Cost to do rear VX rotors and pads?

[Sam_100]

I just replaced the front rotors (warped) and pads myself on my VX and although there is an improvement the rotors still feel as though they're warped when braking at low speeds. I torqued the caliper bolts and wheel nuts of the fronts to the factory setting and even checked the runout with a dial; and all was good.

It would appear the only reason why they feel like that is because the rears are warped also. Do the rears on the VXs warp? If so, does anyone know how much it would cost to replace the rear rotors and pads in Newcastle.

[accentstencil]

You should be able to do it for around $150-$200 for 2 rotors and a decent set of pads. You could get cheaper pads and that would bring the price down a little.

[Sam_100]

I assume $200 is for a do-it-yourself job. What would a mechanic normally charge?

[accentstencil]

I assume $200 is for a do-it-yourself job. What would a mechanic normally charge?

It's hard to say because the would vary a lot. Some would do it for $100 some might charge $200 and some will charge you more for the parts than I quoted earlier. Best thing to do is shop around and get some prices.
If you managed to do the front yourself then the rear are no more difficult.

[Longman]

Hi Sam,

I'm in Newcastle too and have been looking into prices for this as well. The cheapest I've been able to find is ebay. At places like Super-Heap rotors cost $120-$140 each, though I am looking at slotted. Standard ones you may get below $100 each on one of their sale days. You can get away with standard rotors and pads off ebay for just over $100, or slotted for about $150 per set. I'm sure there are deals out there, I'm happy to sit at my computer and have them brought to me!

best of luck.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Standard rotors and pads $120
Slotted rotors and standard pads $160
Slotted rotors and performance pads $230 (Using QFM HPX Police Spec) $245 (Using EBC Green Stuff)

Prices are pairs of rotors, not each.

[tanka5.7]

mate go down to your local shop and show your head for a price and fit them yourself, even a dozer could do it.

[Sam_100]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Going back to one of my original questions, can the rear rotors also warp because I can still feel uneveness in the brakes at low speeds, approx 5-10 kmh? Are the rears the cause of this uneveness? I am starting to worry that all that effort spent replacing the front rotors and pads will have gone to waste and the dreaded brake shudder will return.

[accentstencil]

The rear rotors can warp, probably easier then the front because they are thinner.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Can you feel the vibration through the brake pedal or the steering wheel? Rear rotors can warp too, but it isn't as common because of the brake bias towards the front.

When replacing rotors there is a procedure you need to follow or you will still have brake vibration. The hubs have to be completely free of any foreign matter and the wheel nuts have to be done up in a star pattern, then torqued to 100-125 Nm. You can get lucky by not doing this, but most times you will build in run out and end up with vibrating brakes.

[Sam_100]

Not_an_Abba_Fan,

There is no vibration as such when driving at high speed. However, when rolling very slowly down a gentle slope (I live in a very quite street) in neutral and applying constant pressure to the brakes I can feel the brake resistance increasing and decreasing at the same interval however the pedal is not pulsing as it used to do.

When I replaced the front rotors, I performed the followed:

- Prior to installing rotors, checked all surfaces to ensure there was no obstruction or foreigh material.
-Checked the runout of the rotors with a dial. Used wheel nuts to secure rotor to hub and check runout. The wheel nuts were torqued during this procedure. Dial showed rotor to be in tolerance.
- Secured caliper with new bolts and torqued them down also in accordance with specifications. Pads were also replaced.
- Mounted wheel and torqued the nuts to approximately 110-120 Nm in a star pattern.

I am aware brake bias is primarily to the front that's why I replaced the front rotors. This has got me stuffed. Any thought?????

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

The only thing that it can be is rears now, everything was done as it should be on the fronts.

Was this slight grabbing of the brakes evident straight away after doing the fronts? If it came in over time, maybe check the lateral movement of the front bearings.

[Sam_100]

The slight grabbing of the brakes was evident from the beginning however after driving to and from work today (60km round trip) it appears to be getting worse.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Something to try to eliminate any problems with your front brakes. Do you have two pairs of vice grips? Clamp off both rear brake lines and then test your brakes doing what you were doing in post #11. If there is no pulsing or grabbing, then it is definitely your rear brakes.

You could also jack the car up and check the runout on the front and rear rotors from the inside with the wheels still attached.

[Sam_100]

Thanks for the advice, was already considering both those options. Will have to make time available over the weekend to look at it. Way to busy during the week. Will let you know how I went.

Oh for the days when I had my 6 cyl VB SL commodore (had it for 14 years from 89). The only problem then was the fuel consumption.

[chargedvx6]

If it's the front brakes warped, vibes will be felt through the steering wheel only when braking. That is a safer way to rule out rears.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Not necessarily, I've had front rotors warp and it could only be felt through the pedal, and rear rotors that vibrate the steering wheel.

[Sam_100]

Okay, I jacked up the front end of the car. Just spinning each wheel gently I could hear a variation in the contact between pads and rotor at the same points. I checked to see if there was any lateral play in the bearing and could not detect any. I am not intending to use a dial because it's obvious the discs are not running true.

What do you recommend the next course of action? Machine the rotors (They're brand new) or attempt to reseat them (which I did correctly in the first place)

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

You could try and rotate the rotors on the wheel studs, making sure they are perfectly clean and retorque. Failing that, machining may be necessary. Make sure your caliper slides are moving freely and that the piston retracts. If the pads remain in contact with the rotor because of a sticky caliper, they will warp.