Grooved Rotor with clip

[Leo99]

Changed out the pads and rotors on my Rav4 this morning. The previous "professional" installed the right pads put in the wrong places. Both "A" pads were on the right side and both "B" pads were on the left side instead of an "A" and a "B" on each side. In other words, the A and B are mirror images and go inside and outside not left and right. Whatever, it worked fine but the clips got bent. The new pads I bought didn't come with new clips so I used the old ones. Installing the pads was a royal PITA. The "ears" wouldn't seat down flush with the bottom of the bracket so I had to use a little extra persuasion. Unfortunately, my persuasion pushed one of the clips past the bottom of the bracket and when I went for a test drive there was some grinding and rubbing. The bracket was touching the rotor and wore a little groove into the rotor. I took it back apart and reseated the pad and bracket so it's not rubbing.

I guess I ruined the rotor. I can get a new one and change it out next weekend. Should I do that or just wait until the next brake service in 2 years? If I change the rotor next weekend, I assume the pads are still good?

 

[Eddie]

Forget about replacing the rotor for one small groove.

 

[philipp10]

depends on the groove width and depth but being a clip, I would tend to think that must be a pretty small groove and leave it be. BTW, the ears not fitting tells me you were using after market pads. Sometimes you need to grind or file those to make them fit.

 

[Leo99]

Thanks, I'll let it be.

I'm using the Wagner ThermoQuiet. They're the same pads that were installed previously which I didn't know until I pulled the wheel off.

Changed the rotors and pads on my Corolla last weekend and the rotors took a lot of persuasion with a sledge hammer to dislodge but the Raybestos pads went on without much problem. The Rav4 rotors came right off with two whacks from a plastic dead blow hammer but the pads were very hard to install. The most annoying thing was the pads on the Rav4 were so tight they wouldn't seat properly but once I got them seated properly they were lose and would fall right out of the clips with the slightest touch.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Sometimes you need to grind or file those to make them fit.


+1. It's rather irritating.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: Throt
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Sometimes you need to grind or file those to make them fit.


+1. It's rather irritating.


I didn't know that and it never even occurred to me. Now I know.

 

[Donald]

I doubt if a clip could do enough damage to a rotor in a short time to warrant tossing it.

 

[HangFire]

I've had to deal with this twice lately, once when Merchant's Tire and Auto bent the splash shield into the brand-new rotor creating a groove, and again when four wheeling in my truck and the splash shield got bent into the brand-new rotor. (Why does it only happen to brand new rotors?)

The issue is the pad keys to the groove and does not "float" as much as it should. In most modern disc brake designs, the pads tilt a bit forward or back when braking in R or D. If they don't tilt, you'll typically get another non-wear groove protruding from the top edge, or bottom of the rotor surface near the hub.

The result is faster wear, more squeals, and as it gets older, the possibility of an annoying rotation noise. The brakes, however, will work OK.