Honestly this is the first car we HAVEN'T warped the rotors on. We're at 25xxx miles and they're in excellent condition. We had a 2002 Focus we warped the rotors on every 4500 miles or less. Ford actually gave us half the purchase price of the car back in exchange for leaving them alone. (lemon-law'd it). We see quite a bit of mountain driving around here, and it's been across the country once.
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2012 brake rotors 'warped' at 16K miles
- Thread starter microvan
- Start date
Honestly this is the first car we HAVEN'T warped the rotors on. We're at 25xxx miles and they're in excellent condition. We had a 2002 Focus we warped the rotors on every 4500 miles or less. Ford actually gave us half the purchase price of the car back in exchange for leaving them alone. (lemon-law'd it). We see quite a bit of mountain driving around here, and it's been across the country once.
I totally get replacing warped rotors if it can be done under warranty, but having to do it every 4-5K miles would suggest that there is something wrong with the replacement rotors, multiple times. After having to replace them twice, I'd spring for what you know are quality rotors and pads (Centric or Stoptech) that are sure to be a step up from OEM just to avoid the hassle of dealing with dealership/warranty. I'm glad that your Mazda5 rotors are holding up well at 25K miles. Last summer I replaced the original rotors and pads on our 2008 Mazda5, which had 65K miles, with Centric Premium rotors and ceramic pads. Those brakes are much better and feel much nicer, easier to modulate than the OEM units on my 2012 Mazda5 with 18K miles.
Honestly this is the first car we HAVEN'T warped the rotors on. We're at 25xxx miles and they're in excellent condition. We had a 2002 Focus we warped the rotors on every 4500 miles or less. Ford actually gave us half the purchase price of the car back in exchange for leaving them alone. (lemon-law'd it). We see quite a bit of mountain driving around here, and it's been across the country once.
Dunno, I have about 35km on the car (not miles), rotors and brakes are solid, not a single complaint.
Don't have any issues with brakes but we don't have many hills where I normally drive, so I don't really work them out like some people that live around steep hills.
Don't have any issues with brakes but we don't have many hills where I normally drive, so I don't really work them out like some people that live around steep hills.
markuszoom5
Member
- :
- Mazda 5 Sport
sorry to hear that
My rotors were warped @ 11,000 miles, but because the car was over a year old, they would not machine them for free at first and wanted $200. The pulsation was ridiculous. It was worse then a 1998 Kia Sephia. I bitched and they did it for free after approval from mazda. Then at 40k I had to put on new rotors and pads, and I got genuine OEM mazda crap because it I got a deal. I now have 43000 miles so we will see what happens. i plan to go b**** at them and request machining if before I put on 12k or 12 months is over if they start even the lightest pulsation.
Searching the archives, there doesn't appear to be an overwhelming occurrence of 'warped' rotors on the latest generation 5. However, at 16K miles I've got the brake rotor shimmy.
What has been the track record on rotors of other 2012+ owners? Anyone have them machined this early? I'm thinking I might just buy a quality aftermarket kit and have my shop install it rather than waste money machining garbage rotors.
My rotors were warped @ 11,000 miles, but because the car was over a year old, they would not machine them for free at first and wanted $200. The pulsation was ridiculous. It was worse then a 1998 Kia Sephia. I bitched and they did it for free after approval from mazda. Then at 40k I had to put on new rotors and pads, and I got genuine OEM mazda crap because it I got a deal. I now have 43000 miles so we will see what happens. i plan to go b**** at them and request machining if before I put on 12k or 12 months is over if they start even the lightest pulsation.
I been having same problem on 2010 model with 47k miles. Its been progressively getting worse in the last 12k miles. So today I sand both front rotors using 320 grit sand paper and re lube the caliper pin.
I do not like the design of the caliper pin. They are not well protected and would easily get siezed. This thing would need maintenance yearly for sure. You would need 7mm allen wrench too. No normal allen wrench set came with 7mm wrench. Got to take break from the job and went to Lowes to get 7mm allen socket.
The vibration are completely gone when I took a test drive and re bed the pads. I highly recommend sanding the rotor to clean any uneven pad deposit and relubing the caliper pin frequently.
