vibrating steering wheel

[Solaradude]

When im going about 60-70 mph and slam on the brakes, my steering wheel violent shakes. Is it the brake fluid? because i havent changed them yet and my cars got about 64k

Steve

[bkp_duke]

rotors are warped. you need a brake job bad

[Solaradude]

rotors are warped. you need a brake job bad

crap.....rotors warped?! do i need to replace them or what? how much is it for a brake job?

Steve

[JoeB]

Are you sure it's not just the ABS? Although that shouldn't be violent. -JoeB

[Solaradude]

Are you sure it's not just the ABS? Although that shouldn't be violent. -JoeB

man i swear my solaras falling apart

[bkp_duke]

Anytime you break really hard, especially repeatedly, the pads and rotors heat up ALOT. When they cool, the metal cools unevenly and this causes it to warp. Happened on my old 92 Camry.

This is also why drilled rotors are a bad idea too. When they cool, the cooling is more rapid near the holes, and you can get stress fractures in the metal near the holes (although I will admit they look cool, and for the first few thousand miles stop much better than non-drilled rotors).

[prowlerartist]

the same thing happens in my car, does this cause any long or short term damage? Also is this a safety issue or just an annoyance?

[Jon11582]

It could be a safety issue. If your pads cant grip the rotor properly, then your braking ability is reduced, since braking is done by the friction between them.

If thier not too warped, you can just get them refinished (also called "turning" the rotors). This shaves them down til thier flat again. If not, you'll need them replaced.

Ask a brake place to check it out, and quotes on both. Might be a good time to get some custom rotors if you want to spice up your wheel well.

[adam2562]

Resurface/purchase new rotors dependign what is left on your rotor... might as well get aftermarket drilled/ slotted rotors while ur at it and their about the same price

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

Take it to a brake shop and see what they say...some call it shaving some call it resurfacing...basically its taking off very little MM off to make it smooth. IF its beyond resurfacing, then they will let you know. At least expect to pay $100 (resurface + new pads); at most expect to pay 400+ (depending on labor) and again i'm asuming its only the front...if u need work in the rears....i guess the money pot needs to be deeper!

[Jon11582]

I got my fronts done (1 new rotor, 2 new pads) for about 220 inc labor with 90 day warrantee from strauss. I probably wont use them again since they didnt do too good of a job and use crappy Standard brake pads, which I'm not too impressed with, but it just may have been my Strauss.

If you dont want custom rotors, check out midas. First time around, thier a little more expensive. A friend gave me a tip that they give lifetime warrantee on brakes and rotors, so if your pads or rotors get worn down, you can get another set for free anytime in the future and only pay for labor, which is a pretty fair rate.

Also I forgot to mention, like jhbhatia said, you need to change your pads when you change your rotors to ensure a good fit between the pads and the rotor. If you dont change the pads, theyll get eaten up by the different wear pattern of the new rotor.

[Solaradude]

thanks for the help

Steve

[bkp_duke]

You might want to check with the dealers in your area. Last year I had my front brakes resurfaced and the pads changed at the dealer.

Not only did they do a great job, but they guaranteed the pads and labor (refsurfacing included) for life. I kind of did a double take and asked them about it and they said it was true. They would pay for anything the second time except the rotors.

BTW, these were the OEM pads. Nothing fancy.

[Mudd]

Bah. Don't be afraid of your car, brakes are not difficult. Just pull the wheel off, there's a couple of bolts that hold the caliper on, pull them off. Then it's cake to get to the rotor. Take it to Pep Boys to have it resurfaced, and you're in business.

[Jon11582]

But then the new pads might take some bleeding of the lines to get them right. Thats not fun most of the time. (Do you need to change pads with just a resurface? Not sure on that one...)

I never did my own, but brakes are something id go to someone for, unless your pretty sure of your mechanical skill, since if you screw that up, it could turn out pretty messy.

Im not saying that you shouldnt DIY, but I'd do a whole lot of research before I attempted the DIY.