BRAKE SERVICE - ADVICE NEEDED

[youcanrunnaked]

At last service (5K miles ago, at 46K miles) my dealer’s service advisor said our 2021 Tacoma TRD OR needed brakes. They work fine, so I assume he meant the front pad material was getting to the service limit. (He didn’t mention the rear brakes, specifically.) This would be the first brake service from new.

He quoted a price that I don’t remember but seemed high. When I questioned it, he explained that with “these trucks” they recommend replacing pads and rotors at the same time. When I asked about turning the rotors, he said they don’t recommend it, because when they’ve done it their customers complain about vibration when braking.

I thought this advice was excessive. My understanding is that if you keep ahead of brake pad wear, when you replace pads you inspect the rotors and if they look fine, pads alone is fine; if the rotors are scored or cruddy, you can cut the rotors (1 or 2x, depending on original rotor thickness and how much turning is necessary), which is less expensive than replacing them. So my questions are:

Is it always necessary to service or replace the rotors when replacing worn brake pads?

Are the third gen brakes prone to vibrate if the rotors are turned? Or am I being hustled?

How much should the necessary service cost?

As for the rear brakes, I have no idea. It’s been a long time since I owned a car with drum brakes. How long do the rear brake shoes generally last?

What does servicing the rear brakes consist of and what should that cost?

Oh, and what about changing the brake fluid?

I appreciate any help.

 

[Tomahawk Dog]

At last service (5K miles ago, at 46K miles) my dealer’s service advisor said our 2021 Tacoma TRD OR needed brakes. They work fine, so I assume he meant the front pad material was getting to the service limit. (He didn’t mention the rear brakes, specifically.) This would be the first brake service from new.

He quoted a price that I don’t remember but seemed high. When I questioned it, he explained that with “these trucks” they recommend replacing pads and rotors at the same time. When I asked about turning the rotors, he said they don’t recommend it, because when they’ve done it their customers complain about vibration when braking.

I thought this advice was excessive. My understanding is that if you keep ahead of brake pad wear, when you replace pads you inspect the rotors and if they look fine, pads alone is fine; if the rotors are scored or cruddy, you can cut the rotors (1 or 2x, depending on original rotor thickness and how much turning is necessary), which is less expensive than replacing them. So my questions are:

Is it always necessary to service or replace the rotors when replacing worn brake pads?

Are the third gen brakes prone to vibrate if the rotors are turned? Or am I being hustled?

How much should the necessary service cost?

As for the rear brakes, I have no idea. It’s been a long time since I owned a car with drum brakes. How long do the rear brake shoes generally last?

What does servicing the rear brakes consist of and what should that cost?

Oh, and what about changing the brake fluid?

I appreciate any help.

Rear drum brakes can last a very long time!
Front pad replacement is a case by case if you need the rotors,....... watch a few of these.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheCarCareNut/search?query=tacoma%20brakes

 

[drizzoh]

I would tend to agree with the service administrator there. Should replace pads and rotors at the same time because more often than not they'll warp quickly after being turned. Seems really soon for the front brakes to need replacing already though, and rears generally last ~150k miles. If you really do need your brakes done, they're very easy to do yourself and I have my front OEM take-off's with 800 miles on them available for sale (needed upgrading after going to bigger tires), but they probably won't be worth it to ship (shoot me a PM if interested and in AZ though). Most people don't check themselves so it would be best to check and inspect them yourself to check the pad life and make sure the pads are wearing evenly. If they dealer didn't pull your wheels off during the service, then they have no way to tell if the brakes were good, they're probably just going based off of mileage and trying to generate revenue.

Brake fluid has a lifespan of 3y / 36k miles so it should be flushed often, and always when doing a brake job if past that timeframe.

 

[Mike Z]

If that dealer says that their customers complain of vibration and shaking steering wheel while braking right after the rotors were turned maybe their lathe has issues. The shaft must have no wobble and the mounting surface on the lathe and the back of the rotor must be free of crud. I once had a parts store with a machine shop turn the front rotors on my Solara and they made them worse. I measured 0.003" runout before cutting and again after mounting and one of them was now 0.005".
If your rotors are reasonably close to the original thickness and they are not scored too deeply and not much runout you can usually turn them with 1 fine cut and your good to go. As long as you have 0.030" above the discard limit you can cut them. May places want to do 2 or 3 passes on the lathe as standard procedure and you end up close to the limit and they warp quicker. Lately the only rotors I've replaced never got machined because the magnesium slop they spray on the roads makes them rust severely and you have to replace them. Most mechanics don't use a dial indicator to check the runout. Getting rotors when you need pads does have the advantage of quicker wear in since you are starting with a smooth flat surface but the rotors add a lot to the cost.

 

[MikeB]

I would think that rotor replacement would be based on the results of the rotor inspection. Are they checked, discolored, worn thinner than the recommended wear limit? I do not think that replacing the rotors because the pads need replacing is a valid reason for replacement.

 

[RevN3]

I always do both at the same time as I buy them from RockAuto and do all the work myself it's not terribly expensive.

 

[MikeB]

Hmmm... Interesting. I too prefer to do my own work. I'll look it up in RockAuto but in the mean time, how much do the rotors run normally?

On a different note, I see you are in Eugene. Been there long? I graduated high school there in 1968. Yeah, I know, I'm old....

 

[RevN3]

Hmmm... Interesting. I too prefer to do my own work. I'll look it up in RockAuto but in the mean time, how much do the rotors run normally?

On a different note, I see you are in Eugene. Been there long? I graduated high school there in 1968. Yeah, I know, I'm old....

Since about '96 with a few years down in Roseburg. Moved to Astoria in '87 so I've been in state for awhile.

RockAuto is a very retro website but it's the best place to get auto parts on the internet, or at least the best place to research them. I just bought a set of 4 rotors for my daughters Rav4 that cost me $150 and change.

 

[MikeB]

Rock Auto has been one of my goto places for car parts. They have been good to me so far.

There are so many different levels of parts there. Brake rotors for instance, there is Daily Driver, Premium, Economy, Fully Coated and Heavy Duty. Lots to choose from. Personally, I think I would go with brand names like Wagner or Raybestos in the particular flavor deemed necessary.

All that said, looks like the Wagner Daily Driver rotor and pad set for under $70 would be the way to go for my 2023 when needed. Seems really inexpensive considering there are two rotors and four pads that come in the kit.

I don't know what his mechanic quoted for price, he did not say, but if a guy does the work himself, $70 is a killer price. The original poster needs to look at getting his/or her hands dirty.

 

[Tomahawk Dog]

OEM is cheaper than you think

$250 for OEM shipped to your door is pretty good.