This is a cosmetic review of the Carquest Platinum painted brake rotors that were recently introduced at Advance Auto Parts and Carquest stores. I'm not going to comment on the functionality of these rotors because I haven't installed them and I'm not sure if I'll keep these or return them.
The machine work cosmetically looks good, but I haven't checked the runout, thickness variation or anything. They have a non-directional finish.
They're made in China, which is not surprising.
The paint is not very impressive. Only the outside of the hat and the outer edge are painted. The vanes are not coated. The inside of the hat is not painted. The inside of the hat is where you really want to prevent rust, because rust there can cause excess runout and brake pulsation.
Overall, I would say these are not comparable to the best painted/coated rotors that have the inside of the hat and vanes coated. For example, the Zimmermann rotors I purchased in the past have had much more complete coating. These Carquest rotors could help prevent rust on the outside of the hat, but that's about it.
However, these rotors are pretty affordable, so they could be a good choice if you're looking for something in this price range. I paid $35 each after using a discount code.
My casual observation is they're a basic, functional rotor, but don't get too excited about the paint. If you really care about painting/coating on your rotors, there are probably better choices out there.
The machine work cosmetically looks good, but I haven't checked the runout, thickness variation or anything. They have a non-directional finish.
They're made in China, which is not surprising.
The paint is not very impressive. Only the outside of the hat and the outer edge are painted. The vanes are not coated. The inside of the hat is not painted. The inside of the hat is where you really want to prevent rust, because rust there can cause excess runout and brake pulsation.
Overall, I would say these are not comparable to the best painted/coated rotors that have the inside of the hat and vanes coated. For example, the Zimmermann rotors I purchased in the past have had much more complete coating. These Carquest rotors could help prevent rust on the outside of the hat, but that's about it.
However, these rotors are pretty affordable, so they could be a good choice if you're looking for something in this price range. I paid $35 each after using a discount code.
My casual observation is they're a basic, functional rotor, but don't get too excited about the paint. If you really care about painting/coating on your rotors, there are probably better choices out there.