Rusted brake rotors

Coqui258

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Contributor
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2003 Black Mica Protege5
Hey guys... when I bought my black 03 P5 in March, i noticed that the rotors were all rusty, but not just the part where the brakes meet, but also the part that the wheels meet. It's very noticeable since our stock rims have large openings, but the dealer said it was because the car sat for a couple of months at another dealer.

Now it might be getting a lil worse, and when I come out to the car in the morning, the whole rotor is rusted until I drive the car.

Should I b**** and complain to the dealer to give me new rotors? It's very unpleasant to look at and sucks ass. Do your rotors rust up too, or is it just me? What do you guys and gals think?

BTW, the car has less then 6k miles on it too.
 
I'm glad you started a thread on this. I just called Mazda Service, and they said that there isn't any recalls on rusty rotors.
 
So what does that mean for me? I should have made them change the rotors before I bought the car. Now that I see the rust all over my rotors, I get mad cause it looks like crap. I'm gonna go out and take a picture now to show you all what they look like. It won't be a good pic, cause it's from my cell phone camera.
 
There is a old Service bulletin on this it is in the Protege FAQ. If you would use the search button this has been posted like a million times. Service bulletins are just away of not recalling a product but finding a way fix the condition to make it satisfactory. Your Mazda dealer should be able to pull these service bulletins. If you want you can go to the Protege FAQ pull the number and Stuff it in your dealers face. A while back most dealers were just applying silver paint so as to act as a rust inhibitior.
 
Pics of rotors

Here are some low quality pics that I took from my cell phone camera... I read in the Protege FAQ and saw about the rotors being rusted there, so does that mean I just go into the dealer and tell them to fix it right?

brake1.jpg

back rotor

brake3.jpg

back again

brake2.jpg

front rotor
 
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with regards to the TSB (technical service bulletin), that thread says the "warranty" for repairing the rotors is only good for 12,000 mi or 12 months. it seems to me that it shouldn't be a time factor...unless the metal wears down over that time in which case, it should be covered under warranty. i've got a 02 P5 and my rotors are pretty badly rusted...but i've had it for over a year and much over 12,000 mi. i'm gonna look into this.
 
Yeah, you definitely should. I guess I'm "lucky" because my car has less then 6k on it. Can I go into any Mazda dealer or do I have to go to the one that I bought it from? And, how long do they usually take to work on the car?
 
my entire wheel rusted in one day i left it out in the sun...along with all 4 rotors , yes my racing harts are red
 
Good luck on getting the dealerships to do something about it. If you're lucky they'll take care of you. I've complained to my dealership where I bought it but they did didley squat, those bastards. There is a tsb (technical service bulletin) on it but you'd be better off just painting it yourself.

do a search on like "rotor" "rust" "hub" "tsb" and there's many threads on it. some guys have done a really nice job of painting the rotor hubs themselves, and if you do it yourself you get to paint it a nice color of your choosing.
 
So you're saying that if I take it into Mazda, they will paint them, or replace the whole rotor? If they only paint them, I might just paint them myself, but if they replace them, i will definitely take them in.
 
Coqui258 said:
So you're saying that if I take it into Mazda, they will paint them, or replace the whole rotor? If they only paint them, I might just paint them myself, but if they replace them, i will definitely take them in.
1. Remove rust from hub(s) by sanding.
2. Clean/prep hub surface for primer.
3. Mask off brake rotor area.
4. Apply primer around entire hub area.
5. Once primer dries, apply a heat type silver paint to the affected area to repair the vehicle.

Note: Replace the hub(s) if the affected area cannot be repaired enough to satisfy the customer.



I doubt that they would ever get to a point where they would admit to you needing a replacement - unless it's rusting through or something.
 
Well it looks like crap... either they repaint it nicely or I'll have to force them to give me new rotors! (I sound all tough, don't I :D) I would like to paint them myself, but i don't know yet... new rotors sounds better!
 
I got slotted rotors for mine and they are all ready have rust resistant coating on them. Contact me if you're looking for some relatively inexpensive replacements that won't give you that kind of problem.

Rishie
 
Good looking out! I'm just still deciding if I'm gonna give my lil Mazda dealer a call tomorrow to see if they can paint them. Never had to get anything done from them, so I'm hesitant to see.
 
Like I wrote before, good luck!! But don't be disappointed if they treat like you dirt. Rather, expect to be treated that way so you will be pleasantly surprised if they say, "Yeah, let's paint it up a nice silver for you".

If they don't do it for you, paint it yourself. It's not that hard. Just take the rust off with a sander and then brush away! Have fun!
 
Yeah, I painted my calipers, so I'm pretty sure this will be WAY easier. My dealer was really nice, so let's see how they are in a situation like this! The reason why they MIGHT do it is because I'm taking the car in for a pulsation when I brake, so I can tell them about the rust too while I'm there. How long is service gonna take? If more then a day, I get a loaner right?
 
A loaner car might be pushing it - that would be for like "real" warranty issues but you never know. They might make you wait for while they do it, I have no idea how long it takes - the paints gotta dry you know? If they do all this stuff for you then your dealership is really good.
 
i complained to the dealership. showed them the service bulletin. they called in the local mazda rep. told me the bulletin had no official status and told me to get lost.
 
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