DTMiller

Volvo SUV in for service. Being told I need new pads and rotors. If I had gotten new pads earlier would I still need new rotors or no?

Car always gets serviced there and I am a little annoyed that they didn't advise new pads earlier but maybe my frustration is misguided.

mcbit

Rotors wear and eventually wear out, whether this is unusual or not would depend on the mileage the current rotors have achieved.

aj986s

IMHO, many service shops go the rotor & pad route at the same time, because it usually alleviates the vibration and/or noise issues that sometimes occur when putting new pads on old rotors. However, I honestly believe that most modern rotors can survive just fine through 2-4 sets of pads. I also don't believe in turning rotors on a lathe, because while that may smoothen the surface, it removes precious metal/mass that's necessary for heat dissipation; I think it only leads to premature failure/warping of the rotor. I've found that new pads on old rotors will bed-in just fine. Of course, once the rotor is showing significant signs of cracking (beyond normal micro-cracks), a considerably sized lip on the outer edge (indicating significant wear where the pads make contact), or warping (pulsing brake pedal), then its probably time for a new rotor.

Ubermensch

It answer your original question, putting new pads on earlier would not have made your rotors last any longer. Both items wear against each other. Unless your old pads were worn down to the metal back plate and damaged the rotors, swapping in new ones wouldn't have extended the rotor life at all.

I've found a lot of variation across brands in terms of relative wear rate. In my Supra a set of pads and rotors would each reach the end of their lives at about the same time. In my 996 the rotors last for about 2 sets of pads. At the end of the day what matters is the thickness of the rotor or pad and how it comes to the minimum acceptable value published by the manufacturer.

alpine003

In my experience, most European cars replace rather than turn the rotors as they tend to use more aggressive pad materials and wear away the rotors faster. This has always been the case for me. Have you noticed crazy amount of brake dust in relation to the American/Asian cars?

Also turning rotors IMHO is like a temporary band aid on Euro cars as the thinner material will eventually lead to warping(pulsating), then you'll have to pay twice for labor to have the rotors replaced later.

Any competent tech should however measure your rotor thickness instead of automatically recommending new rotors.

DTMiller

Thanks guys. I knew I would get some quick help here. I'm going to go ahead and lock this thread as it isn't 996 related. But I will leave these here as a thank you:

https://i.imgur.com/UWtwgxb.gif

https://i.imgur.com/QMFJdu9.gif