Dealership issues

[Txoverland]

Dropped off my LC200 at the dealer, second time this week for brake issues. Couple of days ago they claimed front rotors were warped so they milled them. I picked it up and I noticed a improvement in the braking initially, until they heated up after the first couple of stops, then a hard shake in the steering wheel upon normal braking. I dropped it back off tonight to be looked at tomorrow. When I dropped it off the service guy looked at my key fob and said, “wow, never seen one like that”. I didn’t know what to say. Is this a LC phenomenon? I understand they only sell a 3-4K a year but not a lot of confidence that there is a tech back there that knows wtf a LC is. Brakes are no mystery system they need to get it right this time, can’t wait to see what they try to charge me.

 

[ceb]

What year and how many miles?

 

[bloc]

New rotors, TRD pads, and important for ANY brakes on something this big, avoid sitting still after a stop from freeway speeds or above which transfers pad material to the rotors unevenly. Rotors almost never “warp.”

 

[krice118]

New rotors, TRD pads, and important for ANY brakes on something this big, avoid sitting still after a stop from freeway speeds or above which transfers pad material to the rotors unevenly. Rotors almost never “warp.”

Can you elaborate on "avoiding sitting still after a stop......?

 

[Whiskerz]

New rotors, TRD pads, and important for ANY brakes on something this big, avoid sitting still after a stop from freeway speeds or above which transfers pad material to the rotors unevenly. Rotors almost never “warp.”

Have you ever put a rotor on a lathe ? They most certainly do warp. Turning rotors would not exist if warping was not a problem. I would love to see a picture of pad material transferred to a rotor in one area and not another. Those would have to be some really cheap pads like Mighty brand.

 

[rockcruiser915]

Had a similar issue with my brakes as well... 2018 with +30k miles. I first considered resurfacing the OEM rotors and going with TRD pads. My local dealership quoted me $160 for the TRD pads. Then they quoted $500 for a front end brake job with OEM pads, not TRD.

Owning a 200 usually eliminates any assertions of the "cheap guy" label. But after getting a quote for front brakes at $600ish (which is absolutely ridiculous for a one-hour-max job to me), I started considering other options. Called for quotes from the usual suspects and a couple of local shops as well, $450-$550 for the job. Nope. Still too steep IMHO. I mean really-we are talking about a brake job here. Rotors, pads, turning a wrench. Not anything complicated.

Opened up the trusty Amazon app and started looking for options. Before long, I found a front end brake kit offered by Power Stop. Drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic pads: $198 delivered. Now we're talking my language. Reviews were pretty good, but not stellar. I figured what the hell, let's give it a run. If it works out, awesome. If not, I still have my OEM rotors to resurface and I could use the pads that came with the kit....so I swiped the finger to the right.

Two days later I get a nice big box containing the goods. It was like Christmas in the summer. I also used the cash I saved from going with the Power Stop kit to pick up a descent floor jack and a Milwaukee impact driver. The new tools made changing out the rotors and pads a breeze.

How did it come out? Phenomenal. Really. I made sure to follow the break-in instructions to the letter. The new rotors and pads eliminated all the vibrations and brake "grabbing" I was experiencing. Performance wise, they are a significant improvement over stock. Responsiveness and braking distance both improved noticeably over OEM. And yes, they look pretty damn good too...

Long story short: You may want to consider taking care of those brakes yourself before allowing the local Mr. T to gape you for a cool $500 bucks...

 

[Sac Cerevisiae]

Have you ever put a rotor on a lathe ? They most certainly do warp. Turning rotors would not exist if warping was not a problem. I would love to see a picture of pad material transferred to a rotor in one area and not another. Those would have to be some really cheap pads like Mighty brand.

See attached article by racing legend, race car builder, engineer, author etc. etc. Carol Smith. Warped rotors are more likely heavy break deposits from sitting on the breaks hard during stops.

www.CarrollSmith.com -- Carroll Smith -- The Official Internet Site for Carroll Smith Books

 

[bloc]

Have you ever put a rotor on a lathe ? They most certainly do warp. Turning rotors would not exist if warping was not a problem. I would love to see a picture of pad material transferred to a rotor in one area and not another. Those would have to be some really cheap pads like Mighty brand.

When you cut a rotor you are indirectly solving the pulsating brake issue, but it’s not because you are straightening the disk.

I’ll let the experts speak: https://www.apcautotech.com/getmedi..._Whitepaper_B1-Warped-Brake-Disc-8-2018_1.pdf

Can you elaborate on "avoiding sitting still after a stop......?

The above white paper is a good reference on what happens with a brake system, but the important part here is that all disk brake pads leave a thin layer of material on the rotor surface.. they are designed to do so.

Now imagine stopping hard from 80mph in a heavy vehicle like a 200 and sitting there with the pads clamped against a rotor disk, both parts quite hot. You now have one spot of the rotor that will not radiate or convect significant heat away, but the rest will. Plus, that pad clamped against the rotor is (in relative terms) dumping pad material onto the rotor surface.

Boom. Uneven pad deposits.

So what I do is when possible (non emergency) I leave enough room in front of me to slowly creep forward, hopefully until the light cycles, letting the pads keep moving on the rotor surface. A middle ground when the road is flat is come to a stop, put the trans in Neutral, and reduce braking pressure which will reduce pad transfer. Doesn’t help much with uneven rotor cooling though.


The other implication of the above white paper is pulsating brakes can often be fixed by getting the brakes good and hot, which should redistribute the pad material on the rotor surface. Something along the lines of the process for bedding in new brakes. Do so safely!

 

[krice118]

@bloc thanks for the info! Learn something new everyday

 

[40Man]

I've noticed a lot of new cars put thinner rotors on. The factory rotors on the LC are heavy and thick. Can generally be turned a couple of times. That said, if I gut pulsing, I generally just replace the rotors and pads and start fresh. I got into this habit owning solid front axle trucks, which is a process to get the rotors off. While their off, just put new ones on...

Rotors are fairly inexpensive, and if you do your own maintenance, it saves you a trip or two to have your old rotors turned with your truck sitting on jack stands.

Agree with @bloc, I've always tried to drive this way, especially when coming down a steep hill with hot brakes. And when I do have to come to a stop, I try to leave enough room to slowly creep forward and not keep on any spot too long. Although we are probably in the minority, and pulsing brakes on the 200 isn't a huge problem...