How to Know When You Should Replace Your Brake Rotors

How to Know When You Should Replace Your Brake Rotors
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The brake discs or rotors work in conjunction with the brake pads to slow the rotation of the wheels when we hit the brake pedal and make our vehicle brake.

It is important to keep the braking system in good shape and make the necessary adjustments. It is therefore important to know how you can tell when to change the brake discs and to do this when it is necessary.

Steps to follow:
1

First, know that there is no standard interval of time for changing the brake discs. It depends on many factors such as the type of car, use/misuse of the brakes, type of driving, whether driving is on the dual carriageway or in the city, etc. All of these factors affect the disc wear, so you will have to change them sooner or later.

2

All brake rotors have a minimum thickness limit which is marked on the disc. When this minimum is passed then they must be replaced. This information can be found in the vehicle manual and if the side of the brake disc is less than this limit, it will have to be replaced.

You'll notice it's thinning down when your car shakes when you brake.

3

There are also times you should change the brake disks despite not having reached the limit of thickness.

For example, you may need to replace them if the discs are scratched, most commonly due to excessive friction from worn brake pads. You can tell that the brake discs are scratched when you hear a noise when braking.

4

It is also possible for brake discs to become deformed from overheating or even change color, so they must be replaced. This usually happens when Rotors are worn down and become too thin, and the heat produced under braking causes them to become warped. You will know to this has happened if when braking, you feel an abnormal vibration in the steering wheel.

5

In more extreme cases, the cracking or breaking of the brake disc can also occur from excessive wear or oxidation.

This is not as common, but can occur and will definitely result in you needing to replace the brake rotors.

6

It's necessary to periodically check the condition of the brake discs and perform check-ups on braking performance every 10,000 to 30,000 km.

7

Note that when the brake discs are changed, you will also need to change of brake pads. Conversely, its perfectly fine to replace the pads but not the discs, as brake pads wear out faster than rotors.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Know When You Should Replace Your Brake Rotors, we recommend you visit our Car Maintenance and Repair category.