Car safety is extremely important, and just because you have a brand new expensive automobile doesn’t mean it is immune to replacing certain parts. One of the things you need to look out for most is your braking system and the rotors because it can be the difference between life and death.
How do you know that your brake rotors need replacing? Here are 7 Signs your brake rotors need replacing:
- Your rotors are blue
- Grooves or scoring on the rotors
- A squeaking or screeching sound
- The car takes too long to break
- Your car starts to vibrate during brakes
- Your ABS system gives you warnings
- Your car service professional recommends new rotors
Read below to find out how you can look out for the 7 signs that your car brake rotors need to be replaced and other details regarding brake and rotor safety.
How To Know If Your Rotors Need To Be Replaced
Brake rotors are an integral part of your vehicle’s safety, like your seatbelt or airbags. Needing to replace your rotors is not like needing to replace a backseat headrest where you can leave it broken for months.
Once you notice any of these 7 signs, you should get your rotors replaced immediately. Luckily, just like our bodies, cars show symptoms when they get “sick,” so here is how to know if your rotors need to be replaced.
- Look
- Listen
- Feel
- Take Precautions
Let’s look at each and find out what are the specific signs you need to be aware of.
Look for Signs that Your Brake Rotors Need to be Replaced
Brake rotors are those shiny disk-like objects behind the wheel right against the brake and caliper. As you press on the brake pedal, the caliper tightens on the spinning rotor bringing your car to a full or partial stop. So knowing when it needs to be replaced is paramount to your safety.
You don’t have to be a car expert to see or feel when your rotors are damaged. One of the first signs is how the discs look.
1. Look Out For Blue Rotors
Your rotors should never be blue, period! To check the color of your rotors, you will have to remove your tire completely unless you have a car with large wheels with limited spokes where the rotor is visible. Use a flashlight if you have to and look for a slight blue tint on your brake rotors. Make sure you check all the rotors because while rare, not all will be equally damaged.
The cause for the blue tint is excessive heat caused by prolonged friction. If you live in an area with a lot of hills or sharp turns, you may find yourself breaking often and continuously. This slight breaking causes the caliper to press against the rotors but not hard enough where the car makes a full stop but just enough so that the vehicle slows down, allowing you to make sharp turns or go down hills without going over the speed limit.
Now the color blue isn’t necessarily dangerous. In fact, your rotors could be completely safe and don’t need to be replaced; however, this coloration is a warning that other parts of your braking system could be compromised, if not the rotors themselves. To be on the safe side, we always recommend getting your car checked out when you notice any abnormal signs, and this is one of them.
2. Look Out For Grooves Or Scoring On The Rotors
Another tale-tale sign of damage to your rotors are grooves and scoring on the discs. Again to inspect, you will need to take your tire off. Unfortunately, because some areas may be damaged and others not, we recommend taking the tire off completely even if you have large wheels with a few spokes.
Once you notice any grooves or scoring on the rotors, go to your trusted auto service center and get them checked out!
Listen for Signs that Your Brake Rotors Need Replacing
Nobody really checks their car on a weekly basis. In fact, it’s kind of funny to think that you would take your tire off to inspect the inside of your wheel and brake rotors frequently enough to notice minor problems, coloration, or grooves. So how can you avoid the work? Well, you have to listen.
This isn’t one of those “listen to your car. She knows what’s up” kind of deals. You legitimately need to pay attention to the sounds your car is making and be aware of what they signify.
3. Listen For a High Pitched Screeching or Squeaking Sound
Unless you drive a Tesla or some other non-gas powered car, you should pretty much only hear the sound of your engine and tires while driving. Sure, you may hear the occasional “bing,” “gruff,” or “click” when you shift gears, turn on your blinkers, and forget to put on your seatbelt, but that’s about it. If you ever happen to hear a high pitched screech, then you may be in trouble.
Trust me. You will be able to identify this incurably annoying noise. It’s similar to taking a knife to a blackboard or the sound of two thin pieces of metal scraping against each other. When you hear this high-pitched squick while breaking, it almost certainly means that your rotors need to be replaced, or that there is something wrong with your brakes.
Most of the time, you’ll hear this sound during long brakes, not when you need to brake quickly, but as you lift your foot off the pedal, you may hear another slight squeak. This time it will be a more relaxed and airy screech or a screech with a “whoosh” if you will. Don’t prolong your visit to your trusted auto service center.
You may also hear this sound while turning or making a sharp U-turn. Again this may mean your brake rotors need to be replaced, but it could also signify an alignment issue. In any case, you need to get a professional to check it out and move forward from there.
Feel for Signs that Your Brake Rotors Need to be Replaced
So what if you’re hard of hearing don’t worry because if your rotors are at the point before no-return, you will be able to feel when they begin to deteriorate. There are two things you need to look out for:
- Your car breaking for too long
- Your car vibrating while breaking
Let’s go over each below.
4. The Car Takes Too Long to Break
One of the signs something isn’t working is when it stops working. Now you never want to let your rotors get to a point where they just flat out stop braking because then you are in a world of trouble. That being said, you should get your brake rotors replaced immediately if your car starts to brake slowly.
As your car gets older and older, the rotors will wear meaning that they performed their job admirably and are now ready to go on retirement. If you find yourself hitting the brake pedal and your car takes noticeably longer to make a full or rolling stop, then you have a problem. This issue is almost always coincided with the loud screeching sound we just went over. Once you notice this, get your braking system checked out immediately.
