Weird brake rotor wear

[danci1973]

Hi,

I've noticed a weird wear pattern on my rear rotors:

Photo 1 (http://foto.slovenija.net/index.php?album=%2FDanci%2FRazno%2FSubieforum%2F&image=IMG_6455.jpg&resize=800x800)
Photo 2 (http://foto.slovenija.net/index.php?album=%2FDanci%2FRazno%2FSubieforum%2F&image=IMG_6456.jpg)

Red marks on the 1st photo indicate how wide the brake pad actually is. Between green and red lines the pad is worn more then on the middle and it's not smooth...

What could be the cause of this?

If I replace the pads, will they 'eat away' the rust or will the rust 'eat away' the pads (which seems to be the case now)?

Should I just replace both rotors and pads?

Thanks, D.

[LegacyRob]

replace the pads and rotors and have the caliper slides lubricated. Might even be a sticky piston in the caliper. If you just replace the pads it will just ruin them. You might be able to get the rotors turned to even them up to reuse them.

[danci1973]

replace the pads and rotors and have the caliper slides lubricated. Might even be a sticky piston in the caliper. If you just replace the pads it will just ruin them. You might be able to get the rotors turned to even them up to reuse them.
The weird thing is it's the same on both rear rotors and on both sides of them...

I'm getting new rotors and pads and we'll se from there.

Thanks, D.

[shazapple]

Maybe this set of pads are cheapies and didn't have the correct size of contact area.

[Sarra]

Ya, pics of pads? Just a set of bolts and the calipers will slip out, then you can pull the pads out of the brackets.

[Pipsta]

I suggest taking it to a professional. you have a serious problem with your whole brake set up. if i wasn't halfway around the world i would tell you to come to my workshop and I'll do it. Just don't mess around with your braking and safety systems if you are not qualified. trust me it doesn't work out well. I know...from a friends experience in his legacy...bad brakes + wet road + sharp corner + fence post + hedge + tree= friend in hospital getting his skull reconsructed. Not good.

[danci1973]

I suggest taking it to a professional. you have a serious problem with your whole brake set up. if i wasn't halfway around the world i would tell you to come to my workshop and I'll do it. Just don't mess around with your braking and safety systems if you are not qualified. trust me it doesn't work out well. I know...from a friends experience in his legacy...bad brakes + wet road + sharp corner + fence post + hedge + tree= friend in hospital getting his skull reconsructed. Not good.
I'm pretty confident I'll manage - it's not the first car I service. I also service my bikes - both street and racing. :wink:

It looks like someone had wrong pads installed in the past (I'm not the first owner) causing the rotor to wear only in the center. The rotor became rusty and rought causing all subseqent new (and correct) pads to wear out on the edges.

Anyway, I ordered new rotors and pads and guess what - they shipped wrong rotors (266mm instead of 290mm) and wrong pads (front instead of rear). I called them for replacement and they say they don't list 290mm rear rotors for that year/model!

Any ideas if any other Subaru is using same rear rotors (Impreza GT, maybe Forester)? If so, which one and what MY?

Thanks, D.

[d1giPhux]

^ Wow... thats some shitty customer service!

[danci1973]

^ Wow... thats some shitty customer service!
Admitably I wasn't ordering Subaru OEM parts and it wasn't Subaru dealership - it's still shitty. :roll:

D.

[danci1973]

I'm (still) looking for an aftermarket rear rotor for my Legacy BH 2.5 GX. Turns out no aftermarket supplier can deliver a 290mm solid rotor - further more, they all claim that my car is supposed to have 266mm rotors on the rear (which is not the case).

And they seem to be correct - every on-line shop or catalogue I could find lists 266mm rear rotors for my model. So now I'm ready to order Subaru OEM parts (pricey :cry:).

However I've noticed that the 3.0 H6 Legacy has 290mm solid rear rotors - that makes me wonder - was there a 'limited' model of the 2.5 model in 1999 using bigger brakes!?

Thanks, D.

[Sarra]

I'm (still) looking for an aftermarket rear rotor for my Legacy BH 2.5 GX. Turns out no aftermarket supplier can deliver a 290mm solid rotor - further more, they all claim that my car is supposed to have 266mm rotors on the rear (which is not the case).

And they seem to be correct - every on-line shop or catalogue I could find lists 266mm rear rotors for my model. So now I'm ready to order Subaru OEM parts (pricey :cry:).

However I've noticed that the 3.0 H6 Legacy has 290mm solid rear rotors - that makes me wonder - was there a 'limited' model of the 2.5 model in 1999 using bigger brakes!?

Thanks, D.

