6G Celicas Forums

Well the topic says it all. 2 1/2 years ago I changed all four discs (plain brembos) + pads and
the guy at the garage now tells me my pads are going away and that i should change the discs too
(some have been threaded). I havent done much mileage since 2 years - mostly city driving and I
usually drive smooth on the car.

Do you believe its normal wear? or maybe cheap parts or bad installation or the garage trying to rip me off?

Also, whats the best place to buy the brakes ? (I know nopionline.com sells the brembos cheap)

Thanks

Maybe your pistons are not working 100% anymore and they cause a lot of wear. Someone on the Dutch Celica forum has that problem with his ST162

This post has been edited by Kadett: May 26, 2006 - 12:18 PM

Hello liquor,
In March'06 I brought my 94GT to the dealer. They said that my rotors were badly rusted. They told me that I had a stuck caliper on one wheel. I couldn't see this from the outside of the vehicle but on the inside the rear and one side in the front; pads were barely making contact. This was after 12 years of use and 119 thousand miles. I losened the rusted caliper, found aftermarket (non dealer) rotors and replaced them myself.

Unless you brake hard, have put on a lot of miles or have some damaged parts. I wouldn't replace the rotors without knowing why they are bad after only two years of use.(especially if this is the same shop that did the work last time.)

GET DETAILS.
The one reason rotors need to be replaced is if they are damaged: warped, chipped, badly rusted,worn etc. and cannot be used in the present condition with new pads.

The shop should tell you that the reason for the replacement: If they can't or won't give you specific details. I would not allow for them to just jump to rotor replacement. Ask what and why.

Is it warped disks? If this is true how much are they warped?
Are the disks are worn? If this is true how much are they worn?
If you have worn or damaged parts which are contributing to the rotor wear?

1.Occasionally owners choose to have rotors machined with a lathe to eliminate the problem and bring the rotor back within specifications. With the high cost of labor many owners choose to skip spending any time messing with an old rotor and simply buy new rotor knowing that replacing both will eliminate any uncertainly. Unfortunately some shops simply say you need rotors because they don't want the hassle of working with your used parts.

2.If you are going to have the rotors turned on a lathe the shop has to know the standard thickness and how much they plan to remove from the rotor when they resurface them.

3.If all you rotors are in need of replacement that seems unusual. I am making the assumption that the emergency brakes are not influencing the replacement.

4.I got my my parts locally at AUTOPART INTERNATIONAL. The calipers were factory Toyota remanufactured and the the rotors were perfect fit for my old rotors.

The factory brake specifications are listed below.
DISC & DRUM BRAKE SPECIFICATIONS
DISC & DRUM BRAKE SPECIFICATIONS TABLE

Application In. (mm)
Front Disc
Standard Disc Thickness ................................ .98 (25.0)
Minimum Refinish Disc Thickness ........................ .91 (23.0)
Maximum Disc Runout .................................. .0028 (.070)
Standard Pad Thickness ................................. .39 (10.0)
Minimum Pad Thickness ................................... .04 (1.0)
Rear Disc
Standard Disc Thickness ................................ .39 (10.0)
Minimum Refinish Disc Thickness ........................ .35 (9.00)
Maximum Disc Runout .................................... .006 (.15)
Standard Pad Thickness ................................. .39 (10.0)
Minimum Pad Thickness ................................... .04 (1.0)
Rear Parking Brake Drum (Integral W/ Rear Disc)
Standard Disc Diameter ............................... 6.69 (170.0)
Maximum Refinish Disc Diameter ....................... 6.73 (171.0)
Standard Pad Thickness .................................. .08 (2.0)
Minimum Pad Thickness ................................... .04 (1.0)
Brake Shoe-To-Lever Side Clearance (Maximum) ........... .014 (.35)
Rear Brake Drum
Standard Drum Diameter ............................... 7.87 (200.0)
Maximum Refinish Drum Diameter ....................... 7.91 (201.0)
Standard Pad Thickness .................................. .16 (4.0)
Minimum Pad Thickness ................................... .04 (1.0)
Brake Shoe-To-Drum Clearance ........................... .024 (.60)
Brake Shoe-To-Lever Side Clearance (Maximum) ........... .014 (.35)

I hope you can get the problem solved without unnecessarily replacing parts,
Yelllow94GT

Thanks alot for all the infos! Problem is, where I live (Montreal) the winters are very tough on cars - extremes colds, salt, snow, ice, rain, etc. The rotors are exposed to all this and considering that replacement parts (non dealer) are not as good as the originals that might explain the short life of these. I noticed threads on the front discs which indicates a problem cuz my pads are 40% left. Its the PBR MetalMaster pads - i heard they last long but they are hard on the discs... Anyways I bought 4 brembo replacement discs along with oem pads at NOPI for 130$ which is a bargain. Cheaper than have the discs resurfaced... I already had a stuck caliper on the rear so I might have them check this too...

Modern pads are a lot harder on discs. Before asbestos was banned, it was used in pad construction and as well as absorbing heat, it meant that the friction material wasn't that abrasive. Now that asbestos has been confirmed to be a huge health risk and 'banned', pads use a metal based compound for pad construction which obviously is harder on the disc. This means one thing - increased disc wear. And the harder the pad (such as motorsport type applications), the greater the pad wear.
Gary