I do a ton of work out of my home shop. I am doing a brake job on a 2000 Ford expedition. I drop off the rotors to be cut at Pep Boys (28 bucks) and pick up pads. They gave me the incorrect pads. I go back and get the correct ones and pick up the rotors. Put it together and the petal is pulsing and the right brake area is thumping. Have the rotors cut again, still nothing changes. Talk to the manager twice, he in a coma. Go back and buy two new Chinese rotors. Works perfect.
Measure out the rotor with my gauges and find a high spot, what else could it be right ! Show the manager and I'm the problem ! Yes Yes I know its pep boys. HE offers to try again even as I show him my paperwork for the new rotors. I'm the problem !

I went into his office and asked him what it would take for him to ban me from ever coming back to his store, would you please ban me forever. One manager was eye-balling the rotor. I told him not to try that around real techs, because its just not something ya can see no matter who you are... OK I'm done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember the good ol' days when you'd go in and they would know what your'e talking about. Now if they don't have your paint code and tire pressure, their computor won't give them the clue they so badly need. Ever ask them the differance between a muffler bearing and horn fluid or get spark plugs for a Mercedes diesel?

Support your local family owned autoparts store.....

-Matt

I cut a lot of rotors back in the day, I could see them not getting it centered correctly, causing run out, but actual high spots? Only way I could see that is if they didn't have the tool clamped correctly and there was a hard spot on the rotor deflecting the tool. "if" that was the case, the rotor would wear un-even and begin pulsating again in short order anyway. But you do deserve it, taking it to Pep Boys

I don't want to hi-jack or get off topic here on this thread but am curious how do you go about "cutting rotors" ? Could somebody explain to me nicely please. Are they done on a lathe or some kind of rotating machine? Horizontal or Vertical? Any body have pictures or videos? I would love to see them being done in action and curious how they set up the machinery.

Cheers

It's kinda like a normal lathe, but the tool is double sided, so it cuts on both sides of the rotor at the same time. You can do them by pinch turning them on a standard lathe as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCWiVIu27h4

Also on YouTube plug in Brake Lathe , just watched a fella setting up an AMMOCO brake lathe , very well explained.

Jack

Here is a guy pinch turning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVwnCA63VlI

I've done it both ways, depending on what equipment I had available. Pinch turning takes a little longer, but once I got out of the Sh**y automotive machining and started precision machining, had no access to brake lathes. Now i'm out of machining almost altogether thankfully. I only design and fix them now.

...back in the day (1967-68), when I worked at a REAL gas station, that had real mechanics' bays and performed EVERTHING...
I rebuilt motors, switched out transmissions, rebuilt brakes systems, balanced drive shafts,...etc, etc, etc...all the people in the neighborhood brought their cars in for anything that had a problem.

The rotors were turned, after measurement. It had to meet minimum dimensional specification. The rotor was mounted as on the wheel, and the cutting head was run slowly over the surface until the high spots were found (turning by hand)...then the lowest spot on the surfaces were found. The lowest spot on the surface was where the cutting head was adjusted. The hood was lowered and power was applied....and ziiiizzzzzzz bing, ...and the rotor surface was trued concentric to the hub.....TA DA.
Brake drums were turned in much the same way....

Same way back in the day when tires were balanced on the car , not on a machine.

Jack

I had a set of rotors from a 2001 VW GTI that I wanted to get turned a number of years ago, and was told they couldn't do them because they were a "composite" steel design and would not cut true. Was this a bunch of crap? or is there such a thing?

Can't answer that, but sometimes it's just cheaper and easier to buy new rotors. Think 2 rotors, and a set of ceramic pads for the jeep was ~65.00. Would have been the same price to get the rotors turned, and I would have to run back and forth and wait for them.

Same on my Durango. New rotors are same as turned.

Nobody fixes anything anymore, they just replace it. Same mentality in the manufacture of merchandise. Why build something that will last forever? Who wants to make something people will only buy once. I have not had a rotor turned in like 18 years or so....

Can I get these turned
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[QUOTE]
It's kinda like a normal lathe, but the tool is double sided, so it cuts on both sides of the rotor at the same time. You can do them by pinch turning them on a standard lathe as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCWiVIu27h4

[QUOTE/]

Yep, I buddy use to have one & a drum one as well.. Came in handy..

[QUOTE]
Can't answer that, but sometimes it's just cheaper and easier to buy new rotors. Think 2 rotors, and a set of ceramic pads for the jeep was ~65.00. Would have been the same price to get the rotors turned, and I would have to run back and forth and wait for them.[QUOTE/]
Yep, most of the time they are cracked now, so the extra labor..
On the Z06, we bought the rotors from O'Reilly's and since they had a life time warranty so something like that, after about every 4 events they would crack and I would go exchange them for new one Course tthat Z06 only had around 500PH at the lowst settings & 315/35/18s at each corner..
Click to view attachment

I don't know why they offer the service, I'm never going to go back and until I find a good guy to use its new high grade rotors or nothing.

That sounds about right. I wouldn't trust places like pep boys to change oil, more or less cut a rotor. I have done my fair share of brake jobs while working for a local shop years ago. I remember the biggest PITA was the "new at the time" on car brake lathe. It was more hassle than it was worth. After watching the owners son screw up a job, I decided to play it safe and use the old lathe down in the "dungeon".

I remember doing a brake job on a friends 88 Saab 900 turbo years back. The right rear rotor was literally gone It had worn completely through with the caliper piston almost completely out. She continued to drive it until the grinding stopped. I kept the the center section of the rotor as a trophy. Never have I seen anything else like that

There is a fixture that clamps the center section of the rotor and makes it able to be machined on a lathe. Jeeps and other MOPAR products, mostly trucks, use the same style rotor. Basically it is a stamped steel center with a cast rotor mounted to it. When you buy new rotors they will be full cast.

I get a call from Pep Boys about the complaint. The tell me I am only due a refund of the cost of the rotor turning, $28. She told me I should have had them cut again ( a 3rd time) if I wasn't satisfied. I'm not confused they are ! My take is they think I'm trying to get something for free. Anyone who has dealt with me knows I'm honest and fair to a fault, don't charge enough and do too much for free.
Pep Boys