packaged rotors - rust during storage?

[R18Civic]

I'm back again. Turns out shining a flashlight through the wheel to judge brake pad thickness is a bad idea. I later stuck my fingers between the caliper and rotor and I appear to have like new pads on the front and rear of my car - after ordering new pads and rotors.

Do new-in-the-package rotors have a shelf life before they will rust?

I'm wondering if the rotors will last me a 2 years if I leave them in their packaging + rockauto box without rusting or if I should just bite the bullet and spend $50 to send them back.

Rotor brand is Wagner, pads are Bosch Blue.

 

[CarlB]

Surface rust isn't anything to worry about in terms of performance. You can clean off the hub mating surface to ensure you don't have vibration.

If you are concerned with the cosmetics of surface rust on iron rotors, you can spray/coat them while in storage. Then use brake clean to remove that from the rotor faces when you install.

 

[tmorris1]

I'm back again. Turns out shining a flashlight through the wheel to judge brake pad thickness is a bad idea. I later stuck my fingers between the caliper and rotor and I appear to have like new pads on the front and rear of my car - after ordering new pads and rotors.

I'm wondering if the rotors will last me a 2 years if I leave them in their packaging + rockauto box without rusting or if I should just bite the bullet and spend $50 to send them back.

Rotor brand is Wagner, pads are Bosch Blue.

I have some Napa ones in a sealed bag in the box that look like new after 5 years. Anyone need rear rotors and pads for an F-150. I think they will fit 2011-2017. Isn't $50 about 1/3 of the cost you paid?

 

[KrisZ]

What sort of packaging are they in and do you see any oily stuff on them? If yes, they will not rust. Also, if they’re coated they won’t rust either.

 

[Lockasiam]

you spray rotors off before use because they have an anti rust film on them

 

[zzyzzx]

Where are you storing these parts?

 

[BigCahuna]

This is a timely post for me. Last year about this time, I bought a package deal for my Equinox, of 4 drilled rotors, 4 sets of pads, a bottle of brake fluid and brake cleaner from Detroit Axle. It said the rotors were coated, and 1 year later I guess they weren't lying. I only put the fronts on as the rears are still good, but they look the same as when I took them out of the box. They don't rust up after sitting for weeks or even after being exposed to winters salty roads. I'd buy them again if I needed rotors. Plus they shipped the whole shabang to the house. Only PITA was, the box weighed 80 pounds.,,,,

 

[R18Civic]

Where are you storing these parts?

In my apartment which i will admit gets pretty humid in it summer. It's an old brick building. I was aware of the oil coating on the rotors I just didn't know if they degraded over time.

 

[Lockasiam]

In my apartment which i will admit gets pretty humid in it summer. It's an old brick building. I was aware of the oil coating on the rotors I just didn't know if they degraded over time.

if it makes you feel better you can rub motor oil on them every so often

 

[zzyzzx]

In my apartment which i will admit gets pretty humid in it summer. It's an old brick building. I was aware of the oil coating on the rotors I just didn't know if they degraded over time.

I would think that you would be OK with oil coated rotors stored indoors.

 

[PF52]

I have a single rotor (I've forgotten why just one) that's been on the shelf for 20+ years. It's still oily and wrapped in plastic..... Looks brand new!

 

[KGMtech]

Sealed plastic stored indoors, away from ocean, should be perfectly fine in 5 years for Brake Rotors. If plastic is not sealed, spray some Fluid Film into the bags and just remember when you are eventually going to use these parts to clean off the FF with brake clean.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Most rotors are coated in cosmoline for exactly this reason, to prevent them from rusting on the shelf

Wagner's E-coated rotors come in a VCI bag, so corrosion will not be a problem. These are not oiled, and you can install them without having to clean them off

You shouldn't have to spend $50 to send them back, as you can get a label from Rock Auto (the shipping cost will be deducted from your refund). The return shipping should be about the original cost they charged you in the first place. How much was the shipping cost you paid?

 

[R18Civic]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Dave9]

Leave them on the dining room table then you can polish them daily before dinner.

Kidding aside, they may have already sat in a warehouse for years. They'll be fine as long as not stored outdoors, while not in a sealed bag. A very tiny bit of surface rust from indoor storage is nothing compared to what they'll be exposed to once put on the vehicle. Plus, rust needs a continued supply of oxygen to form.

 

[FTTSHO]

This is a brand new ford motorcraft
rotor with anti rust coating that has been sitting outside getting rained on and exposed to the sun for about 2 months. If this rotor was stored in its original box and was stored indoors, it would not rust like this at all.

 

[slomo]

7 lug ford? New to me.

 

[Dave9]

This is a brand new ford motorcraft
rotor with anti rust coating that has been sitting outside getting rained on and exposed to the sun for about 2 months.

?? For science?

7 lug ford?

Think they used them for F250 in late '90s, F150 early '00s, and still on their heavy duty payload package till about 10 years ago, and also some vans of the era.

 

[FTTSHO]

?? For science?



Think they used them for F250 in late '90s, F150 early '00s, and still on their heavy duty payload package till about 10 years ago, and also some vans of the era.

No. It’s been sitting outside of my work warehouse. It’s not mine.

 

[Dave9]

^ I do not understand. Who buys a new part then leaves it outside in the open to rust? Why would it even be carried out there and placed where it is?