How long should rotors last?

[mintygreen]

Just had our TDi wagon in for it's 60k service, $990 (ouch), service report looks like it was typed by a pre-schooler but the car is running oh so smoothly.

The service guy advised we should book in soon to have new front rotors and pads $620, machine rear discs and new pads $390 installed....

so, how long should rotor last? Is the quote reasonable?

[Mi16 Man]

You are lucky that you managed to get to 60k kms on those original(?) rotors.....Our Pug 307 HDi is on it's 4th set....at 93k kms.

The price is a bit steep. If they fit new ones, no machining is required. Best to fit new pads at the same time also.

[K1W1]

so, how long should rotor last?

Depends entirely on how and where you drive. On one of my Land Rovers I was going through genuine front rotors every 20k (then I fitted non genuine and they lasted about 100k) on our BMW's rotors have typically been replaced around 50-60k.
The rule of thumb is two sets of pads for one pair of rotors.
I checked my front rotors recently and I reckon at this stage I'd be surprised if they need replacing at the 60k service I reckon they will probably get to 75k or thereabouts.

[Nathan_B]

Replaced my front pads @ 60k & machined rotors

Just recently changed all 4 rotors/pads @ 90k

(I do track my car for arguments sake)

[Transporter]

Octavia has quite durable brakes compared to some other VAG models. I wouldn't machine the discs.

[brad]

Pad/rotor wear depends entirely on driver/driving conditions. My rotors are barely lipped & my pads have 7mm friction material left on them at 78,000km. If my wife drove the car, she'd be onto her 3rd set of pads by now because (a) she doesn't look up the road far enough & (b)she drives in stop/start traffic all the time.

60,000km changeover isn't unusual though....

I agree with Transporter. The European discs don't take well to having mass removed via machining. You either bung the new pads onto worn discs & let the pad wear into the disc profile (which means reduced braking performance until it beds properly) or replace the discs.

I think aftermarket pads & rotors are the direction to go. Generally cheaper, longer lasting & good pads will produce less dust.

[Transporter]

Not always brad and not on every car. I replaced quite a few front pads on new Mitsubishi Tritons at only 17,000km
But, it's truth that you can more than double the life of the pads, if you know how to brake (slow down the car effectively).

[jbviajero]

I'm surprised that rotors are going so quickly. In my p-plater days I managed to get through two gear boxes and one diff on an old rwd corolla and it still had original rotors up front (drums on the back) when we sold the car with 240k on the clock. It was in the family from new so I thats how I know the rotors were never replaced, but were machined twice. Pads were replaced more often but I refused machining at each replacement as I decided it was just a ruse to pocket money. My point being that I used the middle pedal as hard as the right pedal and yet the rotors lasted the life of the poor car.

[brad]

Europeans seem to have a philosophy of using soft metal in rotors - even back when i was on the spanners. I have no idea why - anti-squeal / good bite when cold?

The Japanese tended to use a harder metal. The Toyotas of the RWD era were pretty durable for most users.

[Transporter]

I'm surprised that rotors are going so quickly. In my p-plater days I managed to get through two gear boxes and one diff on an old rwd corolla and it still had original rotors up front (drums on the back) when we sold the car with 240k on the clock. It was in the family from new so I thats how I know the rotors were never replaced, but were machined twice. Pads were replaced more often but I refused machining at each replacement as I decided it was just a ruse to pocket money. My point being that I used the middle pedal as hard as the right pedal and yet the rotors lasted the life of the poor car.

Yeh, but how effective was the braking then and what was the stopping distance and time when braking from 100km/h - 0km/h ?

[jbviajero]

True Brad and Transporter, my Octavia definitely stops more quickly. Another point in favour is that the corolla I mentioned weighed about 940kg - almost half a tonne less than the Octavia. That is a lot less mass to work against.

[K1W1]

Europeans seem to have a philosophy of using soft metal in rotors - even back when i was on the spanners. I have no idea why - anti-squeal / good bite when cold?

The Europeans see the rotors and the pads as a combined system that works together and wears together. It generally produces better wet weather braking as well.
The Japanese philosophy is to make the rotors impregnable and only have wear on the pads.

[gldgti]

its also just newer cars generally have softer rotors.... dad's got over 250,000 from the ones on his mk1 GLD, and they were'nt new when he got the car by any means.

I put second hand 280mm front rotors on my mk3, and I replaced them (they were within machining tolerances but it was easier for me to buy new ones) after another 130,000km...who knows how many km they had on them before that.

I think its 80% driving style.

[bobski]

I've had 5 cars for between 60 and 130ks and only replaced brake gear once. That time, I replaced my pads and rotors and went to a third party and got some aftermarket ones. Far, far better than what was on the car (XR6T which was underbraked) and half the price of doing it through the dealer (to their credit they machined the rotors for free).

Given the initial bite of the Octavia's braking, my theory is its pretty soft material on both sides and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm putting some new pads/rotors on before the 80k mark. I suppose it begs the question, has anyone here done over the 100k mark in an octavia without brake replacement?

And the comments on reading the traffic are dead on. Far too many people accelerate and brake with similar gusto and nothing will wear out the wearables faster.

[mintygreen]

If my wife drove the car, she'd be onto her 3rd set of pads by now because (a) she doesn't look up the road far enough & (b)she drives in stop/start traffic all the time.

My wife drives the car 95% of the time in 50/50 freeway/urban and drives moderately 'spirited' (looks nervously over shoulder)

60,000km changeover isn't unusual though....

Ok, so 60-75k change over isn't unreasonable, cool.

I'm keen to try the Remsa pads to cut down brake dust (my pet hate), are DBA rotors much different to OEM for cost/performance/longetivity ?