't clock up many miles, and don't use your brakes hard, you can probably just ignore the disk problem and change the brake pads a little more frequently. The rough disks will wear the pads faster but pads are a lot cheaper and easier to change than disks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf823 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Is there no one out there who manufacturers stainless steel brake rotors? This would seem like a possible fix for the problem. Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 that would be a google question, look it up. i saw some hits but know nothing about them. here is what i would do: are the brakes working okay? Frankly i'd just leave the rotors in place, it is not going to affect performance at all. They'll just wear the brake pads through quicker - but big deal, brake pads are easy and cheap to replace and obviously you're hardly putting an miles on it. sounds to me like you're still getting taken though - i let cars sit for long periods of time too because i have way more than i can drive. granted i dont' do it every weak like you're doing but i never have rotor issues. it'd be cheaper to find a place that turns rotors too, i don't even ever want to know how much all this brake work has cost you, that has to be terribly annoying and is certainly a waste. they should at LEAST be able to turn them once, i've taken plenty of rusted rotors sitting in my garage to get turned. i'm lucky the garage across the street from work charges $15 to turn a rotor, find a place that still does that and you might be in better shape. given the cost of sending this thing to get repaired and lack of driving, how about just get rid of the car and establish a relationship with a rental car company for when you want a car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Is there no one out there who manufacturers stainless steel brake rotors? This would seem like a possible fix for the problem. Happy New Year! Because in 99.9% of the cases they are not needed. They are available but at a much higher cost. I dont know if they exist for subarus. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwhistle Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I'm no specialist, but had similar troubles with a different car in the past. Had to replace pads/rotors about 3 times. The reason, as I understand, was a mismatch in parts--cheap, bad quality rotors and pads, semi-metallic pads that killed rotors, etc. Eventually, I found a good mechanic who replaced both rotors and pads with appropriate brand-name parts, and I haven't had any problems with brakes until the car got sold some 6+ years later. I would suggest you simply buy good quality parts, and replace them yourself on a sunny day. It is kinda ghetto, but people in Brooklyn wouldn't mind, and it only takes about 20 mins per wheel if you do your research ahead of time and know all the nuts and bolts you need to loosen. Make sure to get ceramic pads, Akebono is the brand you can't go wrong with. A "premium" brand-name rotor shouldn't be more than $60 a piece, probably less, and I know many come pre-machined, so all you got to do is slap them on. I'm looking to replace my front rotors/pads with Centic brand parts, and it comes out to $125 including shipping from rockauto.com I have an 01 ll bean outback with 125k miles. Had all 4 rotors and pads replaced (not resurfaced) five years ago at 80k miles by local repair shop. Brought into my Subaru dealer 2 years ago for 105k tune-up and they told me all 4 rotors and pads had to be replaced again (not resurfaced), so I had the work done by them figuring my local shop screwed-up. Now I've just been told by someone who put snowtires on my car that the rear two rotors are bad - one might be able to be resurfaced but the other is too "pockmarked" and needs to be replaced. Front rotors are better but not great. What is going on with my brakes??? Haven't driven the car hard - mix of city/highway. Is there some kind of chronic problem with this model's brake system? No way am I going to pay anyone to do any brake work unless they can pinpoint why 4 rotors fail after 25k miles and 1 or 2 again after 20k miles.... I'm going to bring the car back to the same Subaru dealer since I would think they'd have the most experience with this model, but the problem isn't under warranty, and I find that repairmen look for the quickest fix, and don't know how to look deeper for systemic problems, unless you tell them where to look.... So would appreciate anyone's thoughts and advice. Thanks!... and would also appreciate knowing about any great mechanics in Brooklyn, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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