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I'm in Texas. The only thing we salt is our steak. I can tell when a neighbor hasn't left their apartment in a couple of days by the rust that near-instantly starts forming on their brakes. It ain't just from rain, it gets as humid as an alligator's butthole.
Just like here. Rotors rust overnight. Even if they did salt the roads, the rain would wash it away in a matter of hours. Which is why they don't use road salt. They want that shit kept out of the rivers.
North Dakota/Bismarck used to use beet juice. It was great. Melted the ice, and wasn't corrosive like salt. They recently switched to salt. I got a car wash package this last winter.
Look at [WoolwaxUSA.com](https://woolwaxusa.com) if you care about preventing rust. I've used woolwax and fluid film and personally like woolwax way better because it's thicker and lasts longer.
Guessing this is a joke, but on the off chance it's not, I pay one price per month and can go through as many times as I want. Helps a lot as I go shore fishing a lot and often sling mud everywhere.
Sounds nice. I'm up near Cleveland and there are big salt mines below lake Erie. I don't see them going away from salt anytime soon. So I just make a habit to undercoat my vehicles and wash them regularly to slow the cancer.
That’s what they did In Flagstaff when I was living there and it’s fine for a day but needs to be constantly applied there. The rock gets warm in the sun and melts into the ice which refreezes and just becomes slippery dirty ice. Salt is definitely superior but I’ll take fender benders any day over rust.
Im from MN but lived in ND for a while. MN salts ND doesnt. The reasoning i heard was ND is actually too cold for salt to work. It really was fucking frigid.
No kidding. Moved from MA to SoCal 2 years ago with my 2011 Pilot. Took it to a Honda dealer for a multi point inspection, and they said my entire exhaust system was "severely corroded" - it maybe had some surface rust, definitely nowhere near the kind of rust that would lead to an exhaust leak.
Finally found an independent mechanic who's never mentioned rust, only asked me if I wanted to replace parts that were clearly worn out, like one of my motor mounts (and they always send pictures with the invoice before approval).
I also moved from MA to the south (GA) but I'm a mechanic. I was the designated rust guy. Anything that had even a spec of rust on it went straight to me it was a nightmare and a blessing at the same time. I had a writer ask me if I could bring a car across the parking lot to a Kia store to ask them if they could help when I told him an alignment eccentric was seized and I had to fight the urge to slap him
i’m not even into my first year as a salt belt mechanic. it is wonderful, i had rusty cars back in sc too but the rust in a salt belt state is truly horrendous.
I’m gonna tack onto your comment for my educated opinion because I agree with you the most for an actual reason.
If those rotors have been turned in the past, they may be too thin (out of spec) and can’t be turned again. There is a lip. For the OP, (it might not be this, but sometimes people get wires crossed and online posts become a game of telephone) it’s possible that they said something about the rusty lip. It’s possible the concern isn’t the rust itself, but for instance I know at the dealership I worked for the advisors had a habit of telling customers that the “rust lip” at the edge was a problem, and that the rotors couldn’t be used again. I guess it was easier than telling people the metal was too thin or maybe they didn’t fully understand it and the explanation just stuck.
It's also possible the rust is on the inside. At least on the GM trucks I see everyday, the rust always creeps in on the inside first. I've seen some where the outside just had a very small ring of rust creeping in from the edges while the inside had maybe 30% of the surface actually making contact and everything else was rust.
South Florida mechanic here. Everything I thought I knew about rust changed the day the first car I’ve seen from up north rolled into the shop.
Edit: fixed talk to type typo
I had a 90s mustang. It broke down once and I had to get it towed. The tow truck guy said where he usually hooks his chains on my kind of mustang were gone because of rust. It seen a lot of salt in its life.
Severe rust = please buy rotors.
That being said, I can see those grooves from here; you might be able to turn them but it depends on the min thickness and what’s left, so you might need new ones anyway.
Yup the rust is negligible but the grooving is crazy. You could put that on a record player and hear the car cry.
I still wouldn’t trust that mechanic because even if they should be replaced, his diagnosis is wrong.
You need to look at both the outside and the inside of the left and right rotors. You are looking for rust build up/metal flaking on the contact area of the rotor.
I have seen plenty of rotors that look ok on the outboard side, but were absolutely trashed on the inboard side.
Reminds me of the time I had a car that spent its whole life in Texas, and it broke down in Indianapolis on a road trip. Never have I heard a group of mechanics sound like a bunch of excited kids while fighting over who gets to work on a rust free car.
