[rezprez]

I took my Insight in for a minor service today. They tell mee I need front brake rotors at 20K. I've never even had to change rotors on any of my vehicles before. It's never even had a brake job, and no I don't ride my brakes or brake excessively. The dealer has no clue, is this normal for the Insight??

 

[hawkGT647]

If you are questioning the diagnosis, sounds like it's time for a second opinion.

Ask them why the rotors need replacing. Warpage, wear or defects?

For a car that has regenerative braking and is super lightweight, its hard to believe the rotors would need replacing this soon.

Regards,

 

[Hambone]

The dealer I used to use when I had my Insight did the same thing to me, albeit at about 60K miles. They wanted $300 to do a front brake job, including new rotors. I laughed and walked out, changed the pads myself, and never had any issues through the time that I sold the car. If you know of anyone who can take a look at the rotors for you, I'd definitely get another opinion, preferably of someone who doesn't have an interest in taking your money!

 

[hack123456]

I had my front drivers-side brakepad shim drag on my rotor for a while, and by the time I located that "faint-noise-that-I-sometimes-got" enough had been scraped away that I felt better getting a new rotor. Of course, you should never replace brake components on one side without doing the same on the opposite side.

So, the point being, it's not impossible to need to replace rotors that early, but it shouldn't be a normal condition. Like mentioned above, if you can't recognize a bad rotor yourself, take it to a mechanic who can for a second opinion. (and don't put new pads on the old bad rotor if its shot, you'll just have to do it again when you get the new rotor.)

 

[LoNOx 1]

Get a second opinion!
There seem to be a few instances of the problem that hack123456 mentioned, but I have 102,000 on the original rotors and pads.

 

[Rick]

If you do still need a brake job, CRX rotors are the same. I got a set from BAP (they're a local imports parts supplier) for something like $14 each compared to the ~$50 each the Honda ones are. So far no problems with them what so ever.

 

[kchurch]

Kaint hep m'sef w'this 'n! Brake jobs, especially rotors, are a deliciously easy method of running up the bill for a less than scrupulous shop. Industry groups have lobbied many states to include rotor thickness into inspectons and mandating replacement if rotor thickness is less than an exceedingly conservative wear limit. Realize this engineering decision is made by the brake vendor to the OEM customer with the attendant liability of a phalanx of ambulance chasers salavating in the wings. Compute the maximum performance of the brakes in extreme conditions and if a tiny amount of rotor mass will cause the heat dissapation to be reduced enough to allow the fluid boil to be effected by a calculateable amount, then that's the limit. In real world situations you can't find a hill long enough with the car loaded heavy enough on a hot enough day to matter one whit. You might also check out the travel of the piston possible with the rotor thinned about 4 times the max allowable and the pads worn to the backing etc and find a large margin of safety designed into the bore depth. There is almost no way a rotor can wear beyond Real limits in less than about 200K, especially on an Insight! The shops in states that have these mandates, like Utah, sell a lot of rotors because most folks haven't a clue and once the brakes/safety card is played the discussion ends with your credit card. But it's just money, and the rotors are nearly all recycled so think of all the jobs you save with your generosity. BTW whenever I run a pad to the backing, I just hang new pads and let them buff the rotor smooth. Sure you will have shorter mileage from those pads, but that is cheap compared to a rotor change for no reason. Hanging new pads takes very little time and keeping the fluid and caliper in good shape is way more important. The brakes will match up in very few miles and don't worry about any ridges etc as that is just a tiny bit more lining area! Nervous Nellies disregard all of the above, as I only have 2mil miles driving over the last 50 years this year, and have worked on cars for 45 years, so my understanding of these issues may not be as up to date as a Trained Service Writer. But then I don't get a vig on service I write either....