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Warped discs @ 30,000km. Covered under warranty?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:35 am
by jolly_tas
Hey all, The CJ has just done around 30,000km and noticed the other day it feels like the discs are slightly warped.

Just wondering if anyone else has had similar issues and if machining would be covered by warranty.

To me 30,000 seems a little low to have to have the rotors replaced.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:13 am
by Chubb
Nope Mitsu will say you have driven to hard with them and wont cover it most likely, hard for you to prove otherwise.

Mine were slightly warped after about 30,00kms and I replaced them but I am very hard on brakes.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:15 am
by blade888
Yea I got the same thing at the same kms. but it's so barely noticeable in my case and it doesn't bother me too much. I haven't gotten around to seeing if it's warranty replaceable.

I doubt it would be as its a 'wear and tear' part, like pads and batteries, that wouldn't be covered under the 5/10 year warranty. I remember Jace's Rotors got warped and when he tried to apply for warranty got that answer if I recall correctly.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:27 am
by Fitter
Repco. $120ish for a pair of Dba rotors

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:29 am
by aspir3
Not covered under warranty.

It is caused by bad driving or braking style.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:43 am
by blade888
Rotors will warp under repeated heavy braking and especially if you come to a complete stop after a huge stop and still leave your foot very firmly planted on the brake.

As the discs will have heated up and would be prone to warping by the brake caliper pressing hard down on it while stopped, the brake pads will start to leave a slight indentation or impression on the rotor in that situation.

My rotors got very tiny bit warped from driving courses which involved a lot of hard braking to the stop and track work, this was during a hot summer too.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:48 am
by Chubb
blade888 wrote: As the discs will have heated up and would be prone to warping by the brake caliper pressing hard down on it while stopped..


That is what killed mine, had to stop for a long period of time after a run down a mountain. The pads were not on the rotor but still the heat transfer was enough to burn a mark into the rotor and slightly warp them. If you get your brakes hot you are always best to cool them by driving.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:11 am
by stewy
I cooked my OEM set of pads at wakefield at a bit before 30,000kms and even still the rotors weren't warped.

My replacement RDA grooved and dimpled rotors have had a very hard life and only just getting warped to the point of being unbearable after 40,000km. If it weren't for the fact that I've cooked a set of EBC Reds (they were actually smoking, massive brake fade and the red paint is now black lol) going UP Mac Pass I'd probably push them on for a bit longer...

Another friend has a CVT ES and its done 90,000kms on the original rotors and pads with plenty of life left so my point is you must've abused the rotors or do alot of heavy braking in stop-start traffic for them to require machining or replacing so good luck getting Mitsu to do them under warranty...

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:27 am
by cody_au
stewy wrote:Another friend has a CVT ES and its done 90,000kms on the original rotors and pads with plenty of life left so my point is you mustve abused the rotors or do alot of heavy braking in stop-start traffic for them to require machining or replacing so good luck getting Mitsu to do them under warranty...


Or... there could be a manufacturing defect?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:30 am
by jolly_tas
cheers for the replies. Wouldnt say Im hard on the brakes but on the open road I do like to have a go. My girlfriend drives the car most days and the one killer we do have is a 1.5km downhill run at highway speeds with a set of traffic lights at the bottom. I try to approach slowly to reduce the chances of having to sit there but sounds like the Lancer rotors aren't really tuff stuff anyways. thanks again. May have to look at aftermarket.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:15 pm
by SXLancerMum
I replaced the brake rotors on the Bubble at around 180,000 km. That was in February last year actually. Around the time I got the Lancer. It's had 3 kids learning on it and been through heaps.

A couple of weeks ago I had to stop at a tyre place at Glen Innes on the way to Brisbane. It felt like the wheel was about to fall off. I was at Walcha when I noticed it was bad enough to take it to my sons friends father in Brissy before I came home. But it just kept getting worse. By half way between Armidale and Glen Innes I didn't think we would make it to Glen Innes. Last time it wasn't as bad and it stayed at one level for ages. There were cracks in it then as well as being warped.

The rotors were warped again and had to be machined there and then. Lucky the man was nice and did them for me straight away. My daughter said that they'd been doing it for 2 months but since she has the car in Qld normally and I don't drive it I didn't know and she just didn't bother to tell me. She's not the one who is hard on the car. She drives it nicer than the rest of us.

They'd only been on, from new, for 10 months. I reckon that's faulty parts. If it could go 180,000 on the originals why the hell couldn't I get more than 10,000 off them this time?

It seems to me that 30,000 is a tad low to have to be replacing these things. But the man at Beaurepaires told me that the new ones just aren't lasting anywhere near as long as the old ones. Maybe 30,000 is the new 180,000. Things just aren't made to last anymore.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:27 pm
by aspir3
Discs will not warp from overheating.

They warp from uneven cooling. This is caused from brake pads resting on hot discs.

It can happen to a new disc just as easy as an old disc.

To avoid it take the car out of gear and take your foot off the brake after stopping in a hurry or a long down hill.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:34 pm
by migs_07
Nope won't be covered by warranty as it is a standard wear and tear senario thingy.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:36 pm
by Mitch
I guess i will have to have mine checked on my next service as i am coming up to my 45000 service