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how much is typical prices to cut rotors?

T2urtle

T2urtle

Diamond Member
i normally do a brake job a month for someone i know or so. I always tell them to get new rotors ( normally $25-45each). The purpose is to save me time and i have everything ready for me to go at it and be done quick.

With the way things are going, everything is trying to pinch every penny, a customer asked if i can cut them for them since they are in a jam. Well i mic-ed the rotor and it was within specs to get cut but when i went around to the shops they were all closed. So we just cut the loses and did it.


Well how much are rotors normally cut for? I was told murray's does it but the guy is rarely there and they do it for $10 a piece. I've cut them before and i know they are more or less set it and forget it for 2-5 mins and come back and give it back. How much have you guys paid and from where?
 
I don't like cutting rotors. If they are warped / gouged, I replace them. If not, I clean them and reuse.

If a full-thickness rotor warps under usage...what's the likelihood that that same rotor which has been milled down (with less metal to absorb the heat) is going to warp again? The small amount of $$ you "save" is not worth the trouble of re-doing the job a month later, IMO.
 
i've just been in a habit or replaceing everything because it just saves time. i used to wrench for VW and VW doesn't resurface anything its replace and thats it. I just got into the habit. Most of the time the rotors and evenly warped and clean, no complaints of vibes anywhere. I still tell them to get new rotors as a habit. I could let some people go with pads but i always explain to them their options. I've had a couple people ask about cutting. I always tell the people their options and i let them make the choice. I tell them if i have to do it again it will cost them again. So far only 1 person declined rotors and they came back to get it re-done.
 
Make sure you know the new price before you get anything turned, in my experience its been not that much more to just get new.
 
If you are buying rotors at below $50 a pop and they need to be turned, it's usually best to replace them.

Depending on where you go you can get them turned for free to $25 a piece.
 
O'Reilly's charged me $6/rotor 2-3 years ago. Even better than that, I came in to pick them up, and they wished me a Merry Christmas and said it was free. I thought that was pretty cool. If I were a true American though, I would've sued them for pushing a Christian holiday on me 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
If they are warped / gouged, I replace them.
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There is no other option, no shop will cut a warped rotor down, 99%will be out of spec.

If not, I clean them and reuse.
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So i suppose you sand them as part of your cleaning before reinstalling them to remove contaminents and any light glazing that naturallay occurs?

If a full-thickness rotor warps under usage...what's the likelihood that that same rotor which has been milled down (with less metal to absorb the heat) is going to warp again?
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Have you ever checked the spec on rotors, most are a few thousands of either being in or out. A warped rotor or gouged one can't be put back into spec properly and any reputable shop would not do it.

And if there was such a problem with removing a few thousands metal, everyones brakes would be warping as they naturally wear down with time. You wouldn't beleive how many vehicles are on the road with orginal rotors and drums that are wayyyyyy out of spec.
 
I paid $15 but don't bother now because new ones are cheap from autozone. Mine were not warped, but my pads were ok and there was shimmying; there was a build up or something on the rotor at 60k. The rotors finally died this year at 110k, so the turning definitely seemed to do them limited harm only, but it is some additional hassle and would shorten their life somewhat.

If a pad is squeeling only, then on need even to turn the rotor although when I replaced only rear pads on my same vehicle it was an honest 10k before they seated properly and the squeeling went away. 115k on those rotors now.
 
Originally posted by: mooseracing
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
If they are warped / gouged, I replace them.
Click to expand...
There is no other option, no shop will cut a warped rotor down, 99%will be out of spec.
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I've seen it done firsthand at a shop....not condoning it, just stating the facts. Besides, with regard to the parts stores that also cut rotors - most of the time, they're not going to turn someone away who just wants their warped rotors cut down...point being, it wouldn't be too hard to find someone to do it, even if no "reputable shop" would.


If not, I clean them and reuse.
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So i suppose you sand them as part of your cleaning before reinstalling them to remove contaminents and any light glazing that naturallay occurs?
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Scuff them up some, yes. Quick once-over with a 100 grit sanding pad on the orbital and they're ready to go. 🙂

If a full-thickness rotor warps under usage...what's the likelihood that that same rotor which has been milled down (with less metal to absorb the heat) is going to warp again?
Click to expand...

Have you ever checked the spec on rotors, most are a few thousands of either being in or out. A warped rotor or gouged one can't be put back into spec properly and any reputable shop would not do it.