Hallelujah! Someone finally sanded the rotors and came back to confirm no pulsation and obviously no warped rotors. Nice work. It's the cheap pads leaving junk on the rotors, not the rotors themselves warping.
To the guy talking about his Focus with "warped" rotors, Ford is horrible about using cheap pads. I had an '09 Focus that needed the rotors sanded right off the lot. Problem solved.
Hallelujah! Someone finally sanded the rotors and came back to confirm no pulsation and obviously no warped rotors. Nice work. It's the cheap pads leaving junk on the rotors, not the rotors themselves warping.
To the guy talking about his Focus with "warped" rotors, Ford is horrible about using cheap pads. I had an '09 Focus that needed the rotors sanded right off the lot. Problem solved.
Okay, I regret putting "warped" in the thread title, but in my defense I used quotation marks because I understood most "warping" is pad deposits, but I also understand that most people refer to it as "warping". So there.
At any rate, I plan to sand the rotors down with some garnet paper soon, now that the weather is warming. I think I'll put some Akebono pads on. The braking on the 5 with the OEM pads/rotors is awful, especially at high speeds. It's been downright scary a few times I've had to make panic stops at highway speeds.
Well, I finally got around to sanding the front rotors and replacing the FoMoCo pads with Akebono Euro Ceramics (EUR1095). Only about 20 miles driven on so far, including some highway, but the brake pulsation appears to be solved currently. I couldn't get the rotors off without attempting destructive methods, so I was worried my efforts at sanding may be insufficient. I used a block sander and 100 aluminum oxide grit paper (I had read elsewhere to use garnet paper, but I couldn't find any). Hopefully it did the job properly.
Picking up some stuff for the job, I was at an AutoZone and mentioned my plan to sand the rotors to the manager there. He scoffed at me, asking where I'd heard such an absurd idea as sanding pad deposits vs. turning warped rotors. He dropped his "ASE Certified" credentials on me and asked if I'd trust his opinion or the opinion of some "internet loser in his Mom's basement who plays World of Warcraft all day?" Should I go back and tell him it worked like a charm?
Picking up some stuff for the job, I was at an AutoZone and mentioned my plan to sand the rotors to the manager there. He scoffed at me, asking where I'd heard such an absurd idea as sanding pad deposits vs. turning warped rotors. He dropped his "ASE Certified" credentials on me and asked if I'd trust his opinion or the opinion of some "internet loser in his Mom's basement who plays World of Warcraft all day?" Should I go back and tell him it worked like a charm?
Well, that didn't take long. 400 mile round trip this weekend, and the brake judder is back. It's actually vastly improved at speeds under 60 mph, but at or over that speed, it's worse now! It's possible I didn't sand the rotors well enough. My next step may be to take it to a shop to get the rotors turned. Or replace the rotors with something quality and aftermarket.
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- 2015 Soul Red 6 Sport Auto 2016 Accord EX Auto
I dunno if this was mentioned before but your lugnuts need to be torqued properly. This can cause issues with brake judder as well. We are at 49k miles and have brake judder at highway speeds too. On the fence about resurfacing or new rotors.
I dunno if this was mentioned before but your lugnuts need to be torqued properly. This can cause issues with brake judder as well. We are at 49k miles and have brake judder at highway speeds too. On the fence about resurfacing or new rotors.
85 ft/lbs per lugnut with a torque wrench. I'm living with the brake judder. It's less pronounced now, but will reappear frequently when the brakes heat up. Maybe a rotor or two is warped.
The Akebono pads grab a little better than OEM, but I still believe the braking power is marginal for the weight of the vehicle. A caliper upgrade is definitely the way to go if you want increased brake performance.
UPDATE: Bought a full set of Raybestos AT rotors for the front and rear. It was cheaper than my local shop would charge to turn all four rotors + labor. Installed the fronts and the brake judder is gone...for now. Hopefully the Akebono pads and Raybestos rotors will keep things smoother for longer than OEM did.
The steering wheel vibration is all but eliminated. It's possible the tires wore themselves even, or the warmer summer temps prevented flat spotting. I'll have to see if it returns with the colder weather.
Oh, and the old rotors came off fairly easily with a rubber mallet. If I was more confident they would come off this easily, I may have tried sanding them more aggressively instead of buying new rotors. But I was scared by some of the posts here showing destructive removal of stuck rotors!
