Brake Rotor Reviews:

If you own a car, odds are you will have to replace the brade pads at some point. Brake pads wear out over time simply because each time you 'hit the brakes' the pads wear down a bit. What about the brake rotors? How do you know when the brake rotor has gone bad? Sometimes you may hear a 'squealing' sound when you hit your cars brakes. Other times it make sound like metal on metal rubbing. You will not know for sure until the wheels have been removed and you can visually inspect the brake rotor under each wheel. Unless you know what to look for, we suggest leaving this type of repair to the a car repair professional. As you will see below, the replacement costs for brake rotors can vary greatly from repair shop to repair shop, so get estimates and even consider buying the parts yourself and letting your mechanic do the labor to save a few bucks. I recently had to get all 4 of my brake rotos replaced on our 2002 Mercedes S430 and it was over $700 (for parts and labor).



Brake Rotor Replacement Cost - There are a few schools of thought on how to fix brake rotors. Some mechanics opt to try and resurface the rotors and get rid of grooves or 'scoring'. Sometimes machining the surface of the brake rotors will allow you to keep them and not have to replace them. We found several shops in our area that will resurface your rotors for $30/each. More than likely though, you will need to get new brake rotors if they are warped or too thin. The manufacturer specifications on each rotor also come into play. Have your local machine shop or brake repair place measure the rotor thickness - if they are too thin - replace them. Can I replace just one brake rotor? The general rule of thumb when it comes to rotors is that you replace them in pairs. Each rotor will run you between $35 and $150, depending on car make and model. Labor will add an additional $100 or more. The front brake rotors tend to be more expensive than the back rotors. I paid an additional 33% for the front pair compared to the back. Sport slotted rotors will also cost more than typical replacement rotors. You can check with your mechanic to see what repair parts they recommend and then do a search on Amazon in their car parts inventory to see what pricing should be. If your repair shop is marking up costs, then buy them yourself and bring them in for the work to be done. Brake pads are much easier to replace - I know several friends that do that work at home - but brake rotors are a bit more technical and should only be worked on by professionals with experience. After all, the braking system on your car is very important for safety reasons, so get brake work done by those that know what they are doing. In terms of general costs and repair prices associated with brake rotors (and pads), we think that http://cars.costhelper.com/brakes.html is a great resource online. They post dozens of individual accounts of repair costs so you can quickly browse their postings to see what your car may cost to get new brake rotors. Browse the best selling brake rotors online here.