And if there was such a problem with removing a few thousands metal, everyones brakes would be warping as they naturally wear down with time. You wouldn't beleive how many vehicles are on the road with orginal rotors and drums that are wayyyyyy out of spec.
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Well, to be fair - the wear limit spec on rotors is built with a "fudge factor" in it. It's not as if the rotor will instawarp once the service limit has been reached - the car will continue to go many miles beyond that without warpage, as long as it isn't driven hard and the brakes are not really heated up (most people). And - there are a lot of vehicles on the road with warped brakes. Lots of people continue to drive the cars like that.

I used to work at a Chevy dealership and an Advance Auto parts store. Some of the cars / parts that would find their way through the door of both places just left you shaking your head and going WTF. As a service porter at the dealership, i had to drive a lot of cars... I couldn't believe how many people just drove around on totally warped brakes without even batting an eyelash. Even at parking-lot speeds, I could tell.

And at the parts store...I remember one guy brought in a rotor that had been worn COMPLETELY THROUGH the braking surface clear down to the vents on the outward facing side. :shocked::shocked: To this day, I have no idea how he managed to do that. He must have had bare metal grinding on that rotor for thousands of miles.

Some of the cars on the roads in Michigan (no inspections) are downright scary. If most people knew how unsafe some of those heaps are, nobody would drive for fear of the duct-taped together pile in the next lane finally letting go and barreling into them.

 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
If you are buying rotors at below $50 a pop and they need to be turned, it's usually best to replace them.

Depending on where you go you can get them turned for free to $25 a piece.
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that not what i meant. the rotors on the car were most likely OE or something along those lines. I just asked if they did a brake job before for my reference. From what i noticed most import rotors come up to be sub $25 for a rotor that is small and are being used with a combo of a 1 piston caliper. Most of the time the domestic ones are a little higher then $25 and so are the cars with the 2 pistons setup or the 1 VERY large piston, they mostly go from 30-70$.

the $25 or lower, i just tell them to get new ones. because parts will come up to be sub $100 . i figure 25 each rotor and $50 a nicer set of pads. i need to check on pepboys, its not far from me but since mines is a service shop, they do cut rotors.
 
Many shops no longer cut rotors/drums. They are pretty cheap (depending on the application), and most recommend outright replacement,
 
I myself, inspect the rotor and see how bad it is worn. If it is still good, just clean it up and put new pads on. If it is really bad, I would just buy new ones. I don't trust rotors that have been cut down.
 
Originally posted by: bruceb
I don't trust rotors that have been cut down.
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So you wouldn't trust the millions of flywheels that are on the road that have been machined either than?


As long as they are in spec there is nothing to worry about machined rotors or drums.
 
Originally posted by: bruceb
I myself, inspect the rotor and see how bad it is worn. If it is still good, just clean it up and put new pads on. If it is really bad, I would just buy new ones. I don't trust rotors that have been cut down.
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What kind of car? The manufacturer has a minimum spec for rotors, as long as your rotors aren't below that thickness you should have no problems. Worst you could do is overheat them and they warp...it's not like it's not going to stop your car and it's not like overheating them isn't something you can't detect. I can see never turning rotors if your racing your car and consistently pushing the brakes lap after lap but for normal driving it probably won't be a problem. Again, depending on the car and the manufacturer's specs.

Replacing them is definitely better but on some cars you could turn them once or twice before replacing with no trouble.
 
Flywheels are another story. They are very heavy and in all my time with cars, have never had to resurface one. As long as you replace the clutch before it is relly worn out, no issues. Now if you do a lot of drag racing and such, then yes, at some point it would need resurface or replacement. But for brakes, it is cheaper, easier and in my view, better to just put new rotors if they are that far worn.
I think also that GM now recommends not turning the rotors unless they really need it, which they should not, if the brake pads are changed soon after you hear the wear sensors.

This is what GM suggests:

General Motors has a different opinion. In technical bulletin #00-05-22-002 to its dealers, GM says, "Brake rotors should only be turned when one of the following rotor surface conditions exist: severe scoring with depth in excess of 1.5 mm or 0.060 inch, pulsation from excessive lateral runout of more than .080 mm or .003 inch, thickness variation in excess of 0.025 mm or 0.001 inch, or excessive corrosion on rotor braking surfaces."