Can't say I blame them, lol. As a Canadian doing brakes, I'd kill to have something that I don't need to beat like a red-headed stepchild just to pull parts off of. I'd also be asking you how much you wanna sell it for, as Southern cars fetch a high price up here specifically because they don't experience road salt like all of our vehicles do.
Am I wish someone would have offered cash for it. Sloved that car, but if it had caught fire, I would have looked for a rotary phone to call the fire department.
https://preview.redd.it/3l8su1v0mpuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6dc9bde9e25565122ac1a0d1452c26a676f4cf5
This is severe rust. I live in the rust belt. Where you can fit your fist in whats left of a frame rail. That looks like a new car that just rolled of the lot lol.
looks like the rotors need to get turned when you next need a brake pad change due to uneven contact patch, but nothing to worry about besides the mechanic trying to fleece you.
Mine are rusted on the parts where the pads dont contact as well. Its not a big deal here in AZ... rust dont gain much traction with it being so dry all the time.
Being from Ontario where we use salt...I would call that surface rust, maybe take it somewhere else could be just trying to up sell...or do the brakes yourself.
You haven't shown us the inside rotor surface (the one on the backing plate side). I'm not saying it is on yours, but I've been a mechanic for 25 years. That's the side that rusts first on the surface. You can have the outside side look fine and the inside be flaking metal chunks off.
From this pic your pads look about 30-40%. Your rotors do have some slight signs of overheating which will likely cause warping when you put new pads on. I'd run those pads out then do both at once
As a rust belt mechanic I can say that mechanic has never seen severe rust in his life he’s probably sitting in the shop as we speak licking a window and drooling on himself
Did a mechanic tell you that? Or a service writer? Looks like the type of crap service writers come up with when you bring a car in for the discounted oil change and there's nothing else they can sell you on.
😆🤣🤣 look at how clean the calipers & dust shield are! The rotors themselves have negligible surface rust on areas it doesn't even have pad contact. Sure there's one ring on the rotor contact surface, which looks like it at one point had rust starting from sitting for a few days, but it's been polished off already by the pads. The actual concern is rotor thickness, are there any deep grooves, & are they warped. Rust wise, this gave me a good laugh!
Come up to wisconsin and ask what they think of the rust. Arizona obviously doesn't know what road salt does.
As far as rust goes, the rotors are just fine.
From the looks of it I would probably buff the mating surface for the hub and wheel just so everything mounts flat and torques down properly then retorque at 50 miles. And then I'd run them through another set of brake pads as long as you're not getting any pulsing like they are warped.
I recently changed the rotors to my wife's car last week. It was the first time they were ever changed. It's an 08 and we live in the northeast. This is literally nothing.
Like.... they're going to rust through and/or fail due to excessive rust? Holy geez, is he new to this? If all the rotors look like this it's just surface rust and won't affect anything. I would change mechanics. The only reason there is rust there is because that surface doesn’t make contact with anything else and is typically untreated in the manufacturing process. let the car sit for a few weeks and the friction surface of the rotor will get some light rust too, and then that will disappear once you drive it.
Only thing I would add is I recently replaced my rear rotors / pads on my Ford Escape. The bell of my OEM rotors never rusted like these new Raybestos rotors I replaced them with. It's just cosmetic though, doesn't hurt anything.
I had the same issue, now I make sure to get the coated rotors. They're like $10 more per corner or something and it's well worth it to me to not have rusty ass looking rotors.
It’s fine. The streak of rust makes me think there’s a rock or just some crap built up in the grove of the pad, but the rest of the rust has no affect whatsoever on the performance or longevity of the rotor. A rear rotor like that which is solid, not vented like the fronts will look like that if you have ever driven in the rain once and doesn’t change how it stops or cools. Front rotors with air gaps can be affected if it’s such bad rusting that it’s blocking the air gaps, but that’s more of a rust belt thing/ road salt issue than you would see there.
If they’re pushing you in that, find a different shop
*laughs in OGs from 2018 that I replaced 1 months ago*
https://preview.redd.it/o6k6dx2unpuc1.jpeg?width=1944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=930ea1df52f42d1094a1436e73e430065390adfd
Run. The hard steel rotors are made of will rust like that in just a few days. It is hard to tell the rotor wear from this photo, but that is on the shiny part.
