i just got my rotors resurfaced and brake pads changed to the hawk pads but after they did everything the brake pedal seems to vibrate significantly I dont know whats wrong help! is it the pads

 

Not an answer to your problem, but here's my brake story.

I have 26,000 km (16,000 miles) on my car. When I took it in for the 24,000 km maintenance, the dealer told me that my pads needed to be replaced (around 10% left). Price: $299 + tax which includes machining the rotors

Did a bit of research and learned that aftermarket pads (like Hawk) would last longer, have less dust residue on the wheels without sacrificing stopping power. But, my Nissan dealer won't install anything other than OEM so I had to find an independent shop to do the work. I was quoted $195 (saving $100) so seemed like a no-brainer.

I took it there this morning and just got a call from the shop. The owner/mechanic tells me that the rotors are at the machine shop and they have advised that if they proceed with machining the rotors, they will be thinner than spec which can have dire consequences (eg. cracking, warping, loss in stopping power). Their recommendation is to replace the rotors as (at $120 each). Although they would deduct the machining cost - $45(as the new ones wouldn't need machining), it's still a bit of a shocker $195 + $240 - $45 = $390 (vs. $195 that I thought I was going to pay initially).

Did anybody else have to replace their rotors within 20,000 miles?

 

Why are you having your rotors turned if you changed pads with plenty of pad left? Ive never had to machine the rotors for any reason other than wearing the pad out and scorring the rotor with the caliper.

 

I was advised by both my Nissan dealership and the independent shop that I should have my rotors machined when I have the pads replaced (is this not typical?) I figured since both gave the advice, it must be normal.

I ended up taking it to the independent shop (Dave is the owner). Dave was referred by a friend so I wouldn't expect him to try and pull a scam. Dave doesn't have the equipment to machine the rotors so he sends them out and charges $45 for the service (included in his $195 quote)

When the machining place got my rotors and measured, they found that the width of my rotors was already down to spec and if they machined them, my rotors would be narrower than spec. Dave offered me the option of doing it anyway, but warned that problems could arise with skinny rotors (eg. cracking, warping) that could prove dangerous and much more expensive to fix down the road. When asked, Dave admitted that it is early for me to replace my rotors, and blamed it on the OEM pads which apparently wear down the rotors faster. I don't think I am very hard on my brakes, but I do drive mostly in the city (80%) so I would expect my brakes to be used more than most.

Unfortunately, I am at their mercy as I do not have the facilities nor the knowledge to check these things out for myself.

Just thought I'd check here to see if anybody else has had similar experience or whether I was just taken to the cleaners.

 

Just following up after a year and a half on the new brake pads.

They are awesome. I didn't notice any difference in the stopping power, but they have VERY LITTLE brake dust. With my stock Nissan pads, I had to wash the wheels every week or they would look filthy. If I happen to be in lazy mode, and leave my car unwashed for 3 or 4 weeks, there's still almost no brake dust on the wheels.

I also think they will last significantly longer. I just had it in for a tune-up and the dealership service advisor reported that my front brake pads are almost new. This is after about 15,000 kms.

 

Unless you have already had your rotors turned they should not be too thin to turn. Only a couple thousanth's will be taken off the rotor. You don't need new rotors with 20,000 miles on the car.

 

My car has 62K miles and I just replaced the brake pads once with HAWK HPS. I wanted to resurface the rotors, but a friend said I don't have to and my rotors look fine. So we just replaced the pads and everything is fine. Didn't have to resurface at all, much less change the rotors.

If you are feeling vibrations when you brake then you probably got a bad resurface job or the rotors are too thin. Irregularities in the surface should be causing your vibration. The cheapest solution would be to find some used 350z brake rotors that haven't been resurfaced and change them out.

 

vibrating brakes means a warped rotor, or uneven deposits on the rotor.

My guess is they didn't do the best job resurfacing...

for best results at this point, get new rotors