Brake drums, rotors and lousy parts stores.

Then I asked if they could at least measure the drums and tell me if they were thick enough to use again. The woman at Advance said she didn't know how and that they had nothing to measure them with.

When I said I couldn't believe that, she said "We do have a tape measure, will that work?". And she said she'd been with Advance Auto for 10 years and she's still that incompetent!

The clown at Autozone couldn't find the measuring caliper and was more interested in cutting up with the other two loafers working there. By then I was so ticked off I went and bought a caliper and measured them myself.

So where are we supposed to get drums and rotors turned now? I'm sure not going to but new ones every time I change pads and shoes.

That's incredible! And what kind of auto parts store doesn't have a caliper to measure things?

I need to have a drink.
James

I have heard it is necessary on some of the lighter autos to go even less than the recommended torque.

Most new cars rotors are so thin to begin with, you can't turn them, so every one stocks new rotors these days.

Robert

Consequently, it is not safe to turn them, and nobody wants the liability. It is easier and more profitable for the the suppliers and automakers to force everyone to keep buying new ones.

My mother has been through three sets of rotors in 70,000 miles on her 2000 Buick. Those are AC DElCO parts, and she is NOT hard on brakes.

My newest car is a 91 Cadillac. Now has 170,000 miles on it, and front brakes haven't been touched since 84,000 miles.

Wife has a 99 VW Jetta. Had to replace all four rotors twice now and car has less than 100K on it.

Just my opinion, but the newer stuff is JUNK, and it costs WAY TOO MUCH.

Sorry for the rant.

The reason we are called Technicians now is because the car you drive is ten times more complicated than the machine you are typing on. It is no longer possible to keep throwing parts at a vehicle and see what sticks. The era of the 'part changer' is gone. The training is endless. I don't know about the big three not turning rotors. I have cut rotors and drums on brake jobs since I was in tech school. I spent 3 1/2 years at a Chrysler dealer and we cut rotors/drums on EVERY brake job. I have been a technician for 15 years, and since day one, we place the blame for the cars of today firmly on the shoulders of the engineers who design them. The engineers do not think about these vehicles being servicable. They want to pack more power into a smaller box, make it somewhat safe, and last just long enough to keep people from complaining. The thing I have said for years is still true. They only worry about putting 'em together. They don't care about those of us who have to take them apart..... or those that have to pay for the work. A lot of folks think repair shops charge more and more. That isn't the case. Everytime a car gets more advanced, has more goodies, more power, or a sportier look, it takes more time to work on. Since we technicians get paid by the time it takes to do things, it costs more. Thing is, the tech is usually the one getting rode hard and put away wet. We loose our asses on warrenty time. If the customer pays for a particular job, the tech might get paid for eight hours. If the manufacturer gets to pay the the repair under warrenty, the tech may only get paid 4.2 hours to do the same work. It is still the same job, yet nearly half the pay. Believe it or not, the tech isn't getting it as good as you might think. Sorry for the length, kinda got carried away.

Agree with you as well. I didn't mean to be a dig at GM--I think they are all that way.

They are now making disposable cars and trucks. Everything is disposable--except the PRICE.

They are not a good value in my opinion, and I don't know what to do about it aside from fixing the old stuff and keeping it going.

I have noticed a marked decline in quality of vehicles of just about every make from GM to Volvo, to VW and even Mercedes since about 97.

2004 models as a general rule cost MORE and wear out quicker than 1992 models.

Have you looked at a new Chevy pickup? A friend of mine just bought one. Over $30K for the thing. He says it has 16 different little computers on it, and he is not happy with the slop in the driveline.

There is no way that that thing will be running 20 years from now. (How do you repair 20 year old computers?--You cannot. They are entirely disposable.)

My father's 1990 GMC 1/2 ton is still running good at over 200K miles.

I stand by my statements.

Like the others have said, NAPA and Carquest and some others that cater to mechanics will still turn them for you.

$9 brake rotor? Is it made of steel or tinfoil?

I had not heard that manufacturers had put an end to turning rotors and drums. I wonder why the folks at the parts stores never said anything about that?

The way lawsuits are today, if the makers say don't turn them, I don't blame stores for not doing it.

Rotors are made from cast iron.

The folks at the auto parts store liklely knew it before you did. That's why they don't turn them.

Yep, lawyers run the world. Sad but true.