VRGNCD5

You guys remember a couple months back I got into an accident? Well, if you don't, I rear ended a full size Chevy 2500 on Business 80 here in Sac and it was due to glazed/warped pads/rotors. I had a bad shimmy when braking at freeway speeds and a god awful squeaking sound when breaking at all times. I told myself I wouldn't put my car back on the road until I got the bodywork done(all done except the front bumper which has a chunk the size of a flowmaster exhaust tip taken out of it ) and got the brakes fixed. Well, I didn't quite do that. As soon as I got the bodywork done it was back on the road. I just learned not to tailgate and give myself plenty of cushion between the driver in front of me and my car. I finally got the rotors replaced today, and he vented the brake pads(put the slot in the center of it running from top to bottom) to alleviate any squealing and help prevent overheating when braking. He tried to get me though, when I called up, he said $65 to do the work(I provided the parts) Then when it came time to pay, it was $65 EACH. After going back and forth with him for about 10 minutes(and him making a phone call to his boss), we finally came to terms, and no I didn't have to go to the ATM to get more money either:thumbup: Now I'm kinda worried that he's gonna do something to my car since he's got my address and I walked out of there paying significantly less than he wanted me to pay, he wasn't very happy about it but like I told him, Im not gonna pay for his mistake. I asked him 2 times if it was gonna be $65, he said yes both times, he meant each though, but didn't say that to me. I hope nothing happens to my car now:ugh:

usc

dunno. there are a couple things i wouldn't cheap out on. one of them is brakes. it's kind of like going to a restaurant and then arguing with them about price. you'll find a nice surprise.

that venting the brake pad sounds fishy. the amount of surface area increased by doing so would be so insignificant. you just end up removing friction material. the heat comes from the rotors being too hot.

VRGNCD5

I didn't cheap out on anything. Did I forget to mention that the price issue didn't come up until the work was done? That being said, your resturaunt analogy is null and void As for the venting the brake pad:dunno: I know it doesn't increase surface area, it just allows better ventillation which will hopefully decrease the heat. And we all know what cooler brakes means

usc

i still say that "venting" the brake pads sound fishy. you will still glaze the pad because the rotors get too hot. which, in turn glaze the rotors. need to get slotted rotors if glazing was a concern of yours.

crucial Si

i have glazzed rotors i think...how can i tell?

VRGNCD5

I hear ya, I just hope it works out. I know all about glazed rotors, that's why I got in my accident. I just bought new rotors so I think I'll be fine for a little bit, if glazing becomes a problem, I will resurface the rotors and scuff the pads, doesn't cost too much to do. I wanted some slotted rotors, but I couldn't find any for less than $50ea and I needed brakes in a bad way and didn't have the $ to get them, maybe next time.

VRGNCD5

do you get a shimmy when you brake at high speeds? is it taking longer for your car to slow down than it once did? are you getting a god awful squealing sound when braking? All of these things are warning signs, look at the rotors too, see if they are shiny, if they are 9 times out of 10 you have glazed rotors.

crucial Si

they are shiny as a mofo...all 4 of mine are...but theyve always looked that way since feb when i bought the car...what are they suppost to look like

VRGNCD5

im no mechanic, I just remember what mine looked like when the dude at the brake shop pulled off my wheel and checked em out. He brought me into the bay to show me what's up and explained the whole glazed rotors/pads thing to me. I would take it to a brake shop that does free inspections and get an expert opinion, I went to Brake Masters and they were great. They didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need, they did a thorough inspection and told me exactly how much life was left on my pads, how thick my the useable surface was on my rotors, and even adjusted my e-brake, all for free. I was very impressed with them. In any case, that's what I would do if I was you. Good luck.