Grand Sport Warped Brake Rotors

[shellydoty]

Hello All,
I am new to the Corvette Action Center and was wondering if anyone could give me some insight on my recent experience with having to replace my brake pads and rotors. I have a 2011 Grand Sport with 32K miles on it, does anyone have any idea what would cause the rotors to warp? I asked the dealer and they did not have an answer for me - $1800 dollars later I had new rotors and new pads that were not covered by my warranty due to they considered this a "maintenance" item. Has anyone else had this issue? I have had quite a few corvettes and I can honestly say I have never replaced the brake rotors on any of them and certainly not at 30K. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated -

Thanks
Shelly

 

[Antz81]

There is a few theories on what makes them warp.
The first is that the rotor has become overheated under heavy braking.
The second is that some of the material from the pad gets cooked onto the rotor (especially under heavy braking)
There will be other theories on this too.
One way to try to avoid it is not braking heavily where possible. When it can't be avoided and after a stop from high speeds, move slightly so that the pads are in a different position on the rotor to when you stopped.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Shelly...can you post a little more information?

1) When you were driving the car, what characteristic of the car's braking actxion had you taking the car in for service?

2) When the dealer said the rotors were warped, did they offer any proof...that is did they tell you they measured the rotors to see if they were warped. If so, what were the measurements?

3) By chance, did you ask for the old parts back?

 

[mr.beachcomber]

Here' a link to an excellent article on the warped brake discs by Carroll Smith that might shed some light on your experience.

 

[shellydoty]

Hi

That's the crazy part about all of this - all of a sudden I noticed that the brakes would have a high pitched squeal right after washing the car ( it would go away after I used the brakes) then I started to hear just a small squeal every once in a while when I came to a stop. When I took the car in for service I told them what I heard and told them to check the brakes. Thus the bad news... to add a little more history here - I have had several issues with this car since I bought it - the removable top had to be replaced due to stress cracks, the hatchback recall, display went out on radio and I am on my 3rd set of tires... had to have the 2nd set replaced after 500 miles due to massive tread wear because they said the car was way out of alignment ( the dealership bought set #2 for me) and the strange thing is I had the car in the shop 5 times after they put the new tires on because it would not go down the road straight... then the issue with the brakes started... I absolutely love this car, but I am beginning to think there is something wrong with it..

I did not get the rotors back - and I should have.... I asked the dealership how this could happen and they had no answer, not happy with that I went to Chevy Customer Care and told them what was going on - they were not much help, they told me to ask the dealer... told them I did and since I could not get an answer to my question my thoughts were that GM needs to stand behind the product and reimburse me for the $1800 I spent for the brakes to be replaced - the answer to that was they would not reimburse me... What irritates me the most is all I wanted was an explanation as to what would cause this and no one would tell me a thing - they were warped.... that's all..

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Sounds like minor pad glazing. Usually fixable in 5 minutes with a rotary wire brush.

 

[Antz81]

Sounds like minor pad glazing. Usually fixable in 5 minutes with a rotary wire brush.

Agreed. I've never heard off a warped rotor making that kind of noise. Normally it makes the brake pedal feel like it's pulsating.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Agreed. I've never heard off a warped rotor making that kind of noise. Normally it makes the brake pedal feel like it's pulsating.

And even then the rotor is not warped in 99% of the cases. As the linked article states, it's a build up of material transferred from the pads.

 

[Chevy Customer Service]

Hi

That's the crazy part about all of this - all of a sudden I noticed that the brakes would have a high pitched squeal right after washing the car ( it would go away after I used the brakes) then I started to hear just a small squeal every once in a while when I came to a stop. When I took the car in for service I told them what I heard and told them to check the brakes. Thus the bad news... to add a little more history here - I have had several issues with this car since I bought it - the removable top had to be replaced due to stress cracks, the hatchback recall, display went out on radio and I am on my 3rd set of tires... had to have the 2nd set replaced after 500 miles due to massive tread wear because they said the car was way out of alignment ( the dealership bought set #2 for me) and the strange thing is I had the car in the shop 5 times after they put the new tires on because it would not go down the road straight... then the issue with the brakes started... I absolutely love this car, but I am beginning to think there is something wrong with it..

I did not get the rotors back - and I should have.... I asked the dealership how this could happen and they had no answer, not happy with that I went to Chevy Customer Care and told them what was going on - they were not much help, they told me to ask the dealer... told them I did and since I could not get an answer to my question my thoughts were that GM needs to stand behind the product and reimburse me for the $1800 I spent for the brakes to be replaced - the answer to that was they would not reimburse me... What irritates me the most is all I wanted was an explanation as to what would cause this and no one would tell me a thing - they were warped.... that's all..

shellydoty,

Very sorry to read about the situation with your brake rotors. I can definitely understand your displeasure, and we're here to help, but I see you mentioned speaking to "Chevrolet Customer Care". However, I searched our system and found no interactions between us on the forum here. Did you contact a call center? While I'm unable to guarantee anything, feel free to message us privately if you have any additional concerns that may require further investigation.

Kindly,

William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[catbert]

The chance of all the rotors warping and requiring complete replacement of the brake system on a normally driven street car is slimmer than the chance of an opportunistic service department.

 

[Midnight 99]

Yea, What he said!! Unless you drive with your left foot on the brake and your right foot on the accelerator you should not be able to build up enough heat through normal driving to warp the rotors and definitely not all four at once. The squeaking that you were hearing sounds like it may have been glazing. At 30,000 miles your pads should not be worn out either. I remove glazing with 1000 grit wet paper. It cleans the rotor surface just fine.