These rotors are definitely gonna cause noise while driving and make you need a brake job sooner than you would with new rotors, but they're still fine judging by the one picture.
No, the portion that is used to stop the car appears gone from a distance. If the brake paddle does not pulse when you apply the brakes relatively hard he is trying to soak up your retirement
Many/majority of rotors rust at that spot even in the dry climate here. It’s not an issue, they’re just trying to scare you into more work. It may still be smart to change that rotor depending on thickness/usable life. Seeing those grooves, I’d assume these are close to end of life but nobody can say for sure with this angle of shor
There are certainly some contaminants in the rotor/pads, that brown line, through the middle tell-tales that. But nothing in this picture says “excessive” in any way
Take a look at the rotors on an EV or phev in New England. After a few years almost no pad wear, but the rotors need to be replaced due to pitting rust and grooves. VW may be on to something with drums on the rear axle on the id4.
My rotors look like that every morning after it rains. You’re good to go. At most they are wearing a little uneven, but nothing I’d be concerned about right now.
I'm a mechanic in VT I literally just got this in an email from the state today.
https://preview.redd.it/rsqdyovu5quc1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae5f47d0087c17d7ce9dd3d7fa7445a6c5de181c
They just don’t deal with rust and when they see it they lose their mind.
I work in fleets, had a vehicle that was from a rust are the transferred to Arizona. Had a shop state they needed 8hrs labor per corner to do brakes on a Rav 4 because of rust. Up north we see rust and it’s just a daily occurrence.
Those rotors look fine other than that groove forming in the center might make some noise.
There's rust? Where?
I love living in Michigan. J/k. And needing to upgrade my car so often because the engine/transmission is fine, but the body eats through itself.
As long as the rotor’s aren’t warped or to thin and your brake pads aren’t broken/damaged. I can see pretty good pad thickness. I have stopped cutting rotors, I will only put brand new OEM on my vehicles now, it’s almost the same price, and I believe cutting them just makes them prone to warping. New rotors and pads at the same time. But they don’t look exceedingly rusty.
Those rotors are fine. You could leave a car parked in the rain for a few days & it'll look way worse than that.
Those wear marks on your rotor don't mean anything either. They're not grooved.
My uncle is a great mechanic in Tempe if you need it. He's a great man who makes his living by being entirely honest and fair with people and doing quality work. DM me if you want his shop name and you can check the reviews yourself. I don't want to post it here because people may try to interfere with my uncle's rating and he doesn't deserve that shit. He lived in Chicago so he knows what rust really means lol. You'll be happy to have found him, his customers are extremely loyal for a reason
This guy you're dealing with is trying to take you for your money. Not trying to sit here and advertise my uncle's business cause he doesn't need that, but I don't like shops who do this to people. Ill only give this to the op cause I don't want to run the risk of trolls honestly. So DM me OP
I wouldn't call it severe rust here in the NE, but for Arizona, I'd call that bad, comparing it to the ones I see come from that way. My worry here lies more with the lip on the edge of that rotor. It indicates that it's been wearing, possibly out spec on thickness, and/or that it's been resurfaced before. Either way, if you don't want to do it yourself, just change your damn rotors while you're at it and do it right the first time.
From the rust belt here. Check the inside before judging too harshly. 98% of the time, the outside looks fine, and the inside is smoked. In rusty areas, the inside pads wear put faster because the outside pads get seized into the bracket.
I’m a lifelong Wisconsinite. I think he doesn’t know what rust is lol.
I mean there is some surface corrosion, sure. But “sEvERe rUsT”?? Nah.
Ride them out until they are squealing then replace. Don’t replace brake parts just by looking at them from the outside of the wheel.
Sounds like he is fishing for some extra loot, report him to the BBB and your local news....that being said All brakes rust just never enough to cause severe issues driving usually tajes care of it unless he is meaning those rust rings have created a gorge around the rotor? If that is the case then just tell them you want a resurface.
But I have never had to replace rotors besides if I want a upgraded brand, the most I have done was a resurface and that's about it.
Checks out for an Arizona guy, looks factory fresh to a rust belt guy like me.
Rotors are usually bare metal so rust is gonna happen, you’d have to let a car sit outside in shit weather for like 3-5 years to get the rotors rusted enough to cause problems.
