Warped Brake Discs

[mikesands]

Looks like I may have warped front brake discs - judder when light braking, but braking efficiency is OK as it;s just passed the MOT today. So a few questions

How long should disks last (car has done 105k miles)

I can get cheapo ones fitted for £135, or Blueprint ones to OEM spec for £200 (or presumably lexus ones at more than the car is worth).

Or I have seen a machine which will skim disks while they are on the car. The garage is quoting £60 in total for this last option.

Any recommendations anyone?

Thanks

Mike

[ACLex]

Looks like I may have warped front brake discs - judder when light braking, but braking efficiency is OK as it;s just passed the MOT today. So a few questions

How long should disks last (car has done 105k miles)

I can get cheapo ones fitted for £135, or Blueprint ones to OEM spec for £200 (or presumably lexus ones at more than the car is worth).

Or I have seen a machine which will skim disks while they are on the car. The garage is quoting £60 in total for this last option.

Any recommendations anyone?

Thanks

Mike

FYI, genuine front discs are £137.88 inc vat for a pair from any Lexus dealer and part number is 43512-50230 ;)

Or if with pads £211.37 inc. And I am sure you could get at least 10% discount if you haggle ;)

Andy

[mikesands]

wow - thanks Andy

I had new aftermarket pads fitted about a month ago at the non-Lexus service. Is it possible that these could damage the disks in some way. They felt very nice after first fitting.

Mike

[ACLex]

wow - thanks Andy

I had new aftermarket pads fitted about a month ago at the non-Lexus service. Is it possible that these could damage the disks in some way. They felt very nice after first fitting.

Mike

Hi Mike,

assuming they were bedded in properly then there should be no probs but if not done properly then yes, I believe they can warp the discs :(

Andy

[Redsteve]

Hi Mike,

my advice would be to put up with the juddering as long as you can.

I had exactly the same symptoms on my LS400 and so I replaced the discs and pads, all was good for about a week and then the squealing started and then the juddering came back. I was very careful to bed the brakes in properly but it hasn't made any difference.

I used Blueprint discs and pads and think that it was a waste of time and money.

Sorry to be so negative, this is the only car I have ever owned that has destroyed brake discs at this ridiculous rate.

Steve.

[plastic orange]

Hi Mike,

my advice would be to put up with the juddering as long as you can.

I had exactly the same symptoms on my LS400 and so I replaced the discs and pads, all was good for about a week and then the squealing started and then the juddering came back. I was very careful to bed the brakes in properly but it hasn't made any difference.

I used Blueprint discs and pads and think that it was a waste of time and money.

Sorry to be so negative, this is the only car I have ever owned that has destroyed brake discs at this ridiculous rate.

Steve.

I agree, I'm in the same situation with blueprint components - not many miles, just 10k since fitted. They squeeled almost right away, and now a judder on light braking. I'm considering getting the original discs skimmed to see if that works.

Pete

[cleverdick]

I don't know if you have/have access to a dial gauge, but it might be worth checking the disc runout - I think the spec is +35 microns or thereabouts (but don't quote me on that). Sometimes the deviation can be reduced just by rotating the disc by 1/5 of a turn each time until the minimum reading is reached. (Can't see many fitters going to that trouble, somehow!) I have Blueprint discs and pads front and rear and have found them to be fine.

I can't help wondering if you have something sticking which is causing the disc(s) to heat up unduly - piston or slidebar. Do check this out before spending lots of money. The slide bars must be lubricated with special 'lithium soap base' grease, available from the main dealer. Any other grease may harden over time, causing the slider to stick.

I once successfully had my front discs machined on the car (Ford Granada) when all else had failed, although the setup on those is different from the LS.

[GEN]

Looks like I may have warped front brake discs - judder when light braking, but braking efficiency is OK as it;s just passed the MOT today. So a few questions

How long should disks last (car has done 105k miles)

I can get cheapo ones fitted for £135, or Blueprint ones to OEM spec for £200 (or presumably lexus ones at more than the car is worth).

Or I have seen a machine which will skim disks while they are on the car. The garage is quoting £60 in total for this last option.

Any recommendations anyone?

Thanks

Mike

FYI, genuine front discs are £137.88 inc vat for a pair from any Lexus dealer and part number is 43512-50230 ;)

Or if with pads £211.37 inc. And I am sure you could get at least 10% discount if you haggle ;)

Andy

Hi Andy,

Thank you for the useful information. Can I trouble you for a price on the rear discs/pads?

Many thanks.

Gene

[ROYT]

Hi Mike,

my advice would be to put up with the juddering as long as you can.

I had exactly the same symptoms on my LS400 and so I replaced the discs and pads, all was good for about a week and then the squealing started and then the juddering came back. I was very careful to bed the brakes in properly but it hasn't made any difference.

I used Blueprint discs and pads and think that it was a waste of time and money.

Sorry to be so negative, this is the only car I have ever owned that has destroyed brake discs at this ridiculous rate.

Steve.

I,ve had Blueprint discs on my Mk 2 LS for a couple of years and never had a scrap of trouble.

Whoever fits them must clean up the hub properly so they run perfectly true.

At the same time the calipers must be checked for even pressure: ie not partially siezed on

either side, pins not sticking etc.

[Parrot of Doom]

Just a minor point, the discs aren't warped (it's a huge thick chunk of iron). Brake pad material has transferred itself to the disc's surface. What you can feel is the pad running across that material.

At Lexus's prices, it may be worth having your discs skimmed. Note that you should replace your pads at the same time.

[Redsteve]

Just a minor point, the discs aren't warped (it's a huge thick chunk of iron). Brake pad material has transferred itself to the disc's surface. What you can feel is the pad running across that material.

At Lexus's prices, it may be worth having your discs skimmed. Note that you should replace your pads at the same time.

Yes, I think you are right in what you say about the pads sticking on the discs but it doesn't explain why this is the only car I have ever owned that this is a common problem on. Is it because the pads are made of an inferior material to keep the price down?

Steve.

[Parrot of Doom]

I don't have the answers. My last car, an E-class Merc, did exactly the same thing. I decided to put up with it.

This page might offer some useful advice:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

[Mybikesacx500]

Unlikely if you have just passed an MOT, but my warped-feeling brakes improved dramatically when I serviced the back brakes, finding 2 pretty much frozen -in -place pads.

Although the disks are horribly scored and there isn't much material left on the pads, the brake feel is very much improved for freeing off and greasing the rear pads.