Have your brakes started to make a lot of noise when you push down on your car’s brake pedal? If so, it could be the result of an issue with one of the parts in your car’s braking system. More specifically, it could indicate a problem with your car’s brake rotors, and they might need to be replaced to get them working the way they’re supposed to again. Prior to taking your car in for service, you should take some time to learn more about brake rotors and the role that they play. You should also attempt to find out what the brake rotor replacement cost is going to be. Continue reading to discover more about brake rotors.
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What Is a Brake Rotor?
There are a bunch of different parts that make up your car’s braking system. This includes everything from your brake pads to your brake lines to your brake calipers. But your brake rotors are some of the biggest parts in your braking system, which is what makes them so important to it. If you don’t have fully functioning brake rotors, you’re going to need to prepare to pay the brake rotor replacement cost as soon as possible to get your braking system up and running again.
Brake rotors are the large metal discs that you’ll usually see sitting up against your wheels when you look down on them. They’re designed to work in tandem with your brake pads to create the necessary friction to slow your car down when you step on your brake pedal. Without them, you’re going to have a tough time bringing your car to a complete stop in a timely fashion. They don’t require a whole lot of maintenance like some of the other aspects of your braking system, but you will need to make sure they’re in great shape at all times to keep your car’s braking system humming along.
How Do Brake Rotors Work?
Now that you know what brake rotors are, let’s talk a little bit more about how they actually work in the context of your braking system. It’s easy to take brake rotors for granted if you don’t know the work that they do to slow your car down. It’s also easy to scoff at the brake rotor replacement cost when you don’t realize just how essential brake rotors are in the grand scheme of things.
As we mentioned a moment ago, brake rotors are large metal discs that rotate along with your car’s wheels when you’re driving down the road. When you’re not pushing on the brake pedal in your car, they won’t do anything except continue to turn with your wheels. But when you push down on your brake pedal, they’ll spring into action. Your brake pads will push down on your brake rotors from both sides and create friction with them. Your brake rotors will then take the friction that is created and transfer it to your wheels. This will result in your car slowing down and eventually coming to a complete stop.
How Long Do Brake Rotors Last?
As you’ve seen so far, your car’s brake rotors are very important as far as your braking system is concerned. You’re not going to be able to slow your car down and stop it without brake rotors that are in good condition. The good news is that you won’t have to worry about replacing your brake rotors too often. They last longer than many of the other parts in your braking system. But you are going to have to replace them at some point down the line.
Generally speaking, brake rotors should last you for somewhere between 30,000 and 70,000 miles. But those numbers can change depending on everything from the driving conditions that you subject your car to every day to the type of car that you have. You should flip through the owner’s manual for your car to see what your specific auto manufacturer recommends with regards to brake rotor replacement. It’ll give you an indication of how often you’re going to have to set aside money to cover the brake rotor replacement cost.
How Can You Tell When Brake Rotors Are Going Bad?
When the brake pads on your car are beginning to go bad on you, it’s pretty easy to tell. You’re going to find that it’s going to be harder than usual to bring your car to a stop when you have bad brake pads in it. You’re also going to find that your brakes will make a lot of unnecessary noise when your brake pads are on their way out.
It’s not always as easy to figure out when your brake rotors are going bad. They might cause some unusual sounds to come from your brakes as we alluded to earlier, but they might not also present any obvious problems right away. That being said, you can usually tell when your brake rotors are going bad when you spot some of these signs:
- They’ll sometimes start to turn blue because of all the heat that they absorb over the years
- They’ll often result in your car losing braking power when they really start to get up there in age
- They’ll typically begin to crack when they’re on their last legs
If you see any of these signs, you shouldn’t ignore them. You also shouldn’t ignore whatever your auto manufacturer recommends when it comes to brake rotor replacement. You’ll need to suck it up and pay the brake rotor replacement cost to get new brake rotors put into place as soon as you can.
Is It Safe to Drive With Bad Brake Rotors?
There are some car problems that you continue to drive around with until you’re able to get them fixed. But any problems with your car’s brakes should not be ignored under any circumstances. While you might be tempted to turn up the radio in your car so that you can’t hear your brakes squeaking and squealing, that’s not really going to do much to fix the issues with your brakes. You’re going to need to have your braking system looked at sooner than later to alleviate the problems you’re having.