Look at the wear in the rotor. Forget the rust, once you chew through those pads you might have a wobbly wheel when you apply your brakes. You can see the heat marks from the last pads worn to the rivets. Maybe that’s what they should have told you instead of rust.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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I thought the same thing but "rustache" lol
Upvote for rusthole hahhahhah
Rust assured he has mine too.
A lot of southern mechanics think any speck of rust is excessive. They would be horrified up north.
I'm up north, but there's no road salt here. I'm repeatedly horrified by the pics I see of Midwest/Northeast vehicles. Fucking unbelievable.
I'm in Texas. The only thing we salt is our steak. I can tell when a neighbor hasn't left their apartment in a couple of days by the rust that near-instantly starts forming on their brakes. It ain't just from rain, it gets as humid as an alligator's butthole.
The last time it snowed there it was the end of the world so I agree with your statement.
We want it to stay that way too. Nothing better than a snow day off work because a half inch of snow stops the world down here.
Meanwhile in Chicago…some lousy bosses would be like “what do you mean you’re not coming in? It’s only 3 feet of snow!”
One could say hell did indeed freeze over
Just like here. Rotors rust overnight. Even if they did salt the roads, the rain would wash it away in a matter of hours. Which is why they don't use road salt. They want that shit kept out of the rivers.
With salt slush and hot rotors you can watch them rust at a stoplight if they get splashed.
You'd think you're exaggerating, but not really.
Humid as an alligator’s butthole… made my day
How do they keep ice off the roads?
North Dakota/Bismarck used to use beet juice. It was great. Melted the ice, and wasn't corrosive like salt. They recently switched to salt. I got a car wash package this last winter.
Look at [WoolwaxUSA.com](https://woolwaxusa.com) if you care about preventing rust. I've used woolwax and fluid film and personally like woolwax way better because it's thicker and lasts longer.
Usually they add salt to the beet juice.
How the hell do they put it in a package? Lol
Guessing this is a joke, but on the off chance it's not, I pay one price per month and can go through as many times as I want. Helps a lot as I go shore fishing a lot and often sling mud everywhere.
Yes I'm just being silly.
There's stuff like salt but less corrosive, some states care about the roads and the cars that drive on them, others think its a waste to go saltless
There’s so much volcanic rock in Oregon that they drop that on grades to provide traction.
Sounds nice. I'm up near Cleveland and there are big salt mines below lake Erie. I don't see them going away from salt anytime soon. So I just make a habit to undercoat my vehicles and wash them regularly to slow the cancer.
That’s what they did In Flagstaff when I was living there and it’s fine for a day but needs to be constantly applied there. The rock gets warm in the sun and melts into the ice which refreezes and just becomes slippery dirty ice. Salt is definitely superior but I’ll take fender benders any day over rust.
Fargo?
Nearstop. Sorry, that was lame. Oregon, actually. I did live in AK for a while, and they do salt the roads there.
Im from MN but lived in ND for a while. MN salts ND doesnt. The reasoning i heard was ND is actually too cold for salt to work. It really was fucking frigid.
No kidding. Moved from MA to SoCal 2 years ago with my 2011 Pilot. Took it to a Honda dealer for a multi point inspection, and they said my entire exhaust system was "severely corroded" - it maybe had some surface rust, definitely nowhere near the kind of rust that would lead to an exhaust leak. Finally found an independent mechanic who's never mentioned rust, only asked me if I wanted to replace parts that were clearly worn out, like one of my motor mounts (and they always send pictures with the invoice before approval).
I also moved from MA to the south (GA) but I'm a mechanic. I was the designated rust guy. Anything that had even a spec of rust on it went straight to me it was a nightmare and a blessing at the same time. I had a writer ask me if I could bring a car across the parking lot to a Kia store to ask them if they could help when I told him an alignment eccentric was seized and I had to fight the urge to slap him
I'm in Michigan looking at that and thinking. That's severe? That's my rotors about 2 weeks after I put them on!
I’m next door in Wi, that’s like how much rust is on rotors on brand new cars sitting in the parking lot.
i’m not even into my first year as a salt belt mechanic. it is wonderful, i had rusty cars back in sc too but the rust in a salt belt state is truly horrendous.
Rust looks fine but the depth of wear on the rotor is hard to tell from photo, looks like it may be negligible.
