Reader Question
Hello,
I had my rotors/brake pads replaced on 5/2012. I had just the front replaced. A few weeks after that when I would step on the brakes they would shake a lot & the steering wheel would too. When they didn’t before that. Does that mean the rotors are warped? & why would that happen?
Thank you
Michelle
Hi there Michelle,Â
Yes, I would assume that the front rotors are warped and causing the problem. Â Driving through a water puddle when the brakes are hot is what causes them to warp….also two footed driving can cause it as well.
Maybe you just had them resurfaced and not replaced?
If you are sure they replaced them, you can have them trued to remove the warp.
Hopefully there is some warranty you can take advantage of and not have to pay again.
Blessings,
Austin Davis
Reader Follow Up
Hello,
Thank you for getting back to me. No they were brand new. The garage advised they couldn’t resurface the old ones. A few weeks after I had them done it started shaking in the steering wheel & when stepping on the brakes.
What I suspected happened was there was too much grease placed on the brakes causing the brake pads to shift, as I was also hearing a mental on mental noise a (clicking sound), which in return I believe warped the new rotors. The pads shifting could have caused the grooves in the rotors?
Thanks
Hello again Michelle
Brake rotor warp is caused my excessive heat and or expansion and contraction of the rotor metal. Any grooves you see, that would be another issue…something wrong with the brake pads maybe?
The rotor surface should be smooth and even. Grease on the pads will just burn off, so no issue there.
Now, if the warp happened that quickly after the brake job, you might have a problem with one of the brake calipers that holds the pads. If a caliper sticks, it will cause one side of the brakes to wear faster than the other.
You can feel the metal wheel after you have been driving awhile, if one side is much hotter than the other you might have a caliper issue. A sticking caliper will cause the brakes to drag which it turn over heats the rotor…causing the warp.
Usually, but not always the brakes will pull to one side when you apply the brake if there is a sticking caliper issue. A bad front brake hose can also cause the same scenario as a stuck caliper.
Blessings,
Austin Davis