It’s not safe to drive with something like bad brake rotors. You could potentially put yourself and other drivers in harm’s way if you continue to drive with bad brake rotors in your car. They might make it difficult for you to slow down when you’re driving your car around, which could lead to you getting into an accident. You should get yourself ready to take care of the brake rotor replacement cost and do it as soon as possible so that you don’t have to drive with bad brake rotors for any longer than you absolutely have to.
What Should You Do If You Have Bad Brake Rotors?
The moment that you notice that you have bad brake rotors in your car, you should take your vehicle down to an ASE-certified mechanic and let them take a look at it. They’ll be able to inspect your braking system to see what the problem seems to be. They might suggest that you have your brake rotors replaced, or they might recommend that you have another part in your braking system replaced. It’ll all depend on what they’re able to uncover.
Ideally, you should toss the keys to your car to a mechanic who specializes in working on brakes all day long. These mechanics have seen it all while working on braking systems and can diagnose bad brake rotors in the blink of an eye. They can also extend the lowest possible brake rotor replacement cost to you. It’ll help you get your car back out on the road sooner with new brake rotors installed in it.
Should You Ever Attempt to Replace Brake Rotors Yourself?
To try and steer clear of the brake rotor replacement cost, there are some vehicle owners who will kick around the idea of replacing bad brake rotors on their own. It sounds like it would be a simple enough job as long as you can find a quick tutorial on how to do it online. But if you can avoid it, you shouldn’t ever attempt to do any brake work on your car yourself unless you’re 100 percent sure that you know what you’re doing.
Getting to your brake rotors so that you can remove them can be a tall task if you’re not familiar with a car’s braking system. Installing new brake rotors can also be very challenging for anyone who hasn’t worked on brakes before. And if you make one little mistake, it could compromise your entire braking system and stop it from working once you start driving your car again. You could find yourself in a very dangerous situation if you ever get into a car with brakes that aren’t working like they should.
You should leave brake rotor replacement up to the professionals. Even though it’ll force you to pay the brake rotor replacement cost, it’ll be money well spent. You won’t have to worry about your brake rotors and the rest of the parts in your braking system not working properly when you have a mechanic work on them for you.
How Much Does Brake Rotor Replacement Cost?
At this point, you understand how important brake rotors are to your car and you know why it’s essential to replace them the second that you realize they’ve gone bad. But you don’t yet know what the brake rotor replacement cost is going to be when you take your car to a mechanic. It’s going to be a little more than you might have hoped.
On average, most people end up paying somewhere between $320 and $430 as their brake rotor replacement cost. That includes parts, which will cost you between $200 and $300, and labor, which will be between $100 and $150. The price might change slightly based on where you take your car for service and what kind of car you have. But you’re going to be looking at paying at least a few hundred dollars for new brake rotors.
Is the Brake Rotor Replacement Cost Worth It?
The brake rotor replacement cost more than a lot of car owners would like to pay for new brake rotors. And the total cost can actually climb a little higher than the price we just mentioned if you happen to need other brake parts replaced. It might make you wonder whether or not it’s worth it.
There are some car parts that might not be worth the cost of replacement. But brake rotors are not one of them! If you’re planning on keeping your car around for the foreseeable future, driving with bad brake rotors just won’t be an option. You’re not going to feel confident when you push down on your brake pedal knowing that you have bad brake rotors. They’re just not going to work like they’re supposed to every time.
Although the brake rotor replacement cost might be higher than you would like, you should still bite the bullet and pay it to get your brake rotors fixed. It’s the only surefire way to make sure your braking system as a whole is firing on all cylinders when you need it to.
Is Selling a Car With Bad Brake Rotors a Possibility?
Would you rather not pay the brake rotor replacement cost? If so, you should know that you can get rid of your car and collect cash for it if you want. A private buyer is probably going to balk at buying your car from you once they hear about your bad brake rotors. But a company like Cash Cars Buyer would be happy to pay you cash for your car, bad brake rotors and all.
If you’re interested in selling your car rather than paying the brake rotor replacement cost, we would love to hear from you. We can tell you how much your car is worth and arrange to come and pick it up if you would like. Contact us today for more information on our services.