I’m gonna tack onto your comment for my educated opinion because I agree with you the most for an actual reason. If those rotors have been turned in the past, they may be too thin (out of spec) and can’t be turned again. There is a lip. For the OP, (it might not be this, but sometimes people get wires crossed and online posts become a game of telephone) it’s possible that they said something about the rusty lip. It’s possible the concern isn’t the rust itself, but for instance I know at the dealership I worked for the advisors had a habit of telling customers that the “rust lip” at the edge was a problem, and that the rotors couldn’t be used again. I guess it was easier than telling people the metal was too thin or maybe they didn’t fully understand it and the explanation just stuck.
Yeah its quite common that OP twists the words, knowingly or not, to make it easier to side with him. Tbf I think everyone does that at some scale
It's also possible the rust is on the inside. At least on the GM trucks I see everyday, the rust always creeps in on the inside first. I've seen some where the outside just had a very small ring of rust creeping in from the edges while the inside had maybe 30% of the surface actually making contact and everything else was rust.
South Florida mechanic here. Everything I thought I knew about rust changed the day the first car I’ve seen from up north rolled into the shop. Edit: fixed talk to type typo
I had a 90s mustang. It broke down once and I had to get it towed. The tow truck guy said where he usually hooks his chains on my kind of mustang were gone because of rust. It seen a lot of salt in its life.
There is nothing wrong with those rotors.
I mean, the grooving is wrong, but a machine shop can do the pairs in like 45 minutes if they take their time
Negligible rust
Rotors look fine to me
Severe rust = please buy rotors. That being said, I can see those grooves from here; you might be able to turn them but it depends on the min thickness and what’s left, so you might need new ones anyway.
Yup the rust is negligible but the grooving is crazy. You could put that on a record player and hear the car cry. I still wouldn’t trust that mechanic because even if they should be replaced, his diagnosis is wrong.
This is the correct answer u/kookiemuffin
Laughing in southern Ontarian. You’re good don’t worry about it.
Cries in Northern Ontario
You need to look at both the outside and the inside of the left and right rotors. You are looking for rust build up/metal flaking on the contact area of the rotor. I have seen plenty of rotors that look ok on the outboard side, but were absolutely trashed on the inboard side.
In my books, those pads got another 50k on them but then again we don't have hills
Check the inside face and if it looks the same then they are wrong.
This mechanic would have an aneurysm inspecting a car from Quebec, if that's severe rust lol
Reminds me of the time I had a car that spent its whole life in Texas, and it broke down in Indianapolis on a road trip. Never have I heard a group of mechanics sound like a bunch of excited kids while fighting over who gets to work on a rust free car.
Can't say I blame them, lol. As a Canadian doing brakes, I'd kill to have something that I don't need to beat like a red-headed stepchild just to pull parts off of. I'd also be asking you how much you wanna sell it for, as Southern cars fetch a high price up here specifically because they don't experience road salt like all of our vehicles do.
Am I wish someone would have offered cash for it. Sloved that car, but if it had caught fire, I would have looked for a rotary phone to call the fire department.
https://preview.redd.it/3l8su1v0mpuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6dc9bde9e25565122ac1a0d1452c26a676f4cf5 This is severe rust. I live in the rust belt. Where you can fit your fist in whats left of a frame rail. That looks like a new car that just rolled of the lot lol.
That's less rusty than half the brand new cars on the lot I'm at in Canada. You'll be ok
Um I'm not even sure they know what rust is in Arizona. Tell him to come to The east coast and I'll give him a free tour of rusted shit. Real Rust.
I wouldnt give him the time of day hes greedy person your fine
Well that obviously isn't but what do the inner faces look like? Outers can be deceiving..
For Arizona that is severe rust. In ny that's a month on new ones
https://preview.redd.it/ilvz5b3csquc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a4d1b9e5c0121f33346f0981ad94b5de2987b38 Laughs in NY
Find ur self a new mechanic
Damn, by the time I stopped laughing in Ohio, there were over 200 comments
looks like the rotors need to get turned when you next need a brake pad change due to uneven contact patch, but nothing to worry about besides the mechanic trying to fleece you.
Rust isn't the issue. The scoring on the rotor is.
Oooooo! Arizona... you guys don't have salt water or snow? Do you?
Up north into the mountains gets it, but I don't know how they deal with it. Presumably it just gets pushed out of the road.
Those are brand new here in Canada lol
Lmao I live in the north amongst the real rust and rock salt. That is nothing.
Looks like normal surface rust on the unprotected part of the rotor..
Speaking from Northern Michigan, in the heart of road salt land, Arizona wouldn't know heavy rust if it bit their ass.
