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Car/repair issue
Grundlestiltskin
Behind you!Registered User regular
Behind you!Registered User regular
So I put my car into Audi for a 25k mile check that's covered by the warranty. They called me back and told me that the rear brake pads had worn down and needed to be replaced, and that that was covered by my warranty.
However, they told me something about the rotors being grooved from the old break pads and that putting new brake pads on grooved rotors could cause vibrations braking at high speeds that could prematurely wear the new pads. They said that machining the rotors would not be covered by warranty and would be $164, and I can't really afford that right now.
Is this guy feeding me a line? Do I really need to have this done? Does anyone know what he's even talking about?
However, they told me something about the rotors being grooved from the old break pads and that putting new brake pads on grooved rotors could cause vibrations braking at high speeds that could prematurely wear the new pads. They said that machining the rotors would not be covered by warranty and would be $164, and I can't really afford that right now.
Is this guy feeding me a line? Do I really need to have this done? Does anyone know what he's even talking about?
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ta-dah!
Also, it's brake and braking!
Thanks and thanks. I knew that, for some reason my brain just isn't cooperating this morning.
So I read that, and it sounds like the rotors really should be turned or machined or whatever they want to call it. Is this something I have to have Audi do, or should I just have them replace the pads and have the rotors turned somewhere else? I'm getting an alignment done this weekend at Goodyear, who wants to charge me $60 to do it. Audi wanted to charge me $190. I'm wondering if the rotor machining ($164) is a similar issue, because that article said Pep Boys was doing it for $10-$15 per rotor.
B.net: Kusanku
What are you getting an alignment so early for anyway? My VW GTi with 88k still hasn't needed one.
It wouldn't be new rotors, it would be machining the current rotors flat so they match the new break pads. The article linked above explains that party pretty well.
I had a flat about two weeks ago, and the tire is fucked beyond repair. The guy at the Sunoco I talked to about the tire repair told me the way the tire was damaged indicated that my front alignment was off and needed to be fixed.
Honestly, I don't know enough about cars to know when a guy is trying to pitch me something or when I actually need to have something done.
It's possible, but also I'd think it's hard to tell from just tire damage O_O If it were so bad that your tires were being damaged I think you'd notice that while driving
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Normal(ish) wear will be much more uniform and look like:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (much finer grooves)
The first one definitely warrants a new rotor, the second can fly with a resurfacing, or perhaps not even that if it's not badly worn and still straight, but it's always best to have them turned. I'd raise a little hell and get them to fix it. It's broken, it's under warranty, they need to fix it.
As far as machining rotors, well, in my experience if they are so bad that they require machining, they might as well be replaced. On one of my previous cars I had the rotors machined once and they became more susceptible to warping.
Yeah, I think that's what the guy at Sunoco was basically trying to tell me. The bitch of it is I'm not even at 25k miles yet, I'm at 23169 or thereabouts. I drive on roads that aren't particularly well maintained a lot, so it's possible. To be perfectly honest I haven't been particularly gentle with the car.
I spoke to the guy at Goodyear (where I'm having the alignment done, if I do in fact need it) and asked him about the $164 quote from Audi. He said he didn't know if they could machine them but that he more than likely could put in new rotors for less money. I'll probably do that.
Next question; Audi wants to order a new front left tire for me and install it for $200. I've never heard of the company (apparently I need a Kumho 235-40R18 or something) so I'm not sure if that's reasonable. I'm going to look around, but anybody have any input?
A $200 Kumho tyre? No way. Does your car come with 18's? What car are you driving anyway?
Well the issue is that the alignment and rotors are not covered by warranty ($190 and $164 respectively), so if I can do it somewhere else and not get raped by the price I'd rather do that.
I think so? It's a certified pre-owned 2005 Audi A4, with some kind of sport kit on it. As far as I can tell by looking at the Kumho site (my tire is in the trunk of my car at Audi currently), the tire I need is a Kumho ECSTA MX 235-40R18. I can't seem to find an actual price for it anywhere though.