The steering wheel vibration is all but eliminated. It's possible the tires wore themselves even, or the warmer summer temps prevented flat spotting. I'll have to see if it returns with the colder weather.
Oh, and the old rotors came off fairly easily with a rubber mallet. If I was more confident they would come off this easily, I may have tried sanding them more aggressively instead of buying new rotors. But I was scared by some of the posts here showing destructive removal of stuck rotors!
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Installed the rear rotors yesterday. I've been hearing a clicking/clunking sound the past ~1000 miles or so (about 4000 miles on the Akebono pads). I was hoping the rotor change and some cleaning of the calipers might do the trick, but no dice.
Upon doing some research, it seems others have had this problem with Akebono pads, and it usually occurs when changing directions (e.g. reverse out of parking space, brake, pull forward, brake, clunk). Sounds like the pads might be shifting in the calipers.
I'll probably bring it in to my local shop for a professional second opinion. So much for my cost saving theory!
Upon doing some research, it seems others have had this problem with Akebono pads, and it usually occurs when changing directions (e.g. reverse out of parking space, brake, pull forward, brake, clunk). Sounds like the pads might be shifting in the calipers.
I'll probably bring it in to my local shop for a professional second opinion. So much for my cost saving theory!
A couple of weeks back, I took off the front rotors and got them sanded down using the methods mentioned and with a lot of elbow grease. The OEM pads still had over 50% life in them so I reused them. The judder was 80% gone on the test drive after but a few drives later it got worse and then back to the state where they were at. It was worth a shot.
So yesterday I removed the front rotors again and took them to O'Reilly's Auto Parts to get them resurfaced ($20). After they finished, I noticed the OEM pad deposits were still on the face of the rotors--just not as dark. They assured me that how it still looks isn't going to be an issue. So I reinstalled them with a set of new Wearever Platinum brake pads ($40 from Advance Auto with an online coupon). Now the car brakes so smoothly! at 60 MPH. at 30 MPH to 0 MPH. No more judder! I have since put on 200 miles on them running errands around town and the car still brakes really still smooth and don't squeak at all.
I made sure to do the following:
- cleaned and greased up the caliper pins with hi-temp caliper grease. I also put on a thin layer of this stuff behind the brake pads.
- loosened the brake fluid reservoir cap and then slowly squeezed back each caliper piston with a big c-clamp to make room for the new pads. Remembered to tighten up the cap right after too.
- smeared a super thin layer of anti-seize between the rotor and hub & another layer between the rotor and the wheel as a means to prevent stuck rotors in 3-4 years when they need a replacement.
- used the new caliper clips provided in with the brake pads and made sure it was latched on tight.
- torqued the wheel bolts to 80 ft/lbs in the proper star pattern.
- drove out and bedded the new brake pads in by driving up to 45 MPH and braking hard a few times but made sure not to sit at a complete stop while they're still hot.
Good luck!
So yesterday I removed the front rotors again and took them to O'Reilly's Auto Parts to get them resurfaced ($20). After they finished, I noticed the OEM pad deposits were still on the face of the rotors--just not as dark. They assured me that how it still looks isn't going to be an issue. So I reinstalled them with a set of new Wearever Platinum brake pads ($40 from Advance Auto with an online coupon). Now the car brakes so smoothly! at 60 MPH. at 30 MPH to 0 MPH. No more judder! I have since put on 200 miles on them running errands around town and the car still brakes really still smooth and don't squeak at all.
I made sure to do the following:
- cleaned and greased up the caliper pins with hi-temp caliper grease. I also put on a thin layer of this stuff behind the brake pads.
- loosened the brake fluid reservoir cap and then slowly squeezed back each caliper piston with a big c-clamp to make room for the new pads. Remembered to tighten up the cap right after too.
- smeared a super thin layer of anti-seize between the rotor and hub & another layer between the rotor and the wheel as a means to prevent stuck rotors in 3-4 years when they need a replacement.
- used the new caliper clips provided in with the brake pads and made sure it was latched on tight.
- torqued the wheel bolts to 80 ft/lbs in the proper star pattern.
- drove out and bedded the new brake pads in by driving up to 45 MPH and braking hard a few times but made sure not to sit at a complete stop while they're still hot.
Good luck!
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