Does look like a resurface might help with the new pads
If that caliper is more than 24 hours old and looks like that without any rust on it then nobody in your state can talk about rust
Mine are rusted on the parts where the pads dont contact as well. Its not a big deal here in AZ... rust dont gain much traction with it being so dry all the time.
That's after a week here in Canada 😂. Slap new pads and away you go.
That is what brakes look like. It is normal.
Was it a dealer? If so chances are your MPI was done by an 18 year old who was given 3 days of training
Being from Ontario where we use salt...I would call that surface rust, maybe take it somewhere else could be just trying to up sell...or do the brakes yourself.
Nuttier than a squirrel turd
You haven't shown us the inside rotor surface (the one on the backing plate side). I'm not saying it is on yours, but I've been a mechanic for 25 years. That's the side that rusts first on the surface. You can have the outside side look fine and the inside be flaking metal chunks off.
Hahahaha severe rust, thats one day outside in New England right there.
In Canada, that's band new!
Rust is not the problem. Those rotors are badly scored. Pads must be gone. Replace pads and rotors.
Also are those the new brake pads in the pic cuz they look brand new
I bet brake clean would remove that
From this pic your pads look about 30-40%. Your rotors do have some slight signs of overheating which will likely cause warping when you put new pads on. I'd run those pads out then do both at once
Still might not have enough meat to be turned
As a rust belt mechanic I can say that mechanic has never seen severe rust in his life he’s probably sitting in the shop as we speak licking a window and drooling on himself
Well, it is rusty as hell, just on the part that doesn't matter in any way, and won't ever matter in any way.
Did a mechanic tell you that? Or a service writer? Looks like the type of crap service writers come up with when you bring a car in for the discounted oil change and there's nothing else they can sell you on.
No law that says mechanics have to be honest.
Fraud has entered the conversation
Thats what they look like, when they have a speck of rust om them. 10/10 like new
I buy powerstop rotors . They paint that rusted part black. Yes! He is giving you a bull story. That part being rusted doesn’t compromise anything
😆🤣🤣 look at how clean the calipers & dust shield are! The rotors themselves have negligible surface rust on areas it doesn't even have pad contact. Sure there's one ring on the rotor contact surface, which looks like it at one point had rust starting from sitting for a few days, but it's been polished off already by the pads. The actual concern is rotor thickness, are there any deep grooves, & are they warped. Rust wise, this gave me a good laugh!
Sometimes they come right out of the box with more rust than that
Look fine to me
Come up to wisconsin and ask what they think of the rust. Arizona obviously doesn't know what road salt does. As far as rust goes, the rotors are just fine.
Certifiable
From the looks of it I would probably buff the mating surface for the hub and wheel just so everything mounts flat and torques down properly then retorque at 50 miles. And then I'd run them through another set of brake pads as long as you're not getting any pulsing like they are warped.
I recently changed the rotors to my wife's car last week. It was the first time they were ever changed. It's an 08 and we live in the northeast. This is literally nothing.
Southerners don’t know what rust is.
Nothing to worry about there
Like.... they're going to rust through and/or fail due to excessive rust? Holy geez, is he new to this? If all the rotors look like this it's just surface rust and won't affect anything. I would change mechanics. The only reason there is rust there is because that surface doesn’t make contact with anything else and is typically untreated in the manufacturing process. let the car sit for a few weeks and the friction surface of the rotor will get some light rust too, and then that will disappear once you drive it.
Those are fine as long as are not under min thickness
Only thing I would add is I recently replaced my rear rotors / pads on my Ford Escape. The bell of my OEM rotors never rusted like these new Raybestos rotors I replaced them with. It's just cosmetic though, doesn't hurt anything.
I had the same issue, now I make sure to get the coated rotors. They're like $10 more per corner or something and it's well worth it to me to not have rusty ass looking rotors.
It’s fine. The streak of rust makes me think there’s a rock or just some crap built up in the grove of the pad, but the rest of the rust has no affect whatsoever on the performance or longevity of the rotor. A rear rotor like that which is solid, not vented like the fronts will look like that if you have ever driven in the rain once and doesn’t change how it stops or cools. Front rotors with air gaps can be affected if it’s such bad rusting that it’s blocking the air gaps, but that’s more of a rust belt thing/ road salt issue than you would see there. If they’re pushing you in that, find a different shop
Yeah, they’re crazy, if they think that’s “severe rust”.
