Turning front wheel rotors ?

[MJD]

Local shop told me the front disc brake assembly has to completely come off the Festiva car for turning rotors on the front ? Or, the whole front end off ?
I had our '88 LX in for an alignment, and asked of the brakes condition, and they told me this. Is this true of all the Festiva cars ? I was also told there are big town shops who have a way to turn the rotors with a machine that does the job with the front end left on the car.
Can you people let me know about this ? I do not think I have a way to take front brake/wheel parts off.
I just assumed a mechanic shop was able to do so.
And, are there front and rear wheel, or axle bearings I need to know about ?
Thanks for any advice,



mjd

[hotfordcat]

The Auto Hobby Shop on the Air Force Base where I work has the equipment to turn rotors on any car while they are on the car. So, the equipment is out there.

[festivaWES]

SOME shops can turn them while they are on the car. But most companies do not have that setup. Autozone/ O' Reilly's...they have to be off.

[blkfordsedan]

A lot of the Oil change/brake/muffler shops around here have the equipment to turn the rotors on the car. It is quick and easy and actually does a very good job - BUT they really break it off in you if you have it done. The cheapest place I found was just over $200 with new pads included. Considering the work required to remove the Festiva rotor it may be worth it if you can't do it yourself.

[jglutz]

I'm not a fan of turning rotors. They should ounly be turned if they are extremly glazed or heat checked. If they are warped...turning them will only buy a short amount of time before they warp again...same if the are glazed or heat checked. As metal is removed buy turning....the rotor is less capable of rejecting/absorbing heat.

Rotors are cheap. If the shop has them off...they should just be replaced....I recently replaced mine for less than $25 each.

If a driver brakes normally....the pads are changed regularly....the pads are not super hard....non ceramic....the rotors will last for a very long time.

Most national chains that offer life time brake jobs require that the rotors be turned to qualify. the gimmick is when you go to have the pads changed under the gaurantee...you get charged for new rotors because turning the rotors again will put them under the minimum thickness.

For most cars...once the wheel and caliper are off...required for changing the pads...the rotor is changed in 2 minutes....it actually cost more for the shop to turn the rotor than change them....however...they charge more for the replacement.