i want to get my rotors turned with the next brake job. i called around a couple of places. Orielys wanted $25 a rotor. pep boys wanted $52.50.
i know many times its cheaper to just buy a new rotor and slap it on. so are these guys just pricing rotor turning to get you to buy a new rotor instead?
how much do you guys pay for rotor turning?
turning rotors and pricing
- Thread starter WhyMe
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It's $15 per rotor for turning here in Bothell area last time I checked, but I have been buying new rotors from Rockauto for few dollars more. I started buying Raybestos brand from Rockauto because Bosch rotors started to warp on two vehicles with less than 5K miles.
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JHZR2
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They have to pay their $15/hr clerk, which with all the taxes and benefits, is $30/hr or more. Not only do they turn it for 10 minutes, but they also set up and clean up. Ends up being 30 minutes of work.
Then the store needs to make 100% profit on the cost.
Seems OK...
Its only because China dumps steel here that you can get the replacements so cheap. If you actually had to pay one of your unemployed countrymen to have to make it, it would likely be more $.
A lot of rotors will not have enough meat after turning. Measure before turning.
Most people have given up turning rotors. Not really worth it anymore unless your rotors are $100-$200 each. Even then it may be a toss up. Once you get them turned, then they are thinner and they warp more easily. So it'd be a waste to spend the money turning them and then have them warped 6-12 months later and you'd have to buy new rotors anyway. Then you're out the cost of the turning and you have to do the brake job all over again.
Just buy new rotors.
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
That and how they are installed. … seen everything from slip right off to tear into a bunch of driveline kit … so for all that work (or cost if paying a mechanic) ~ get a new frisbee … maybe slotted and rust free …
Originally Posted By: AVB
I personally prefer resurfaced oem rotors over cheap new rotors, but as a technician, it is not worth my time to turn rotors.
Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: AVB
I personally prefer resurfaced oem rotors over cheap new rotors, but as a technician, it is not worth my time to turn rotors.
Btw we charge $15 each.
Originally Posted By: spasm3
A lot of rotors will not have enough meat after turning. Measure before turning.
In my experience, Firestone has done a good job with brakes. They always have some sort of coupon on their website which includes turning the rotors. Untouched OE rotors can typically be turned once if you haven’t been driving around grinding the pads backing plates into them for a month while you procrastinated taking it in. Replacing rotors is when you get into the $500 brake job.
How does this sound?
In the old days brake pads and shoes had asbestos material on 'em--soft.
The drums and rotors were harder steel. They'd show wear but the friction material would take the brunt of the wear. No?
Today, BOTH friction material AND rotor (drum) are softer so they both get "sacrificed".
I had a pair of rear rotors dressed and added new pads when I sold an '05 Saab last year.
They weren't heavily worn nor scored. After turning there was meat left on the rotors.
It really is case-by-case. That time it was worth it.
I tried taking rotors to a shop to have them turned...the shop wanted an hour labor to do it. $90 to have 2 rotors turned. 
I instead bought 2 new rotors for ~$60.
I instead bought 2 new rotors for ~$60.What I heard several years ago, and have had reaffirmed by several people that should be a little more credible than your average message board tinkerer, is that for some time rotors have been thin enough (weight savings) that there isn't enough meat on them to reliably turn them. I've personally not had good success with the few I've had turned - it seems once the metal experiences the stresses to warp it the first time, it's pretty much done afterward. The local O'Reilly's charges $12 for car/van, I believe, but it's nowhere near worth the headache with the customer for me to try turning anything when new Napa premium rotors that should last the next 60-100,000 miles are $25-40.
My outlook is, just try not to warp them in the first place. After that, replace and learn from your driving mistake or fix the sticky caliper, etc. that may have caused it in the first place.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I have never seen pad deposits in 35 yrs of brake jobs on customers cars. Never! Seen plenty of bent,warped rotors though. So bent that the bit only hits on 1/2 the rotor on each side and opposite sides.
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All this discussion of WARP is USELESS until SOMEONE starts posting figures, actual measurements of what they've "SEEN" in terms of warped discs.
Any discussion of what is better is USELESS until someone posts the runout differences before and after. It's all anecdotes and opinions, even with Umpteen years of experience.
Yes I've seen warped and damaged disks, too. On totaled cars, or at least totaled wheels.
Yes it is a tough economic argument when new discs cost very close to the price of turning discs.
But whether new discs vs turned discs run better depends ALMOST ENTIRELY on the runout when mounted, you know, the part of the FSM everyone ignores because "that's set at the factory" and "I've done this for XX years and not had any problem" (except "cheap" rotors warp 10K miles later of course... but that's not MY FAULT... even though I have NO AS-BUILT RUNOUT MEASUREMENTS recorded.)
To answer the OP's questions:
My local race oriented machine shop charges $25/disc for turning. Other garages charge a little less, but I now only use the race shop.
When they are done the flatness (parallelism) and runout tolerance measurements are beneath the ability of my Starrett equipment to measure- the surface finish is greater than the tolerance!
Do NOT expect these kind of results from Pep Boys.
They are pricing rotor turning at a level to make a profit, considering: labor, machine time, and tooling wear.
For some larger trucks, older and rarer vehicles, and for performance equipment, it is more economical to turn brake drums and rotors than replacing them. Where common mass-market rotors are available, turning is a hard sell.
To answer the unasked question, which is better for the car, turning or replacement? It depends secondarily on the quality of the old versus new, and primarily on the resulting measurements, both off and on the vehicle. Since the repair industry has an obstinant resistance to actually measuring these things (simple and cheap to do, it's in EVERY FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL but HEY IT TAKES 5 MINUTES NO WAY! I'M ON THE CLOCK), few people actually know. But they are happy to opine.
"Without data you're just another person with an opinion." -Deming
Originally Posted By: WhyMe
how much do you guys pay for rotor turning?
Originally Posted By: WhyMe
so are these guys just pricing rotor turning to get you to buy a new rotor instead?
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