I'm going to be working on a friend's car this coming weekend.

 

Is there anything special about the O2 sensor or where to get it from? Her regular mechanic is having trouble sourcing it and they send him the wrong one.

 

Is there any remedy for regularly warping rotors? She drives up and down the mountain every day. Better quality/slotted/...?

You can try a generic O2 sensor from www.oxygensensors.com or get one from a subaru dealership. You may want to try www.1stsubaru.com or www.subaruparts.com for discounted prices.

 

As for the rotor issue, the rotor's aren't "warping" per say.

 

Check out this article

http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm

 

I've also got a write-up about cross-drilled/slotted rotors.

 

Personally, I would say the issue is the type of pads that are on there. They are lower end or lower temp pads, and when used heavily on mtn roads, they can overheat and leave pad deposits, which can cause brake shudder.

 

First thing I'd do is clean the rotors with some emry cloth or sand paper to get rid of the pad deposits. See if that helps, if it does, and the issue comes back, you may want to look into more performance oriented pads with a higher temp range.

She was getting the rotors turned every three months but she was able to go four months since the last change presumably because she used ceramic pads.

 

Any ideas?

If the rotors were turned that many times, they are most likely down to the minimum thickness. Get some replacements and us some quality pads that do NOT have lifetime replacement on them. The hard pads can cause problems.

OK, I'll replace the pads and rotors together. Some suggestions on parts?

 

I don't want to pay for top-tier but considering the application 7-8 out of 10 seems reasonable.

Thanks.

Doesn't she use the lower gears to keep the speed down the hills at a slower pace?

I had been advised many years ago to avoid using automatic transmissions for deceleration because it wears the transmission and brakes are easier and cheaper to fix.

 

No?