Front brake pads and rotors for 04 explorer

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
170
Location
MN
I have a 04 explorer, 4wd which I bought new. At 50,000 miles the front brake pads were replaced with Ford OEM and the rotors turned. I now have 105,000 on the truck, so there's 55,000 on the brakes. I'm thinking of going with the Ford brake pads again, my price @ the dealer would be $44 and tax. A new set of rotors from Ford lists at about $83 and by just asking for the internet price it would be $55 each. I've been pricing out rotors and they are all over the place for price and according to the reviews they are also all over the place. Is there one or two brands of rotors that would be equivalent to the Ford rotors for a lesser price or should I just stay with the OEM parts. I plan on keeping it for a few more years. I do not tow, but do a lot of short distance driving with lots of stop and go.
 
Are these prices for real, genuine Ford parts or Motorcraft parts?

If it's real Ford parts then that seems like a good price and I'd get them.
 
I have an '05 Ex... I did brakes all the way around last summer and here's what I did:

NAPA Premium rotors all the way around and Adaptive One brake pads... couldn't be happier, and it actually stops better than some cars a I paid more money for with replacement brakes.

However, I recently found out that NAPA's premium line of rotors are identical to Advance's Wearever brake rotors. The NAPA part number is actually on the Wearever box. Couple that with a coupon code and some good pads, and you will be golden. For the price, you could stick to the Motorcraft pads -- that seems like a good price. OR you could do multiple orders from Advance and buy Thermoquiets.

I always break my orders in to multiple orders when I buy from Advance and save a ton of money... Just did pads and rotors all the way around on my wife's altima for $140. Wearever rotors, Thermoquiet pads, and new rubbers.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the information, I'll check out Advance for the rotors. The prices are real on the parts from the dealer. I google ford auto parts and do a search on the site and it gives the list price. I then check dealers by me on the site which lists their price to me. I then call the dealer place the order and ask for the internet price. I've been doing this a few years now.
 
Make sure you are getting Ford OEM and not Motorcraft. Those prices seem in line for a wholesale break on Motorcraft, not OEM. What part numbers are you being quoted? If the short numbers begin with BR and BRR, they are Motorcraft and NOT OEM.
 
I checked the web site again, the parts listed are labeled as motorcraft. There are other parts listed on the site as OEM. So are the rotors which are listed as being motorcraft of lesser quality than OEM. I would like to purchase comparable rotors to what I now have.
 
Rotors are going to rust even if they are perfectly machined and balanced when you buy them. I would stick with the Wearever rotors from Advance IMHO since they represent a good bang for the buck and are cheap with the codes available online.

The Centric premiums have that nice E-Coating on them, but i have heard too many stories about out of the box balancing issues for me to give them a try.
 
The Motorcraft rotors are meant to compete with teh aftermarket and are made in China. The OEM rotors will be made in USA, Canada, Brazil, Italy, Poland, Germany, they will be the exact replacement for what came on the vehicle when new.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Make sure you are getting Ford OEM and not Motorcraft. Those prices seem in line for a wholesale break on Motorcraft, not OEM. What part numbers are you being quoted? If the short numbers begin with BR and BRR, they are Motorcraft and NOT OEM.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
The Motorcraft rotors are meant to compete with teh aftermarket and are made in China. The OEM rotors will be made in USA, Canada, Brazil, Italy, Poland, Germany, they will be the exact replacement for what came on the vehicle when new.


As noted by this member, these are the reasons you need to determine if you're getting Motorcraft or genuine Ford OE parts, because they often aren't the same. Genuine OE Ford parts will normally be more expensive.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top