5. The Car Starts To Vibrate As You Brake
Your car might not make any noises while braking when there is a problem with the rotors, but if it shivers and vibrates, then you likely need your rotors are in need of replacement. This shaking feeling may be subtle with just your steering wheel vibrating slightly in your hands, or it could be more severe based on how large your car is, to a point where the entire car starts shaking.
It’s nothing that would pull your off the road, but you will definitely feel it. The shivering is indicative of warped or worn out brake rotors that need to be replaced.
Keep in mind that this problem may also occur when you shift lanes or make turns. If your car, specifically your steering wheel, starts to shiver from side to side, it may be another alignment issue with your tires or gears. Still go to your nearest service center and get your automobile checked out.
Other Signs that your Brake Rotors Need Replacing
These last two signs are pretty obvious, but not everyone takes them seriously. If your ABS system is alerting your or a professional recommends new rotors, you should take the recommended action.
6. Your ABS System Is Alerting You
An ABS is an Anti-lock Braking System that has a highly intelligent sensor making a note of your brake’s health. Not all cars are equipped with this system, so you may have to check with the manufacturer or car guide to know if your model supports the integration.
The ABS warns you when your brakes are too low. While this has nothing to do with the rotors, in particular, it is indicative of a general braking issue.
If you continuously ignore this warning and drive without getting your brakes adjusted, you may damage the sensor. So the thing that warns you when there is a problem also breaks when you ignore the problem. This issue could then develop into other parts of your braking system like you guessed it, your rotors!
7. A Professional Recommends New Rotors
Last but not least, you need to replace your brake rotors when a professional recommends that you do so. Funny right? A sign that your rotors need replacing is when someone tells you to replace them. Take it as you like, but I’ll take my bets with the guy who knows what he’s talking about.
Whatever the reason you took your car to a professional, if they recommend getting new rotors well, then you should have them replaced. Not replacing the rotors is dangerous and could result in further damage to your car. It’s not worth putting off the inevitable. Replace the rotors and have some peace of mind.
How To Check For Faulty Rotors
We talked a lot about checking for the various signs your brake rotors need replacing, but let’s quickly go over how you can test your rotors and safely get an accurate assessment by yourself.
Taking Tires Off
Signs 1 and 2 went over this but not how to actually take your wheels off and what to look for exactly. So:
- Park your car safely on a flat-level surface and turn the steering wheel to one side completely. Both the far left and far right side work just make sure you tilt it all the way so that your tires are at an exaggerated angle.
- Remove the wheel cover from either the left or right tire. You should be able to do this with your hands, but the cover and tires may be hot, so be cautious. We recommend that you use a crowbar, tire iron, or large screwdriver. Be careful not to dent the sides.
- Use a flashlight and get in between the wheel.
- You should see the rotor and caliper from in-between the spokes.
- You are looking for coloration (mostly a light blue tint) or any deep grooves, dents, scuffs, warped parts, a burned look, and ridges. If any of these are present, or other abnormal specs, you need new rotors.
- Do the same for the other front-tire and back two tires if you have rotors there as well.
If you can’t see anything after removing the wheel-cap, then you should take it to a service center where they can safely remove the entire wheel and expose the rotor and caliper. You could do so yourself, but it’s like replacing a busted tire, no one wants to do it.
Check While Driving
Another way to check and test your rotors to confirm your fears is while driving your vehicle. Now we don’t usually recommend you do this because if you think you have faulty rotors or brakes in general, then it is best not to drive your car too much, in fact, you should only drive to the service center, if not get it towed. Still, here is how you could potentially check while driving:
- Find a street or area with minimal to no cars or pedestrians. Empty parking lots are your best bet. Avoid highly populated areas like cities, highways, or even your neighborhood streets. You should also avoid cliff-sides or hilly areas just to be safe.
- You can first press on your brake pedal and feel if it bounces back at you. It should feel like a pulsation towards your foot. If you get that feeling, your rotors need to be replaced.
- As you brake, look for your ABS light if your car has one. If it is on or flashing, then you have a braking problem that could be ruining your rotors.
- Start driving and press your brakes very slowly so that you don’t stop, and your car continues to drive. Listen for a screeching noise. Open your windows if you have to, it should come distinctly from one or both sides like a sharp ringing in your ears.
- If you still don’t notice anything, again make sure there are no cars around and start accelerating just a bit, don’t go over 10 or 15 miles an hour. Then brake hard. If your car takes noticeably longer to stop, then you need new rotors.
If you still aren’t sure, the best thing to do is have a professional test or look at your rotors for you.
Replacing Faulty Brake Rotors
Once you have made the decision to replace your rotors, you now have the option to do it yourself or have a professional do it for you. The first thing you should know is that even if your rotors are the only deteriorated part of the brake system, you should still get new pads as well.
It seems like an extra cost, and like the service, people are trying to up-sell you, but it is definitely a worthwhile investment. First of all, if one is in need of replacement, the other is following close behind, so why not just get both done now and let them start their braking journey together anew.
More importantly, however, old pads are slightly worn, so their impact against new rotors is sure to damage and deteriorate your brand new and costly rotors much quicker than new pads. You can avoid warping and full out breakage by getting them both replaced.
The average cost to replace brake pads and rotor discs are right around $300 but could go up over $700 depending on the make and model of your car and braking system. There you have it, the 7 signs you should look out for, listen to, feel, or be cautious of if you are considering replacing your rotors. Drive safe, and remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry!