Warped Rotor Not Covered Under Warranty?

This Pilot has 26,000 miles and is less than a year old and the car
shmmied or pulsed when braked anywhere from moderately to heavy, so it
was taken to the dealer. It was determined that the rotor is warped.

The dealership said they would be willing to turn the rotors and make
them good again - all that's needed is a "donation" in the amount of
$100.00 for the job, which seems kind of high to me.

But I was wondering, wouldn't this still be covered under the warranty
or is warped rotor normally not a problem that's covered under it? I
just find it odd that the dealership would ask for the service if it
was and if the work isn't considered warranty work, again, what I'm
wondering is, how come work on the rotors are not covered? TIA.

 

I had the same problem with my 1998 Nissan Maxima SE. The rotors were
warped from the factory. I put 36k miles on it in one year. I took it back
where I bought it and told them that I wanted the rotors replaced under
warranty. If they would not do it, I told them just put it in writing and
I would take it up with the factory representive. They replaced the rotors
and like a fool I paid them for new brake pads. Just remember, that rotors
don't last forever. You can cut them one or two times and time for new
ones. You can get new rotors for about $50.
Depending how the dealership treats you on this, find a new place to get
your car fixed. A good service manager will eat this to keep you as a good
customer.

 

I would put my money on abuse. Brakes not properly broken in. The same old
"stomp on the gas to get to that red light 1 block ahead, then slam on the
brakes". 90% of the people on the road go flying by me when there is a red
light only a block ahead, they just can't see past the 50 feet in front of
them, or they focus on the bumper in front of them. The dealer can easily
tell by how much wear is on the pads/roters.

 

When you drove it off the lot,you would have felt the pedal pulsing,why
didn't you turn right around and complain right then? Get the record
started immediately.

 

There are many things that can cause warped rotors. I've personally never
had a warped rotor due to overtorquing the lugs, nor do I know of anyone
where this was the case.
Many people don't realize that rotors need to be broken in. New Hondas will
have somewhat of a soapy feel to the brakes when new, but will gradually
break-in as material from the pads transfer to the rotor, and the heat
generated from the braking will actually harden the surface of the rotors.
I try to keep my braking reasonable and conservative during break-in...no
stabbing of the pedal, no aggressive acceleration and stopping ..etc. After
break-in, you get a good linear feel to the friction of the brakes.

Another reason the rotors get warped is often due to washing your car soon
after the brakes are hot. I know a two honda owners who've made this
mistakes.

Of course, getting the brakes red hot (like in race conditions), will surely
warp the stock rotors.

Just my 2 cents...

Tom

 

|Many people don't realize that rotors need to be broken in. New Hondas will
|have somewhat of a soapy feel to the brakes when new, but will gradually
|break-in as material from the pads transfer to the rotor, and the heat
|generated from the braking will actually harden the surface of the rotors.
|I try to keep my braking reasonable and conservative during break-in...no
|stabbing of the pedal, no aggressive acceleration and stopping ..etc. After
|break-in, you get a good linear feel to the friction of the brakes.

Sort of depends on the pads and the rotor type. The more premium pads such as
Raybestos Super Stop and similar HD compounds should be bedded in pretty much
like race pads: Get the pads real hot with successively harder stops, then
immediately park the car and let them cool completely
Ttypical OE-type pads don't need this, but they do need a get-acquinted period
where the pads can wear to match the groooves and countours of the rotor face.
Initially, the contact area may be 80%, then over 90% within a couple of miles,
but after about 500 miles it should approach 100%

|Another reason the rotors get warped is often due to washing your car soon
|after the brakes are hot. I know a two honda owners who've made this
|mistakes.

I've heard that for a long time, but I've never known of a good cause-and-effect
example. If this were so, you should be able to warp a rotor by hitting a
puddle when the brakes were hot. If that were true, there would be a lot more
warped rotors.

|Of course, getting the brakes red hot (like in race conditions), will surely
|warp the stock rotors.

You'd think so, but actual road racing on stock rotors rarely warps a rotor. I
have a few years experience road racing production based vehicles - Jetta,
Pinto, early RX7. We get our rotors so hot they turn blue, and they regularly
crack, but I have yet to see a warped one.

In my experience, the 2 things that seem to cause this most:
1 - Rotors that have been turned down to the minimum or below. It used to be
common practice to fudge a bit on the minimum spec, often at the request of the
customer. "Just get the grooves out so I can sell the car". Modern rotors have
less than half the thickness range the old ones did. I wouldn't use a rotor on a
street car that was near the min thickness.
2 - Incorrect or uneven torque. This only affects cars with "hat" rotors, where
the rotor is separate from the hub. Mostly, this is the front rotors on a FWD
(the rears don't get hot enough). Integral cast rotors don't warp as badly and
can almost always be trued on a lathe without taking too much off.




Rex in Fort Worth