My brake rotors aren't wearing properly

[wb1957]

2024 XLT, last year the dealer resurfaced the rear rotors because they were glazed over. Now all four look the like the pads don't contact the whole surface. They should be shiny after I get home from driving. No dirt roads, I've never been hard on brakes on any vehicle I've owned. Yeah, they work well, grabby actually. Anyone else have this issue? 10,500 miles on it

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[MaverickDragon]

I assume we have the same brakes, and in my case (I just looked) the almost no wear seems normal, but I'm a year newer and a lot fewer miles.

One thing about a hybrid, is if you drive them right, you almost never use the brake pads because with light brake application, the electric motor becomes a generator and recharges the battery, so the brakes don't actually engage.
That could be why you don't see what you expect.

 

[CurtisB]

I have a 2023 Hybrid and I recently got new tires. They inspected the brakes and said they only had 10 percent wear! I have 29,000 miles on my truck. I had 65,000 miles on my 2015 Prius when I sold it and it only had 30 percent wear. The wear of brakes on Hybrids is a lot less than ICE vehicles.

 

[Timothyd]

2024 XLT, last year the dealer resurfaced the rear rotors because they were glazed over. Now all four look the like the pads don't contact the whole surface. They should be shiny after I get home from driving. No dirt roads, I've never been hard on brakes on any vehicle I've owned. Yeah, they work well, grabby actually. Anyone else have this issue? 10500 miles on it

Brake work already? Tell the dealer to replace the rotors for free or get lost.

 

[wb1957]

Brake work already? Tell the dealer to replace the rotors for free or get lost.

Yeah!!!

 

[jonshep]

My Mav is a 24 XLT EB and some mornings the brakes whine when I back out of the drive, but not when going forward. Why? I don't have a clue. My experience says a hard breaking event or a habit of stopping short will cause abnormal heating of the rotor and they will warp, causing vibration when braking. Having the rotors turned will smooth them until the next hard breaking event and the warp comes running home. I don't ever have rotors turned anymore, I just replace them. My 99 F-150 were replaced at about 185K not 10K. Thinking about it, I haven't bought rotors in a long time, so IDK what they cost now. Maybe turning is cost effective.

 

[710-oil-614]

Sounds like the dealer took some service money from you.

"glazed" rotors LOL.

 

[Ryom]

You can try breaking in your brakes:
https://www.wagnerbrake.com/technical/technical-tips/break-in.html
https://www.powerstop.com/resources/brake-pad-break-in-procedure/

There is a process to seat the brake pad material onto the rotor referred to as bedding. Essentially, you need to do light braking from about 30mph to a stop with a 30 second pause in between each stop for a consecutive twenty stops. The problem with our hybrids is the braking regeneration, so you would need to do the braking in neutral gear in order to disable the regeneration and use the pads for the whole braking process.

Also, if you live in areas of the country with a lot of salt on the roads in winter, your rotors are going to rust if you take it easy on the brakes. This can lead to premature rotor pitting due to rust, which will cause uneven brake pad wear and reduced panic braking performance. I'd recommend a few hard stops in the winter to help clean the braking surfaces. Additionally, I'd recommend using a salt wash product after driving freshly salted roads to help remove excess salt from the wheels and under-body components you can reach.

There are some companies that make plated rotors that are rust resistant. I feel like these types of rotors should be standard on hybrid vehicles.

 

[wb1957]

Sounds like the dealer took some service money from you.

"glazed" rotors LOL.

I haven't payed a penny to the dealer for anything yet!

 

[Tbone289]

There are some companies that make plated rotors that are rust resistant. I feel like these types of rotors should be standard on hybrid vehicles.

Plated rotors only reduce corrosion on non-friction surfaces. The plating material quickly wears off of the friction surface, but it will keep the rotors from seizing to the hubs and lugs.

 

[wb1957]

Thanks for your responses I have a year left to deal with these problems for free.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

You can try breaking in your brakes:
https://www.wagnerbrake.com/technical/technical-tips/break-in.html
https://www.powerstop.com/resources/brake-pad-break-in-procedure/

There is a process to seat the brake pad material onto the rotor referred to as bedding. Essentially, you need to do light braking from about 30mph to a stop with a 30 second pause in between each stop for a consecutive twenty stops. The problem with our hybrids is the braking regeneration, so you would need to do this the braking in neutral gear in order to disable the regeneration and use the pads for the whole braking process.

Also, if you live in areas of the country with a lot of salt on the roads in winter, your rotors are going to rust if you take it easy on the brakes. This can lead to premature rotor pitting due to rust, which will cause uneven brake pad wear and reduced panic braking performance. I'd recommend a few hard stops in the winter to help clean the braking surfaces. Additionally, I'd recommend using a salt wash product after driving freshly salted roads to help remove excess salt from the wheels and under-body components you can reach.

There are some companies that make plated rotors that are rust resistant. I feel like these types of rotors should be standard on hybrid vehicles.

Plated rotors are not the answer.... Perhaps titanium rotors would be better reduced corrosion PLUS up to 50% less rotational mass to help reduce fuel consumption in all types of vehicles!!!!!

 

[MaverickDragon]

Sounds like the dealer took some service money from you.
"glazed" rotors LOL.

That can happen but usually as a result of overheating.
If the brake pads are constantly contacting the rotors, they could overheat, but the pads should also show abnormal wear...
If that's the case, it should be a warranty repair, even though brakes are typically a non-covered wear item. Maybe a second opinion is warranted....

 

[Kenv24]

Brake work already? Tell the dealer to replace the rotors for free or get lost.

Exactly....I'm at 29,000 on my 24 XLT and NO WAY are the rotors glazed. I doubt yours are also.

 

[Malort]

Just curious, did the dealer see the "glazed rotors" and recommend the service, or did you notice the "glazing" and demand the dealer fix the "problem". Were the brakes surging or squealing before, or other problems?

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