Hello NAM!

I love my 2010 Clubman dearly but i've been through three sets of front brake rotors in 36k miles. Bought the car brand-new and my rotors warped at 15k, then had to replace them around 26k and lately 36k. Has anyone else had any issues with their rotors? At one point, I thought it was my driving, but this has never happend on any other vehicle that I have owned. Thanks for any advice/help you may be able to provide.

 

yep ... had a Dodge dealer do that to me too

I doubt anything was wrong with your rotors

but if MINI replaced under 'maintenance'

who cares ?

 

Agree that it sounds hinky to have the rotors warping that quickly at all four corners. What originally brought you to the shop - was the car exhibiting problems during braking? Are you getting accelerated brake pad wear as well?

 

If a shop is consistently causing warped rotors, check the lug nut torque when you get the car home. Overtightened alloys have been known to cause warping.

 

We see that from cheap off brand rotors, but otherwise it isn't normal.

 

How recent was the last rotor swap? If it was fairly recent, I'd ask the dealer exactly what the lateral runout on the rotors was. He should have physically measured it, for no other reason than professional curiosity, considering that he just put a fourth set of rotors on a car with fewer than 40k miles.

 

implied question was not answered

it is a 2010?

this is being replaced under maintenance??? 15k and 26k for sure but now . . .

my 2007 with 36,000 is on original rotors and pads for sure (well not really as I replaced front pads with EBC Green as soon as they were available)

 

I also wonder about "warped" OE rotors. They certainly wear, but I think it would be hard to get such thick and heavy cast iron to actually warp. Maybe they just call worn rotors "warped" because "worn" doesn't sound bad enough.

 

Hi, Scott-

The last time they were replaced was two weeks ago at 369XX. What made me go to the shop was that my car was starting to make a slight shudder, only while applying the brakes. They claim that the pads are fine and that my rotors are 'warped' everytime the shudder starts. They also say that they dont only replace the rotors, they do a complete brake job on the vehicle. Im not sure that they replaced the pads this last time. I also see that you're in Norfolk, I just recently moved to Williamsburg, so I have my car serviced in Richmond. Do you go to VA Beach MINI?

 

Glad you said that! They told me that could be the cause of the problem and tried to fault it on the MINI dealership I purchased the car from. So, I said that this has happend at 15k, when the car new...could the manufacturer have overtightend the lugs?

 

It is possible the dealer prepped the car...and changed the tq on your wheels...my dealer installed free locking lugbolts...one per rim...was years ago, but yes, even if the manfacture put them to the right specs, they might have been messed with...

 

Definitely buy a torque wrench and check the lugs each time your car comes back from service.

 

Shudder or vibration under braking could be due to several things simpler than rotors warping, such as uneven transfer of brake pad material to the rotors. In such cases, the rotors might be fine once they're cleaned off.