BRAKE SERVICE - ADVICE NEEDED

It's not rocket surgery to inspect them. If the rotors have enough meat and you can find a decent shop who'll do a competent job just machine them. These days it's a lot easier. Back before unit wheel bearings you'd have to disassemble the hub to get the rotors off.



For reference when you ask your mechanic to tell you pad thickness.



Just my $0.02 but the comparison should be OEM rotors for price. I've not had good luck with aftermarket rotors and drums personally. So I'd turn them if I could over cheap rotors.

Either way it's better to either have them resurfaced or replace with new rotors when you put on new pads so that the two surfaces re-bed themselves and stay parallel. Not doing so is a bit of a gamble, sometimes it works fine, sometimes you have glazing or warping that needed to be cleaned.

 

I'm of the opposite sentiment. I'd rather have a cheap new thick rotor than a carved up thin one.

Callahan rotors have far outlasted the OEM on mine. I paid ~$150 bucks for whole set of pads and rotors.

 

3rd gen?

 

Yes.

I just looked, the price has gone down - $138 now

 

Can't beat that, in theory.

 

I had a front braking vibration on my factory brakes at 40K miles. Normally, I like to stick with OEM but went with PowerStop two years ago and very happy with them. Since I do all my maintenance myself I just get a brake kit which comes with new rotors and pads. Here is the PowerStop kit I bought.

$192 Power Stop Brake Kit For 2007-2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2005-2022 Toyota Tacoma 6 Lug, 2003-2009 4Runner 12.56" Rotors - Front Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads & Drilled Slotted Rotors Replacement, K137

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Stop-K...21317--8-1---1&vehicleName=2016+Toyota+Tacoma

 

I don't know first hand about Callahan brand. They may be fine. I'd also take almost any new rotor over a used factory one that was machined poorly.

Toyota brake parts from Japan are to my knowledge made by Akebono or Sumitomo but Toyota probably uses a State-side supplier for Tacoma, so the rotors are Advics or someone like that. Buying a U.S.-made or Japanese-made aftermarket rotor is quite possibly the same part in a non-Toyota box. There aren't that many actual manufacturers after all.

So yeah, it's a hunk of machined iron so a quality part is a quality part. It's the Chinese pot metal junk I really suggest you avoid. That's more what I had in mind.

But you're also being a little over dramatic. The difference between a new rotor and serviceable minimum thickness is 2mm. You're taking off thousandths. Rotors have been run on lathes since Moses was an apprentice machinist, it's not magic. When you get to real critical users they'd even machine a brand new slug from the box just so they know for certain the faces are consistent and parallel to the right thickness. That's not necessary for a truck or really anything not a Ferrari of course.

 

That became painfully evident when "carved up" got thrown out there..

 

Heat seasoned metal shouldn't warp again, unless it's really poor quality steel.

 

Also what we call warped isn't always exactly a warp, as in a rotor that is actually wavy. It's not impossible to actually warp a rotor but unlikely with good steel. When rotors truly warp it might not even be an option to turn them.

Most of the time warped just means the rotor faces aren't flat any more from a little bit of pad material being left on the surface. So if you turn them you don't have to take off much base material, just all the glazing. You can often get much of the same benefit with Scotchbrite pads cleaning the rotors.

https://alconkits.com/blogs/news/the-real-truth-about-warped-brake-rotors

 

Changed mine to SOS Performance 6 pistons

 

Problem with Callahan is they don't have a guarantee on the box.

 

They're a Power Stop brand. Check with them.

 

I think you missed the Tommy Boy joke lol

 

I got spare time

 

Oh no, I got it. Power Stop uses it as an actual brand. I don't know if it's an economy imprint or the same stuff in a funny box, but they're out there.

 

A lot of folks commenting are driving older trucks. I've had an '03 and an '09. I now have a 2018. Your going to spend money twice if you turn the 3rd gen rotors. The guy at the dealership was actually telling you the truth. If your due for brakes, replace the rotors and pads. Go with what you want OEM or after market. I went with PowerStop like the thread a few posts up and am very happy.

My brakes started to vibrate the front end at about 43K. I went and got the rotors turn and the pads replaced at a reputable shop. They were ok at first but the vibration came back worse than ever. I spend about $200 on that brake job only to spend another $185 on a set of PoweStop rotors and pads. I did the job myself (Very easy if your mechanically inclined) in about an hour. I also replaced the rears about a week later. The rears were rusting up more than I liked and 1 of the drums cracked when I tried to inspect them. Glad I replaced them.

BTW on my '03 almost 100Kmiles never touched either front or rears. On my '09 just over 100Kmiles and only replaced the front pads 1 time. Never touched the rotors or drums. These 3rd Gens are different

 

YEEEESSSSSS

 

if it makes you feel any better, I'm on 206k miles on my 2009 and haven't replaced rotors yet. i have a set ready to replace, just haven't done it

 

At the end of the day, it's less about what your mechanic wants to do and more about what you want to do.
Can you pad slap sometimes and get away with no issues? Sure
Can you resurface a rotor and fuck it up and wish you just replaced it? Sure

There's sooo many things that can cause brake issues. Sometimes it's driver error, mechanic/install error, cheap parts, etc..

A mechanic (like me) is always going to lean toward replacing pads and rotors together because they don't want to have to go back in there for any reason. It's easier to guarantee the entire job when you do both. Fix it once and be done. If you start cutting corners it opens the door for unhappy customers.

If I do the pads by themselves and then something starts squeaking, it's easier for the customer to blame me or the pads even though it should have gotten rotors all along. These are people that may not know as much about how brakes work as we do in here.. Is it a squeak, a groan, a vibration? Who knows. It'll make noise for a week straight and then not make a peep as soon as they bring the car in. What am I looking for?

It comes down to how much risk you are willing to take on. A mechanic is going to minimize the chances of a comeback as much as possible.

Customers that are handy with tools and want to try and save a few bucks? Have at it..