03 Expy rotors disposable ?????
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03 Expy rotors disposable ?????
Just got a call from the dealer about my wifes 03 Expedition. It has 22769 miles on it and they say the REAR rotors are shot and need to be replaced. The truck has not made ANY noise and we just had an inspection at 19140 where they indicate the front and rear brake linings in the green (over 5mm). They said the rotors on these are disposable and can not be resurfaced.
Anyone know if this is true?
Anyone know if this is true?
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From: North Carolina
Sounds like a crock of s#%t to me! I have never seen a disposable rotor! The only time you should need to replace rotors is when they are warped or under spec on thickness. I think the dealer is trying to pull a fast one on you. Take it to another shop! With only 22xxx on the clock it shouldn't even need brakes!
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Are they trying to charge you for the new rotors or does the warranty cover the parts? If the warranty pays, change them out. If they want $500, tell them to #@$% themselves and move on to another shop.
There's a lot of debate whether one should or shouldn't resurface rotors. With new lifetime warranted parts costing only $47 each, I'm a "chuck the old" kind of guy. Why bother with the time, cost, effort of resurfacing such a critical part? In fact I changed my rotors/pads this past weekend on my Expy.....I do have a little over 65k miles on my ticker.
While rotor replacement should not normally be necessary at 22k miles, they are prone to warpage at any time. Just remember, your brakes are the single most important component on the truck.
There's a lot of debate whether one should or shouldn't resurface rotors. With new lifetime warranted parts costing only $47 each, I'm a "chuck the old" kind of guy. Why bother with the time, cost, effort of resurfacing such a critical part? In fact I changed my rotors/pads this past weekend on my Expy.....I do have a little over 65k miles on my ticker.
While rotor replacement should not normally be necessary at 22k miles, they are prone to warpage at any time. Just remember, your brakes are the single most important component on the truck.
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Nope, they charged us. I told them to go ahead since it is my wifes vehicle and I didn't want them to throw some bad parts on there to cover there rear. At first he quoted me $130 per rotor. I found this high for a disposable part so I told him I would call him back. I called 2 other dealers and got a price of $92 & $96. When I called him back and questioned him he danced quite a bit then said he would check on it and call me back. He called back and said I was right. He still couldn't explain to me why 1. the rears wore considerable quicker the the fronts, 2. Why in only 3k miles I went from 5+ mm (more than half of pad left) to being 3- mm and ruing the rotors, especially since there was no grinding, squeling, etc. I don't use that much pad in a track session with my Mustang. I am going to write to the manager at that dealership as well as Ford customer service to find out if Ford uses such crappy parts in my Expy that they defy normal wear patterns or if I got a dealer who hosed me. I'm guessing the latter. Won't go there again.
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If a part wore prematurely, I would expect it to be covered by warranty, since it wasn't "normal wear and tear"
Page 8 of the warranty PDF on Ford's site says "Your new vehicle limited warranty does not cover: (1) parts and labor needed to maintain the vehicle; and (2) the replacement of parts due to normal wear and tear. You, as the owner, are responsible for these items. "
Page 8 of the warranty PDF on Ford's site says "Your new vehicle limited warranty does not cover: (1) parts and labor needed to maintain the vehicle; and (2) the replacement of parts due to normal wear and tear. You, as the owner, are responsible for these items. "
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2mff, I'd certainly escalate the case up the ladder. I had a Bronco with nearly 36,000 miles that got new front rotors/pads under warranty many years ago....granted Ford is not nearly as quick to replace (under warranty) these days as they were in the past. It's a cost savings thing. Furthermore, the backs shouldn't wear out in under 50,000 miles under normal operating conditions.....something's not right. Sounds to me that a proportioning valve or a caliper might be to blame and should be covered under warranty.
Squeaky wheels get grease.
Squeaky wheels get grease.
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This isn't quite a ridiculous as it sounds, although it is not a happy fact to find out. In addition to my 03 Expy, I have a 2000 MB 230 Kompressor Sedan. At ~ 34K miles, I needed new front brakes, and you guessed it - new rotors. I asked why and they said the rotors are made very thin and can not be turned down to make them smooth. They need to be replaced at each brake job. At 48k miles, just had rear brakes done - same thing - new rotors. Price tag $375 for the entire brake job. I hope this is not true of the Expy, but I will not be able to look at the Tech and tell him he is crazy if he tells me I need new rotors when I go in for a brake job some day, based on my experience with the Mercedes.
I do think it is ligit to question why they need to be replaced so soon - 22K miles is not a lot unless you really lean on the brakes. Also, as mentioned before, it is very strange the the rear's need replacing before the front. Isn't it true that the front brakes provide up to 70% of the braking force hence they wear sooner?
Regardless of the design of the rotors (ie "disposable") I think 22K miles is too low and the warranty should kick in.
I do think it is ligit to question why they need to be replaced so soon - 22K miles is not a lot unless you really lean on the brakes. Also, as mentioned before, it is very strange the the rear's need replacing before the front. Isn't it true that the front brakes provide up to 70% of the braking force hence they wear sooner?
Regardless of the design of the rotors (ie "disposable") I think 22K miles is too low and the warranty should kick in.
Last edited by rahach; Oct 29, 2003 at 05:03 PM.
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My expy went 60k before replacing the front, and I drive it like I stole it. I would agree with the rest here, something just isn't right.
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Rear rotor wear
The only vehicle that I know of at the moment that wears its rear brake pads first before the front brake pads is the 2002 VW Passat.
The way it was explained to me, it relies on the rear brakes when doing slow, gradual braking. So, if you come across a stop light and hit your brakes firmly, you're using the front brakes - typically normal.
If you are approaching a stop light and brake early (riding your brakes more or less), then the vehicle applies the rear brakes more.
With that said, perhaps the new '03 Expy are employing something similar.
Is your wife driving mostly in the city and is her driving style such that she brakes early?
Still, I doubt the new '03 Expy is employing this kind of braking, but I could be wrong. (Of course, I don't remember reading anything in the brochure that points to anything similar to this)
Why the rotors need to be replaced, I haven't a clue except they might be warped, but strange that they would be warped in such a short amount of time. I'm wondering if they actually did perform an inspection at the 19140 miles....
The way it was explained to me, it relies on the rear brakes when doing slow, gradual braking. So, if you come across a stop light and hit your brakes firmly, you're using the front brakes - typically normal.
If you are approaching a stop light and brake early (riding your brakes more or less), then the vehicle applies the rear brakes more.
With that said, perhaps the new '03 Expy are employing something similar.
Is your wife driving mostly in the city and is her driving style such that she brakes early?
Still, I doubt the new '03 Expy is employing this kind of braking, but I could be wrong. (Of course, I don't remember reading anything in the brochure that points to anything similar to this)
Why the rotors need to be replaced, I haven't a clue except they might be warped, but strange that they would be warped in such a short amount of time. I'm wondering if they actually did perform an inspection at the 19140 miles....
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