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Rusty front brake rotors

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by John Kuhn, Mar 31, 2021.

  1. John Kuhn

    John Kuhn Member

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    My 2017 Prius Two Eco has been through 4 Wisconsin winters, with all the nasty road salt. Car has 53,000 miles on it. Sadly my front rotors have a lot of rust on them, such that the pad visibly only contacts part of the rotor, and when braking hard you can feel vibration. I'm certain it is because in all of my normal driving I only use the brakes very lightly, and whatever rust forms doesn't get scraped off and thus accumulates and grows. I'm disappointed the brake design doesn't accommodate this obvious duty cycle. The rears are not as bad, as I believe they engage slightly before the fronts in light braking. I've seen some threads on rust, and many of them are replied to by warm climate people who suggest it's hardly possible to happen, but it really does.

    In contrast, my son's Chevy Bolt rotors with two Wisconsin winters on them look like new, as do my wife's Bolt rotors with one winter. It would appear GM has this condition accounted for.

    So my question is, should I get new factory Prius rotors, or are there better aftermarket ones out there that would last longer?
     
    #1 John Kuhn, Mar 31, 2021
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    If those rotors can't be cleaned up, that'll mean replacing them, whether from Toyota or somewhere else.

    But the key really seems to be to learn and do the Prius Brake Thing. That's where, whenever you notice the brakes sounding a little raspy as you drive off, shift into neutral for the next two or three stops you make, until they sound quiet again. Being in neutral forces the friction brakes to be used, they scrape off the light surface rust before it has a chance to become the gnarly stuff you're looking at now, and it gets to be so second-nature I hardly even notice myself doing it anymore when I do it. It's almost always after the car's been parked through a long rainy night. I'll get in in the morning, drive off, think "hmm, sounds a little noisy" making my first stop, use neutral for the next two or three, all fixed.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Mar 31, 2021
    kenoarto and amos like this.
  3. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Nobody will ever be able to get long life out of the brakes and rotors in snow states that use salt.
     
    #3 CooCooCaChoo, Mar 31, 2021
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Would it be worth getting them resurfaced, with an on-the-car lathe system, or does that exceed replacement cost these days?
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Mar 31, 2021
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Last I checked, resurfacing was still cheaper than Toyota's, but rarely cheaper than cheap aftermarkets.
     
    #5 ChapmanF, Mar 31, 2021
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  6. John Kuhn

    John Kuhn Member

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    Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I'll have to do some investigating about turned vs. new. I like the idea of slipping into neutral for braking on occasion, so scour the rotors a bit before the rust really takes hold. (I'll have to grit my teeth wasting that momentum, but such is life. :cry:)
    If anybody else knows of replacement rotor quality better than Toyota, I'm still interested.
     
    #6 John Kuhn, Mar 31, 2021
  7. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Last time I changed the rotors on the Prius v wagon, I used zinc plated rotors. I forget the brand name.

    Hi all, new Prius v owner | Page 3 | PriusChat

    That was back in 2018. I was quite skeptical at the time...but they still look great! I liked them so much I put them on our 2010 liftback...and they look great as well. Going to do the rotors on our 2012 Sonata this year. (y)
     
    #7 farmecologist, Apr 1, 2021
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