AFAIK, there wasn't a car shipped by Subaru with a factory 290 MM solid rear rotor previous to 2002. 1999 would be a BK Legacy or BG Outback, if you have a BH, it's either 2000 or newer.

Subaru switched the BE/BH over to a 290MM solid rear in 2002 for the Outback, and in 2003 for all BE/BH's. The H6 always had a 290MM rear, but wasn't available in 1999, in the USDM.

Sounds like someone upgraded your brakes, or you have a non USDM car. Call them up and give them 2003 Subaru Outback as your vehicle, and you should get 290 MM solid rears.

I incidentally have a set of 290MM solid rear rotors for BE/BH, but they're not for sale. :P I'm still trying to find some brackets and calipers so I can put the damn things on.

[danci1973]

AFAIK, there wasn't a car shipped by Subaru with a factory 290 MM solid rear rotor previous to 2002. 1999 would be a BK Legacy or BG Outback, if you have a BH, it's either 2000 or newer.
Nope, mine is 1999. Apparently BH models were available in Europe since late 1998 (as MY 1999).




Subaru switched the BE/BH over to a 290MM solid rear in 2002 for the Outback, and in 2003 for all BE/BH's. The H6 always had a 290MM rear, but wasn't available in 1999, in the USDM.

It seems the H6 was only available for Outback's in Europe (or at least Germany) in the BE/BH range - since 2000. At least german brochures (http://www.subaru.de/kundenservice/prospektarchiv/prospektarchiv/prospekte-legacy.htm) say so. :smile:





Sounds like someone upgraded your brakes, or you have a non USDM car. Call them up and give them 2003 Subaru Outback as your vehicle, and you should get 290 MM solid rears.

Of course it's a non USDM car - I thought that's obvious from my Location: Maribor, Slovenia, Europe. While it's possible that the brakes were upgraded (I guess I should be thankful for that) I doubt it - it doesn't look like this car was pre-owned by enthusiasts. It was more like a 'workhorse' judging by the state of interior. :cry:

Since Subaru OEM rotors cost almost twice as much as aftermarket stuff, I'll try to go the Outback route...




I incidentally have a set of 290MM solid rear rotors for BE/BH, but they're not for sale. :P I'm still trying to find some brackets and calipers so I can put the damn things on.
Even if they were for sale, shipping overseas would probably kill the deal. :smile:

D.

[Jonathan]

A great many "aftermarket" parts are manufactured in communist China, and while some of the stuff comming out of China is reasonably well made, most of the cheaper aftermarket brake rotors (and drums) are really sub-standard and seriously prone to warping.

You get what you pay for.

If you do choose to go the aftermarket route, go with the best available grade brake rotors you can find, from a place that offers a reasonable warranty, and be particuarlly carefull with bedding in the new rotors & pads.

From reading the previous posts, it does appear that at some point an "H6" rear brake upgrade has been performed on your car.

[Jonathan]

A great many "aftermarket" parts are manufactured in communist China, and while some of the stuff comming out of China is reasonably well made, most of the cheaper aftermarket brake rotors (and drums) are really sub-standard and seriously prone to warping.

You get what you pay for.

If you do choose to go the aftermarket route, go with the best available grade brake rotors you can find, from a place that offers a reasonable warranty, and be particuarlly carefull with bedding in the new rotors & pads.

From reading the previous posts, it does appear that at some point an "H6" rear brake upgrade has been performed on your car.

[danci1973]

A great many "aftermarket" parts are manufactured in communist China, and while some of the stuff comming out of China is reasonably well made, most of the cheaper aftermarket brake rotors (and drums) are really sub-standard and seriously prone to warping.
I was looking at Brembo, TRW, EBC, ... - they make aftermarket parts for most of Subaru's, just not the 290mm solid disc for my rear brake. :roll: Even if these manufacturers have production lines in China, I believe their QC is sufficient.

And since I lived in a communist country for first 17 years of my live, I have no prejudice about that.



You get what you pay for.

But you can pay less for the same thing.

I mean, I can buy 'OEM' Audi rotors for 200€/pair, but I can buy TRW rotors for 100€/pair. Since TRW makes OEM rotors for Audi, I think the only difference is the packaging.



If you do choose to go the aftermarket route, go with the best available grade brake rotors you can find, from a place that offers a reasonable warranty, and be particuarlly carefull with bedding in the new rotors & pads.

By now I know Stoptech bed-in whitepaper (http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedincontents.shtml) by heart. :lol: I even know there is no such thing as warped rotors (http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml). :wink:



From reading the previous posts, it does appear that at some point an "H6" rear brake upgrade has been performed on your car.
I'll try to find out more directly from Subaru Germany - maybe they offered some 'limited edition' with better brakes...

D.