Rusted Rotor, need advice

[Pat]

I took my '00 C4 in for service last month and it was noted that part of the rear inside passenger side disk had rust on it. The rust was not on the surface but had eaten a small section of the disk away. Has anyone heard of this happening before? The car is Porsche certified but Porsche is claiming the disk is a normal wear and tear item and won't replace it under warranty.

The mechanic has a great reputation and tells me I'm only losing about 5-10% braking. he says that I can drive it like this for now and make the change after the pads wear down. They suggest replacing both rotors at the same time. Cost, around 1k. Does this sound right? Any advice on what I should do? Thanks.

Pat

[1999Porsche911]

$1000 ???? Are they putting new tires on it too for that price? I have never heard of a disc rusting through and I have pulled 40 year old cars out of the bone yard to rebuild. Did you see the hole yourself? Possible bad casting? The job of replacing teh pads and discs is quite simple and all 4 wheels can be done for about $1000.

[Pat]

Let me clarify that would include pads, sensors and labor. I agree with you, 1k sounds expensive. What do you think the price range should be?

Pat

[1999Porsche911]

I guess if you don't want to do it yourself, you are forced to pay the going rate. Parts (after mart) cost about $450 - 500 for back and the same for front. So, if you learned to do it yourself, you would save $500 for each end of the car. I never let Porsche touch my car, so I have no idea what they would charge.

[PorschePRH]

There was another thread about this exact same thing on another forum. In that case, it was someone with an 2004 that the dealer was saying the brakes needed replacing due to rust on the customer's dime!

Take it somewhere else and get another opinion. I just changed all 4 pads (disks were fine) for less than $100 for all 4 wheels with upgraded aftermarket pads. If you don't wait for the pads to wear all the way down, you don't need to replace any sensors.

Rotors are very thick pig iron, and I too find it hard to believe that rust would have any more effect beyond cosmetic for a car that is only 5 years old.

If you really want some help around here, take some quality photos of the rotor.

I am a little weary of that 5-10% loss of braking component. Even the so-called best mechanics come up with some pretty good bs to pad their commissioned sales of parts and service on non-warranty work.

Edited August 15, 2005 by PorschePRH

[GreigM]

I have taken a set of rear rotors from a boxster with this kind of rust - so much that parts of the rotor was crumbling. It is a very common complaint in more humid climates and rotors here are not covered under warranty for any reason due to this.

[1999Porsche911]

I have taken a set of rear rotors from a boxster with this kind of rust - so much that parts of the rotor was crumbling.  It is a very common complaint in more humid climates and rotors here are not covered under warranty for any reason due to this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would love to see that rotor. Metal does not rust through that fast, regardless of how humid it is or how wet it stays. I have used rotors for anchors at the lake for more than 20 years. In and out of the water and no serious rust issues. Either you had a bad rotor to begin with or had something other than water eating away at it. If you took a "crumbing rotor" to the dealer in the States, he would be forced to put new ones on or face an inquiry from the TSA. Pictures would be great.

[0586slb]

Interesting. :huh:

I've just had an OPC service/inspection and the two things they commented on were "Oil leaking from the bellhousing" (another story...) and "your front discs are corroded and need replacing. We can do it all tomorrow if you keep the courtesy car for another day"

I called their bluff by asking them to put some new discs and pads in the boot (sorry, 'trunk') for me and I'll fit them myself. Needless to say, on collection they said they were just advising caution with the front rotors.

When I got back home, I gave the front and rear rotors a full inspection - the only things I could find wrong were the rotors had what I would describe as 'light scale' on the internal venting fins and the drilling holes were partially blocked with pad dust/material. The whole of the pad seemed in good contact on both sides of the disc with good clean swept areas. I'll roll belly side up if those rotors needed renewing with that amount of corrosion. Will post some pictures if the weather stays fine tomorrow.

(I spent 10 minutes per disc poking the little holes with a screwdriver :lol: - I've past caring what the neighbors think)

[1999Porsche911]

Interesting.  :huh: 

I've just had an OPC service/inspection and the two things they commented on were "Oil leaking from the bellhousing" (another story...) and "your front discs are corroded and need replacing. We can do it all tomorrow if you keep the courtesy car for another day"

I called their bluff by asking them to put some new discs and pads in the boot (sorry, 'trunk') for me and I'll fit them myself. Needless to say, on collection they said they were just advising caution with the front rotors.

When I got back home, I gave the front and rear rotors a full inspection - the only things I could find wrong were the rotors had what I would describe as 'light scale' on the internal venting fins and the drilling holes were partially blocked with pad dust/material. The whole of the pad seemed in good contact on both sides of the disc with good clean swept areas. I'll roll belly side up if those rotors needed renewing with that amount of corrosion. Will post some pictures if the weather stays fine tomorrow.

Many dealers will assume that the average drivers knows nothing about the car and will use scare tactics to try to get them to buy services.  There is a special hell for them.  Always verify any claim by dealer.  There have been numerous RMS's replaced (4 that I have confirmed with just one dealer) that had no problem at all.  The oil was coming from the cam solenoid cover and not the RMS.  Customer charged for both repairs.  Please remember that car companies make more money on service than they do on selling cars.  This is just another example of why.

(I spent 10 minutes per disc poking the little holes with a screwdriver  :lol: - I've past caring what the neighbors think)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Pat]

Thanks for the comments guys. It's not that I don't want to do it myself but I feel that Porsche should cover this under warranty. The car was bought Porsche certified and is still within warranty. The car is my daily driver so it doesn't sit for long periods when rust has a chance to eat away at the rotor. I saw the rotor and it certainly has a portion that has been eaten by rust. I'll try to take some pictures. It seems very strange to see a problem like this. Especially since this is a major safe item on the car.