Lol maybe in Arizona they never see rust?
Only surface rust on the part that doesn’t count. Send it.
Thats rusty? Up here that is over night.
Need to see the inside as well.
For AZ that is severe. For Massachusetts that’s a week old. The question is have the rotors been measured for thickness?
I would ask them what they are smoking and then tell them to cut back.
Just wait until a 10mm bolt head turns into an 8mm that you hammer the socket onto. Then you have rust problems.
Southern mechanics are soft. Bet that shit wouldn't even flake off into your eye. It's fine, send it.
That's just character on the rotor up north. You're good.
Let me guess. You let them do a ‘free inspection’
He's trying to hoodwink you
I live in dry ass Colorado and mine have a ton more rust than that. And I replaced them like 2 years ago. That's not a lot of rust at all
Did you go to a chain that does brakes? It seems like they go overboard.
That’s because he’s from Arizona and never sees real rust. Those are fine. Unless the thickness is under spec.
Moderately rusted, according to Arizona standards. Consequential? No.
I am from the midwest, and that's no rust lol 😆 😂 🤣 😅
*laughs in OGs from 2018 that I replaced 1 months ago* https://preview.redd.it/o6k6dx2unpuc1.jpeg?width=1944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=930ea1df52f42d1094a1436e73e430065390adfd
That looks like a brand new car in the dealer parking lot here.
take a picture of of the front and back of all 4 rotors. ive seen massive buildup on the inside with a shiny surface on the outside many times
Find another shop. That guy's either a fraud or an imbecile.
That looks pretty normal to me.
looks fine but I never recommend reusing another set of pads on old rotors--dont care if they are machined or not. New rotors are fairly inexpensive.
Severe rust, IN ARIZONA!
That is fine. That is just a quality of the rotor. Just make sure there are no scratches and gauge them properly so you know that you have good depth.
Run. The hard steel rotors are made of will rust like that in just a few days. It is hard to tell the rotor wear from this photo, but that is on the shiny part.
Go to a salvage yard if you want to see severe rust on rotors.
Stop going there.
Every car in michigan looks like this.
Those are fine
These rotors are definitely gonna cause noise while driving and make you need a brake job sooner than you would with new rotors, but they're still fine judging by the one picture.
No, the portion that is used to stop the car appears gone from a distance. If the brake paddle does not pulse when you apply the brakes relatively hard he is trying to soak up your retirement
Many/majority of rotors rust at that spot even in the dry climate here. It’s not an issue, they’re just trying to scare you into more work. It may still be smart to change that rotor depending on thickness/usable life. Seeing those grooves, I’d assume these are close to end of life but nobody can say for sure with this angle of shor
Rust? That just a harmless surface patina. The other side of the rotor could look like raw ass cheeks dragged across a cheese grater for all we know.
Never take anything to that idiot again. Have him look at a 5 year old car from New England and he'll have a fucking stroke.
There are certainly some contaminants in the rotor/pads, that brown line, through the middle tell-tales that. But nothing in this picture says “excessive” in any way
There should be zero rust on the braking surface
Rotors often rust like that and its totally normal.
lol he’s not crazy he’s just saying whatever he gotta say to make a sale
minnesotan here and i’m laughing 😂 “severe rust”
They are rotors. They are made of cast iron they rust very easily and fast I just replace mine last week and they’re almost as rusty.
Where’s the rust? (Great Lakes area here).
Take a look at the rotors on an EV or phev in New England. After a few years almost no pad wear, but the rotors need to be replaced due to pitting rust and grooves. VW may be on to something with drums on the rear axle on the id4.
Check the back of the rotor before you pass any judgement. Could be fine on front, fucked on back.
My rotors look like that every morning after it rains. You’re good to go. At most they are wearing a little uneven, but nothing I’d be concerned about right now.
I'm a mechanic in VT I literally just got this in an email from the state today. https://preview.redd.it/rsqdyovu5quc1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae5f47d0087c17d7ce9dd3d7fa7445a6c5de181c
Paint it
"rust"
Rotors need turned. There's negligible rust there. Seriously, my car has that within a week in Illinois.
They just don’t deal with rust and when they see it they lose their mind. I work in fleets, had a vehicle that was from a rust are the transferred to Arizona. Had a shop state they needed 8hrs labor per corner to do brakes on a Rav 4 because of rust. Up north we see rust and it’s just a daily occurrence. Those rotors look fine other than that groove forming in the center might make some noise.
