Understand completely and asking isn't a bad idea. You just will never get a real "answer" though.
Replace or resurface rotors
- Thread starter Soobs
- Start date
If I am taking the time to remove rotors - only NEW are going back on.
All new rotors -aftermarket or OEM are much thinner than now to save weight etc....and It is very hard to find somebody who has and can use the machine properly to resurface a rotor. If you have no issues or shakes - leave it alone.
I would just throw pads on and go with it., those rotors will go another 65k miles easy. Be sure to bed the new brake pads well.
All new rotors -aftermarket or OEM are much thinner than now to save weight etc....and It is very hard to find somebody who has and can use the machine properly to resurface a rotor. If you have no issues or shakes - leave it alone.
I would just throw pads on and go with it., those rotors will go another 65k miles easy. Be sure to bed the new brake pads well.
As others mentioned if there are no braking issues and the rotors mic up and look good leave them alone. Cutting the rotors is only as good as the person who is cutting them, which can often lead to problems. Just look at how many horror stories we read here of botched oil changes, cutting a rotor is a bit more involved than an oil change. 
OTOH if you have faith in the person cutting the rotors go for it.
OTOH if you have faith in the person cutting the rotors go for it.
According to centric, a new front rotor is 28mm thick and a worn limit is 25mm thick. A rear rotor is about 10mm thick and worn limit is 8.5mm
So, that's not really a lot of room for wear allowance. Even if you resurface a "good rotor", after the lathe, it would likely push the rotor into the "need replacing" condition.
So, it's best to just replace the rotors every time. It's not like new rotors will cost you an arm & a leg.
Vehicles using adhesive friction do not wear rotors very much. A light cut, per surface, is .3-.4mm. So .8mm total for a light cut.
Front rotors can often be machined twice on Toyotas.
Rear rotors, once.
You mean "ADHERENT"
Adherent*
Well, I may have gone against consensus a smidge 
. I came to the decision to replace with new rotors. After considering everything from all the info here and elsewhere it came down to three potential options:
1. Machine with an on-car lathe.
2. Do nothing.
3. Replace with new OE or premium aftermarket.
I would have liked to have machined them with an on-car lathe. Unfortunately, the cost of having them machined on an on-car brake lathe around here is just as much or more than if I buy new rotors myself. Additionally, if I'm paying someone to go that far on a lift with the wheels off then it'd be silly to not have them also do pads/hardware/lube. Since I'm more interested in DIY and the cost didn't make sense this option was tossed. Alternatively, the cost for a bench lathe is very cheap, but I've read too many stories of improperly maintained lathes or operators that weren't trained to gamble on this route.
The reason I decided against leaving the rotors untouched is mostly personal preference. While there's no pulsation/vibration/noise the fronts do have a lot of grooving and all four are glazed a bit. I'm sure chances are they'd be just fine as there is certainly plenty of thickness left; however, this particular vehicle is my family vehicle (kid hauler) so I don't mind spending a little for peace of mind.
As it turns out new ultra premium high carbon Advics rotors (likely identical to OE and of the same manufacturer) were cheaper than Centric, Raybestos, etc.. using a Cyber Monday deal that just happened to pop up over the weekend with sixityauto.com. So all in all I'm still not out much expense, everything will be new, and the metal recycler down the road gets a bit more materials to repurpose.
I appreciate everyone's input and help. I'm no seasoned or pro mechanic, but I do really enjoy taking care of things myself. I have always found the BITOG community to be an excellent resource and I enjoy bouncing this sort of stuff around with you folks. Thanks again!
. I came to the decision to replace with new rotors. After considering everything from all the info here and elsewhere it came down to three potential options:1. Machine with an on-car lathe.
2. Do nothing.
3. Replace with new OE or premium aftermarket.
I would have liked to have machined them with an on-car lathe. Unfortunately, the cost of having them machined on an on-car brake lathe around here is just as much or more than if I buy new rotors myself. Additionally, if I'm paying someone to go that far on a lift with the wheels off then it'd be silly to not have them also do pads/hardware/lube. Since I'm more interested in DIY and the cost didn't make sense this option was tossed. Alternatively, the cost for a bench lathe is very cheap, but I've read too many stories of improperly maintained lathes or operators that weren't trained to gamble on this route.
The reason I decided against leaving the rotors untouched is mostly personal preference. While there's no pulsation/vibration/noise the fronts do have a lot of grooving and all four are glazed a bit. I'm sure chances are they'd be just fine as there is certainly plenty of thickness left; however, this particular vehicle is my family vehicle (kid hauler) so I don't mind spending a little for peace of mind.
As it turns out new ultra premium high carbon Advics rotors (likely identical to OE and of the same manufacturer) were cheaper than Centric, Raybestos, etc.. using a Cyber Monday deal that just happened to pop up over the weekend with sixityauto.com. So all in all I'm still not out much expense, everything will be new, and the metal recycler down the road gets a bit more materials to repurpose.
I appreciate everyone's input and help. I'm no seasoned or pro mechanic, but I do really enjoy taking care of things myself. I have always found the BITOG community to be an excellent resource and I enjoy bouncing this sort of stuff around with you folks. Thanks again!
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