From this link:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/bf110322.htm

 
Originally posted by: bruceb
Flywheels are another story. They are very heavy and in all my time with cars, have never had to resurface one. As long as you replace the clutch before it is relly worn out, no issues. Now if you do a lot of drag racing and such, then yes, at some point it would need resurface or replacement. But for brakes, it is cheaper, easier and in my view, better to just put new rotors if they are that far worn.
I think also that GM now recommends not turning the rotors unless they really need it, which they should not, if the brake pads are changed soon after you hear the wear sensors.

This is what GM suggests:

General Motors has a different opinion. In technical bulletin #00-05-22-002 to its dealers, GM says, "Brake rotors should only be turned when one of the following rotor surface conditions exist: severe scoring with depth in excess of 1.5 mm or 0.060 inch, pulsation from excessive lateral runout of more than .080 mm or .003 inch, thickness variation in excess of 0.025 mm or 0.001 inch, or excessive corrosion on rotor braking surfaces."

From this link:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/bf110322.htm
Click to expand...

The front brakes were pulsating in my Maxima when I bought it. I took it in and they turned the rotors and the problem was gone. This was a brand new car BTW. I have 70,000 miles on it now and have replaced pads once and turned rotors once more (might have replaced them though, can't remember). Strangely I've gone through rear brakes twice in the first 30k miles but they've been fine since.
 
its funny how many fools are out there.... You guys are just cons, cut the rotors and save the customer money... lol. btw warped rotors wont make it below specs! rotors last about 100,000 + miles fools! and most of you guys dont even have the equipment to do it.

Your new so will just let you know this is not the way to start out in the garage or any other part of the forums...
You may have good info to add so why not post it and ease in with a bit less tone...

AT Moderator
Bartman39
 
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Remember when you cut rotors you lose a small portion of the heat dissipation your system is capable of.


Your junk runs hotter.
 
Warped rotors are from dumbasses with an impact at the tire shop or dumbasses who go 85 mph in the rain and slam their brakes to 10 mph right before a flooded dip.

Warped or heat damaged rotors should be replaced. You only use a lathe to prepare the surface of a good rotor for new pads, not to repair or salvage damaged rotors, or to save money.

If a rotor is warped all turning it will do is square the surface with respect to the hub by taking half off one side, and half off the other side 180 degs apart and so on. It only eliminates the runout variance, it doesn't redistribute mass or rebalance the rotor.

Likewise if they are heat damaged, the metal will have crystalized pockets of uneven density and hardness that will just resurface again shortly as the rotor wears down.

Most of the time, complaints of "warped" rotors are due to brake pulsation that is simply uneven distribution of pad material that will be cleaned up on the lathe. A truly warped rotor will cause nasty vibrations and rapid steering wheel shudder at most any speed like a bad tire or unbalanced wheel, even if you aren't braking. This cannot be fixed outside of a new rotor.

PS: Bought new Raybestos rotors for the Camry for $10 on Rock Auto after turning the OEMs myself like 3 times over 170k miles. Smooth as glass (the braking feel, not the rotors 😛)
 
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exdeath said:
Warped rotors are from dumbasses with an impact at the tire shop or dumbasses who go 85 mph in the rain and slam their brakes to 10 mph right before a flooded dip.

Warped or heat damaged rotors should be replaced. You only use a lathe to prepare the surface of a good rotor for new pads, not to repair or salvage damaged rotors, or to save money.

If a rotor is warped all turning it will do is square the surface with respect to the hub by taking half off one side, and half off the other side 180 degs apart and so on. It only eliminates the runout variance, it doesn't redistribute mass or rebalance the rotor.

Likewise if they are heat damaged, the metal will have crystalized pockets of uneven density and hardness that will just resurface again shortly as the rotor wears down.

Most of the time, complaints of "warped" rotors are due to brake pulsation that is simply uneven distribution of pad material that will be cleaned up on the lathe. A truly warped rotor will cause nasty vibrations and rapid steering wheel shudder at most any speed like a bad tire or unbalanced wheel, even if you aren't braking. This cannot be fixed outside of a new rotor.

PS: Bought new Raybestos rotors for the Camry for $10 on Rock Auto after turning the OEMs myself like 3 times over 170k miles. Smooth as glass (the braking feel, not the rotors 😛)
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If my rotors warp from a single 85-10 MPH breaking session, Brembo has some 'splainin to do!

Actually, if they warp at all, Brembo has some 'splainin to do!
 
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Gibson486 said:
I asked a few years ago.....it was $15 at pepboys and $20 at some random shop.
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That's good because this is a post from 2008 that some new reg necroed to call people crooked (as if the people on this board are mechanics?) so your price is probably accurate for when this post was made 😉
 
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