I have a 2010 Accord with just under 60,000 miles. At 43,475 miles on 8/8/2016 I had the front rotors resurfaced and replaced the front brake pads because the car was vibrating terribly when returning from a trip to Georgia and driving in the Smokey Mountains. Braking going downhill was a nightmare! This work seemed to rectify the vibrating problem. At 48,783 on 4/26/2017 I had new tires put on the car and everything was still ok. The car has recently started vibrating again when braking at normal city speeds of 45 MPH so I'm wondering if the resurfacing on those rotors has now past their life span and just what, exactly, should a person expect out of front rotors? We drive 95% in the city and we don't drive the car hard.

Wondering what steps to take. Should I have the tires checked for balance? Have the front end alignment checked OR, given the mileage now at 60,000 do you think new front rotors are in order? I don't feel this in the rear of the car, only the front and mainly in the steering wheel.

Thanks in advance for any comments & suggestions
Tim

 

Check this out.
https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...-rotors-27436/

If it only shudders while braking that really sounds like the rotors. Alignment pulls rather than shakes. Balance would shake even when you're not braking. Problems with axles would shake during acceleration rather than during braking. If you're looking for something to check, maybe loose ball-joints but my guess is the rotors.

City driving is actually hard on the rotors because when you stop, you normally clamp the brakes in one spot. That's what seems to cause this.

 

Thanks Jim that's what I was looking for. I'll get it in and have them take a look

Tim

 

What state do you live in?

 

I live in SW Virginia in the mountains but I drive mostly in town so not much steep up and down mountain driving

Tim

 

The lifespan for rotors is hard to predict, because there are a lot of variables. Excessive heat and/or sudden cooling can easily warp a rotor.

I wanted to find out about your location to see if you deal with salt during the winter. Salt leads to rust, that can bind your brake pads in the brackets, or build behind your rotor.

I would probably check the brake pads to see if they slide freely. Check the slide pins and caliper piston to see if they are frozen.

You can measure the runout on a rotor with a runout gauge. The face of the hub should be checked for runout to eliminate the hub as the issue. Rust building behind the rotor and forcing the rotor off the caliper axis can cause vibration while braking.

You would have to measure the thickness of the rotor to determine if there is enough metal to machine the rotor.

I would first inspect to verify the brake parts are good. Then clean and lubricate the components. Then deal with the rotor (if necessary).

 

When the rotors were resurfaced new brake pads were installed. We don't have a lot of snow here so I doubt that excessive salt is the issue. Since the rotors have been resurfaced perhaps that process is only meant to last just so long. Does that sound reasonable? To do any of what you mentioned I have to trust either the Honda dealer or the local Acura dealer and I've had better results from Acura. They're who resurfaced the rotors so I guess I'll have them take a look and tell me what they see.

Thanks for your inout-I appreciate it

 

Excessive heat or excessive cooling is the cause of warping rotors.

Machining the rotors should be a long term fix as long at they don't get past the minimum thickness. If you rotors beyond the minimum thickness, then they could warp due to normal heat.

A dragging brake pad, slide pin, stick caliper piston could cause your rotors to heat excessively. Hitting a puddle of water when the rotor is hot can also cause them to warp.

It sounds like you need your brakes inspected/serviced to make sure they aren't the cause of your problem. A good independent shop can also handle this type of service.

 

There are two reasons for rotors getting warped. One is from excessive overheating of the rotors due to either the slide pins getting stuck or the caliper piston getting stuck.

The other is from the hub getting bent from hitting a curb or a pothole.

The way to check is to get a lateral run out gauge and to mount it near the rotor after pulling the caliper and torquing the lug nuts down against the rotor and to check for lateral run out on the rotor. When you find the area that has run out, you will use a marker and mark the rotor over the area that has the run out. Then pull the rotor and make sure to mark the hub where the marks are on the rotor. Then test the hub for lateral run out. Because the hub is smaller than the rotor, the lateral run out on the hub will be less because the radius from the center is shorter than the center of the rotor to the outside, but if you find the lateral run out is the same then you know the hub is bent and you will need to replace the hub as well.

Also, if you know the caliper piston is not seized and the caliper slide pins are not bad then it's almost surely the hub that is bent then you can just measure the rotors and see which one has more than .001 of run out. Ideally you want .000 of run out, but if you had up to .001 on one side you can measure the other side to see if the other side is the culprit. If it's me, I would replace any hub that had any runout over .000 on the face of the rotor.

If the hub is bent and you don't replace the hub, no matter how many times you replace the rotor, when you torque down the wheel the runout on the bent hub will continue to bend the rotor after a few miles of use and after the rotor has warmed up. It will continue doing it.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...l+run+out+test

 

There is a third way of warping rotors; incorrectly torquing the lug nuts/bolts.