Rotor Service at Mark Christopher Auto Center
If your rotors are not replaced when worn down, they can get warped or otherwise damaged and no longer provide a smooth, even surface for the brake pads to grab onto. If not replaced in a timely manner, your brake system may fail to work properly, which can affect your safety. Rotor service in some cases can mean sanding the rotor surfaces or it can mean replacing the rotors and/or pads to provide braking efficiency to keep you, your passengers, and others on the road safe from harm.
How Do I Know If My Rotors Are Bad?
When it comes to your rotors, there are three ways that you can identify rotor issues:
Noise: Squealing or squeaking noises when you apply your brakes can be associated with warped or worn rotors. Rotors that are warped will tend to squeak, while rotors that are badly worn tend to grind. If you are experiencing any of these noises when you apply the brakes, bring your vehicle in to have your brake system evaluated.
Vibrations: It’s not uncommon to feel vibrations coming from your vehicle, and you get used to what those normal vibrations are for your vehicle. When there is a change in the feel of the vibrations, particularly if they occur in your steering wheel or brake pedal when you apply brakes, this can indicate that there is no longer a smooth surface on the rotor for your brake pads to grab onto.
Visual Clues: This is a simple visual inspection of the rotors to look for imperfections. In some vehicles, this can be a problem because you may not be able to see the rotors through the wheel. In spoked wheels, you should be able to do a clear visual inspection of the rotor, but in some vehicles, you need to remove the wheel to perform a clear visual inspection. When you visually inspect the rotors, you are looking for imperfections like grooves, or a bluish sheen. This bluing is caused by damage from heat, usually indicating warped rotors.
