ks7

My rotors on my 2012 A4 are rusted and need to be replaced. Unfortunately, they are not covered under warranty even though the car is 2 years old with only 22,000 miles on it. That seems to be a bit premature on a $40,000 vehicle in my opinion. Any thoughts?

bpp

Why do they need replacement? Why are they rusty in the firs place? Only way for them to rust is if they get wet and then not used for a few days. Take the car out and apply the brakes several times moderately and you'll wear off the rust. Rotors get stained after a wash or rain and the car sets overnight. The stuff gets cleaned off after a few applications.
No need to replace any rotors unless they are severely worn or cracked.

ks7

I am not sure. The car was driven pretty much every day. It makes quite a bit of clicking noise when I apply the brakes. The dealer said they were rusted or something and it would cost $388 to replace.

BMWBig6

They are being replaced because they are rusty? Or because they are worn? I'm still on my original rotors/pads with 68,000 miles.

jagtoes

Either you didn't understand what the dealer said as to what they feel is wrong with the car or the dealer didn't explain it correctly. The other possibility is the dealer is taking you for a ride on work that does not need to be done. Rotors rust as they are made out of iron. They can show a coat of rust overnight if they have been wet and as mentioned the 1st time of use this disappears. My question goes back to what is your symptom. Are the brake pads within their normal wear range or are they worn out causing damage to the rotors. Get another opinion. By the way ask most on this site and I bet they will tell you they have more then 25 or 50 or 75K miles on their OEM rotors. We have 57K on ours and they are in spec.

A4Driver

I got only 32k on my OEM pads and rotors. Don't ask me why. I'm pretty gentle on my brakes. This is the first car I wore out the brakes so quickly on.

jagtoes

ks7 it almost sounds like you are being played . Rust is not a reason for rotor replacement whether it is on the brake surface or on the hat or edges. You should have had the dealer show you the problem that is causing the "clicking" and not a lame excuse to replace the rotors. You could have a pad problem or some of the pad retainer clips causing the problem. Or worse case you could have a caliper issue. If you look through each wheel at the rotors do you see a smooth shiny finish on the rotor. What do you see. I would get a second opinion if I were you.

ks7

They paperwork they gave me said they were warped. I don't know if that makes any difference. I thought when he gave me the diagnosis over the phone he said they were rusted since he said something about that happens when the car sits idle but maybe he said warped. He did say the pads were fine.

irenesbob

Warped is bad, but if only a little warped they could possibly be turned down which should be cheaper than getting new ones. Ask the dealer and if they are honest they will tell you which approach will be more cost effective in the long run. A vibration or pulsating brake pedal when making normal stops is often a symptom of warped rotors - do you have that symptom?

ks7

Shouldn't warped be covered under warranty?