Edit: Tirerack.com has the tire listed at $150 per tire.
As for the warranty thing, I would call Audi and double check your coverage. Initially I was under the impression you were under the Audi factory warranty which covers basically everything. The pre-owned warranty isn't quite as comprehensive. But still, call Audi and check it out.
Yeah...I just realized I've been spelling "tire" as "tyre". Can't be helped. I read a lot of UK car mags.
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm still covered under the factory warranty. The new vehicle warranty is 4 years or 50k miles, and then the certified pre-owned warranty is 2 years or 50k; it doesn't start until the new vehicle warranty ends. Since the guy told me the break pads were covered (they're not covered in the certified pre-owned warranty), I can only assume I'm still under the original warranty until next year. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the factory warranty online.
Depending on the level of wear/damage to the rotors you need to look at either getting them turned/machined/cut down to acceptable levels or replaced entirely. I would probably go with option 2 which is more expensive but will be better in the long run. A warped rotor that has been re-machined is more likely to re-warp again and thus put you right back where you started.
Although the factory warranty is nice and all, it will generally NOT cover parts that are designed to wear and be replaced at regular intervals (oil changes, brake replacements, winshield wipers). Warranty is for stuff BREAKING that is orbviously not meant to.
As far as you guys being able to go 50,000 miles before you need to replace brakes I am simply amazed. I have never had any car be able to hold out breaks in working condition for anything more than 9K miles. Same goes for tires. I simply don't understand tires having these 60,000 mile warranties when mine can barely make it 12K. Granted I treat my car like it is a big old piece of metal and should be able to handle some abuse, but still.
I've got an 04 Accord and had to get new pads/rotors in the last month and the entire thing ran me around $700. Not cheap. That was all 4 corners though. Luckily, I had reciepts showing work that had been done in the last year on the pads so I got it dropped by $400. You get the idea though. If you are given the option of getting pads with a lifetime warranty (Which by definition is a misnomer since pads are designed to wear out and need replacing) go for it. It will be much cheaper in the long run if you have a prorated credit or full replacement available next time you need work done. Keep all those reciepts, if for nothing else proof that you stayed within warranty requirements, and have all non-warranty work done at the same shop. You'll build a rapport with the shop monkeys and they will have copies of all work.
Short version - Opt for rotor replacement if you can afford it and keep reciepts
Good luck
Those are numbers I'd expect to see on a big Ford 4x4 with 40+ inch tires, not a fucking Accord. My Accord, which was an 89, went 80,000 miles without needing brake work. New Accords > Old Accords.
To the OP: Save yourself the trouble and make sure you do something about the rotors. Ask the service advisor if there is any noticeable warping on the rotor, if not it should be fine if you just have them resurfaced. It is always a good idea to resurface the rotors when you replace the pads, it costs a little more but it vastly improves pad break-in and consequently the efficiency of the whole system.
I'm shocked that the rotors aren't covered under warranty. You should call up another Audi dealer, talk to the service manager, and find out. Tell the guy that you think you may be getting the shaft from a different dealer and want to doublecheck, but don't tell him what dealer you're car is at. (When I was working at Toyota we loved getting calls like that, if you help the customer out you've got him for life because you look like a hero)
Oh and 25k on a rotor is not that long at all, you should see 3-4 sets of pads on one rotor unless you have some crazy aftermarket setup. Where are you driving? Do you hammer on your brakes at all times or something?
www.vwvortex.com
for all your crazy vw/audi needs. They taught me the care and feeding of a 1.8t.
Don't venture into the Video Game forums, you'll stab yourself in the eyes.
As for your problem, it sounds like you have it figured out. Normally I do all my own work on my VW's (cheaper that way), but in your situation, I would have the dealer do it. That way if there is some other reason for your premature break wear, you can force the issue with them.
Satans..... hints.....