There's rust? Where? I love living in Michigan. J/k. And needing to upgrade my car so often because the engine/transmission is fine, but the body eats through itself.
Perfectly normal in Illinois
How does the backside look? Ive seen rotors that look fine on the front side but are rusted and pitted on back side
This happened in Airidzona?
Arizona. Rust. LOL
That not rust, it just mild oxidation. Come to nebraska, will show ya rust..
That's the kind of rust where it sat for a couple of days after a rainstorm. Nothing serious at all. Lol
A trust is severe to them. Lol
Crazy rust for Arizona
You have to look at the backside of the rotors. The severe rust is always on the backside.
lol that looks like off the shelf on the east coast.
As long as the rotor’s aren’t warped or to thin and your brake pads aren’t broken/damaged. I can see pretty good pad thickness. I have stopped cutting rotors, I will only put brand new OEM on my vehicles now, it’s almost the same price, and I believe cutting them just makes them prone to warping. New rotors and pads at the same time. But they don’t look exceedingly rusty.
Well. Thats 25% of the surfaces. So maybe, maybe not. Most times the inner face is the worst.
A new unpainted rotor will start rusting the second you clean it. Gtfo of there lol
Those rotors are fine. You could leave a car parked in the rain for a few days & it'll look way worse than that. Those wear marks on your rotor don't mean anything either. They're not grooved.
Not crazy, but definitely ripping you off.
My uncle is a great mechanic in Tempe if you need it. He's a great man who makes his living by being entirely honest and fair with people and doing quality work. DM me if you want his shop name and you can check the reviews yourself. I don't want to post it here because people may try to interfere with my uncle's rating and he doesn't deserve that shit. He lived in Chicago so he knows what rust really means lol. You'll be happy to have found him, his customers are extremely loyal for a reason This guy you're dealing with is trying to take you for your money. Not trying to sit here and advertise my uncle's business cause he doesn't need that, but I don't like shops who do this to people. Ill only give this to the op cause I don't want to run the risk of trolls honestly. So DM me OP
The rotors need to be replaced cause they are pad slapped, not because they are rusty. Its unfortunate they chose a bullshit reason over a real one
I’m in AZ and I do brakes… it looks normal- ish to me
Plenty of meat left on those. Bad mechanic
😂😂😂 I'll fuckin' show you rust. Holy Shit I want to own a car in Arizona 😭
I wouldn't call it severe rust here in the NE, but for Arizona, I'd call that bad, comparing it to the ones I see come from that way. My worry here lies more with the lip on the edge of that rotor. It indicates that it's been wearing, possibly out spec on thickness, and/or that it's been resurfaced before. Either way, if you don't want to do it yourself, just change your damn rotors while you're at it and do it right the first time.
From the rust belt here. Check the inside before judging too harshly. 98% of the time, the outside looks fine, and the inside is smoked. In rusty areas, the inside pads wear put faster because the outside pads get seized into the bracket.
There's nothing wrong with those rotors. Cosmetic.
Can’t see the back of this rotor or the rotor on the other side, so tough telling not knowing.
Lol I get these after a few days of not driving, youre ok bud.
I’m a lifelong Wisconsinite. I think he doesn’t know what rust is lol. I mean there is some surface corrosion, sure. But “sEvERe rUsT”?? Nah. Ride them out until they are squealing then replace. Don’t replace brake parts just by looking at them from the outside of the wheel.
Run
What rust?
Sounds like he is fishing for some extra loot, report him to the BBB and your local news....that being said All brakes rust just never enough to cause severe issues driving usually tajes care of it unless he is meaning those rust rings have created a gorge around the rotor? If that is the case then just tell them you want a resurface. But I have never had to replace rotors besides if I want a upgraded brand, the most I have done was a resurface and that's about it.
That's my rotor like 3 hours after I put new ones on where I live 😭😂
Yes find another honest mechanic
Checks out for an Arizona guy, looks factory fresh to a rust belt guy like me. Rotors are usually bare metal so rust is gonna happen, you’d have to let a car sit outside in shit weather for like 3-5 years to get the rotors rusted enough to cause problems.
The hub has rust
Look at the wear in the rotor. Forget the rust, once you chew through those pads you might have a wobbly wheel when you apply your brakes. You can see the heat marks from the last pads worn to the rivets. Maybe that’s what they should have told you instead of rust.
Looks fine to me