warped rotors and alignment warranty question
My 2005 had warped rotors after less than 50 miles. The dealer turned them under warranty. Now with about 5,000 miles they are warped again. Should I demand that they be replaced this time instead of turned? I'm concerned that if they are turned they will just warp again since there is less material in the rotor each time they are turned.
This van has also had a bit of a pull to the left from the day we bought it. The dealer told me to rotate the tires. I'm going to give it a try. If the pull is still there, should an alignment be covered by the warranty?
Warped Rotors Solution
I have experienced the same problems as most 2004 / 2005 Nissan Quest drivers. The rotors get warped and the dealer wants to turn them. THIS DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. The warping will ocur again. I looked for many hours on the net for solutions. I read many articles and came across a vendor who sells Nissan Quest rotor that will not get warped. So, I bought the front rotors with slots (for better braking, must be requested). These rotors were treated to withstand the heat to stop them from warping. I did change the pads all around as well which has helped quite a lot. This solved one my problems, the jittering feeling you receive from the brake pads. The other problem is during snow, the car makes a winding sound from the front brake calipers. The car does not stop (hit the curb couple of times)when this occurs which is at low 5-10 mph speed. Hopefully others have experienced this and have a work around.
Rotor Vendor: Forzen Rotors dot com (Original Nissan Rotors)
Brake Vendor: Hawk Brake Pads for front and back
All equipment was well worth the price ($450 + installation by Nissan Dealer) and suppose to increase the life cycle of replacement by 200%. If you have doubts or questions, email me at my sign name at hotmail.com or posted it on this board.
Thank You,
HB (2004 Nissan Quest SE 25K Miles)
Vendor links
I know some boards get creepy about unsolicited links to vendors, etc. I don't care, so long as they have something to offer and aren't junk. We did have a spammer a few months back, which won't be tolerated, but stuff like this, feel free to link them.
http://www.frozenrotors.com/
http://www.hawkperformance.com/
In fact, if enough people are having problems, maybe we can try to negotiate a group buy.
Patrick, Quest Driver Admin.
warped rotors
A note of caution to those with brake problems--
Two months ago I had our Quest serviced at our local dealership for a vibration when I applied the brakes (knew it was the rotors). They offered to turn the front rotors under warranty. I had about 45000 miles on it. While they had it taken apart, I had them install new front pads as well.
They called and told me that the back brakes were worn to the point of needing replacement (a $150 job if I remember correctly), but since I often do my own brakes, I declined. Upon picking up my van, they told me they had to turn the rear rotors as well to stop the vibration. I feel that the service department tried to pull a fast one on me, especially since back brakes often last much longer than front ones. Had I bitten on the offer to do the rear brakes then Nissan wouldn't have had to eat the labor cost under warranty. I inspected the rear brakes myself and I estimate that I have another 20000-30000 miles on them. And since they turned both front and rear rotors, I have experienced NO vibrations.
Definitely do not have them
Definitely do not have them turned again. Yes, the closer you get to minimum spec thickness, the faster/easier they will warp.
As far as the pull, have them *balance* and rotate the tires and see if that helps. If not, then try an alignment. At 5000 miles, the dealer should not give you a hassle about doing an alignment for free for a problem that you brought to their attention early on.
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'05 SE
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'05 SE
They turned them.
They claimed they couldn't replace the rotors yet, Nissan insists they be below a minimum thickness. They turned them and they are smooth again. Now I'm hoping they'll warp badly before the 12,000 mile "adjustment" period runs out.
The alignment issue went away with a rotation. Bad tire?
tires
if the alignment went away with the rotation, it's probably just the brakes. I've heard some 2004 Quest's had very touchy brakes, which needed some electrical adjustment -- like they were slightly "on" all the time.
Bad tires definitely happen. You can get "cupping" and warping on a brand new tire, which should be replaced immediately. Doesn't sound like this is the issue though -- I think you'd know if you had a bad tire.
Patrick, Quest Driver Admin.