[Ag96]

I have a 2005 Silverado with about 31000 miles on it. Recently, I have noticed the front end will shake when braking and had the local shop check the brakes while rotating the tires. They said the rotors are warped and there is not enough tolerance left to machine them.

I know brake pads are not covered under warranty, but has anyone had any luck getting the dealer to replace rotors under warranty. I have had several chevy trucks and none have needed brake pads, much less rotors, this early on. It seems like a defect to me. I just do normal city driving and occasionally pull an atv.

Most quotes from brake shops are around $275-$375 for new front rotors and pads. Does this seem reasonable?

Could there be any other brake problems that would lead to the rotors wearing so quickly?

 

[Haute Pursuit]

They probably got wet when they were hot. Did you drive thru any standing water before you felt them shimmy? $275 sounds a little pricey to me. The last time my Suburban needed rotors it was cheaper to buy them at Autozone new than to turn them... they were around $28 a piece if I remember right and about the same for the GM pads.

 

[ShadMan]

You can do them yourself for about $100 or you can pay about $250 for a shop to do them. Rotors are so cheap now that they are considered disposable. I stopped having them turned a while back. Rotors are considered normal wear-and-tear items, and with 31k miles on them, it is unlikely you will get the dealer to do anything besides maybe give you a 10% discount on your new set, bringing them closer to what a non-dealer shop would charge. They normally get warped by extreme braking or by driving through a large water puddle when they are hot. I've had one time that a dealer agreed to replace the rotors free, and that was a set that wore out in under 10k miles and I showed them that there were hard spots throughout the entire rotor causing them to fail prematurely. They didn't give in easily, though. They turned the rotor all the way down until they were out of spec trying to get past the hard spots so they could tell me they were my fault.

 

[bobber]

I just had a basic brake job on my 2003 Chevy HD Silverado at 148,000 miles on truck, and it pulls my boat to around allot, and allot of highway time. Total price $379 bucks for all four, and turned the rotors. The brake pads were 50% worn. Im bragging, not complaining.!! Something may not been right on yours.

 

[Ag96]

They probably got wet when they were hot. Did you drive thru any standing water before you felt them shimmy?

I have been driving through standing water now since February around here :wink: Seriously though, it is a 4x4 with 285's so I haven't been through anything that would reach the rotors as far as I can remember.

That is kinda what I figured on GM not replacing them under warranty. Good idea on doing them myself. Would this involve bleading the brake lines as well? Not sure I have the tools to do that.

 

[Haute Pursuit]

You should just need normal hand tools and a big C clamp to depress the calipers. If you don't have the clamp you can use mine. Probably don't have to bleed the brakes if they don't already need it...you don't have to take the lines loose.

 

[Too Tall]

You should just need normal hand tools and a big C clamp to depress the calipers.

Take the reservoir cap off and screw the C clamp in slowly on the caliper so you don't shoot brake fluid everywhere.

 

[Freshwaterman]

I've heard it is not good to push the brake fluid back up into the system if you have anti-lock brakes. just break the bleeder screw loose and use a c clamp to force the fluid out at the caliper. then close bleeder screw. After your done check master cylinder and top off if neccessary and very slowly depress the brake pedal while the engine is running, to set the calipers to the rotor.

 

[ShadMan]

I've always just taken the cap off the brake fluid reservoir and used a C-clamp to slowly push the caliper back in. As long as you do not disconnect the brake fluid line from the caliper, there is no need to bleed the brake system. I've done on at least 10 different vehicles. When you are done, make sure you pump the brakes several times with the engine on before you back out of your driveway. Not doing that was a mistake I only made once.

 

[rotordriver]

If you don't have a Chev HD and you got 31000 miles out of your brakes you have done pretty good. If you do have a HD this mileage isn't very good. If these rotors have never been turned you should be able to turn them at least once. You do not have to bleed the brakes to replace the pads, just loosen the cap on the reservoir and use a c clamp to push the piston back in the caliper.

 

[curtis provenzano]

I Am A Auto Tech. Brakes On Your Chevy With Normal Driving Can Go From 60000 To 80000 Miles. I Know This Because I Raerly Have A Chance To Do The Brakes On A Chevy P/u. As For Your Rotors There Sould Be Plenty Of Meat Left On Them,to Be Turned. After 1999 1/2 Ton Rotors Were Made Oversized.for Better Stopping. P.s. I Work For A Dealer

 

[grayfish]

Just a note. Improper wheel lug nut torque can and will cause rotor warp.

 

[KillaHookset]

Most 1/2 Ton Chevy 2000 and up seem to get every bit of 100K out of the OEM front brakes. It seems like indeed a problem with warped rotors due to something being defective stuck caliper and or abused very hot going through deep water.
Now if it were your parking brake umm...well I dont think they every fixed that one.

 

[Big Daddy]

I doubt your rotors are not able to be turned, sounds like the place that told you that was trying to sell you a set of rotors...

 

[Jake]

I would take it to a dealership and have them check it out if you're still under warranty. Most of the time if you give them hell about it they'll either cover it or just charge labor if they say it's not warranty.

 

[Blackgar]

On a system with ABS, do not ever push old fluid back into the system, block the brake line, open the bleeder, then push the piston back. It doesn't happen often, but you really don't want to buy a new ABS control valve. As far as warped rotors go, this is a very common problem for people that have their tires rotated frequently. Most of the tire shops don't use a torque wrench to reinstall wheels. Dont believe a "torque stick" on an impact is the same as using a torque wrench.

 

[Ag96]

I doubt your rotors are not able to be turned, sounds like the place that told you that was trying to sell you a set of rotors...

You might be right about that.

I would take it to a dealership and have them check it out if you're still under warranty. Most of the time if you give them hell about it they'll either cover it or just charge labor if they say it's not warranty.

That is what I plan to do next and if they won't cover anything, I will just do them myself.

Thanks for the tips and responses.

 

[TOOEXTREME]

2005 Chevy Truck Brakes

I just got my 2005 1/2 ton Z71 back from the dealer and I had a brake problem. I told them about it when it had 15,000 miles on the truck and they said the truck was ok. Now it has 29,000 miles on the truck. They turned the rotors but would not replace the pads. So I spent sunday morning replacing the pads. If I had not replaced the pads it was going to grove the rotors again with the old pads. When I looked at the old pads you could see metal imbedded in the pad and it was in the same grove area as before. Check your rotor run out it should be .001 or less after they are turned or if you have to put new rotors on your truck check the run out on the new rotors.

 

[Ag96]

I just got my 2005 1/2 ton Z71 back from the dealer and I had a brake problem. I told them about it when it had 15,000 miles on the truck and they said the truck was ok. Now it has 29,000 miles on the truck.

That pretty much is my situation. I have taken the truck in 2 other times for other maintenance/warranty work and each time they said nothing was wrong with the braking system. Since this is documented, maybe I can get them to do something but I am still not expecting much.

 

[Dani California]

The 28 dollar autozone rotors are cheap that is for sure. They warp easily too. Spend a little more to get a quality rotor...that will help. Water on a hot rotor will warp it. I had the same problem and when I stepped up to the higher quality rotor they stopped warping.

Biggie