Getting my brakes worked on. They want to rebuild my calipers?

[thermostate82]

So they say that my calipers are over heating the pads a causing the rotor to warp! Now I'm not a mechanical engineer
But I would think that rebuilding them would fix the rotors.

[redline380]

Well, the piston could be seized. Rebuilding a front caliper consists of one seal and one dust boot, and maybe a couple slider pins if they don't just clean up the ones that are in there.

If the rotors are warped, they are warped. Time for new ones.

[thermostate82]

Yeah I just told them I want new pads and rotors. The calipers are fine.

[redline380]

Are you sure the calipers are fine?

[walky_talky20]

Yeah, you probably need new rotors and pads.

But those new pads and rotors are going to be junk in a month if you don't fix the actual problem. The shop is telling you the problem is that the calipers are sticking on. And they may not even be able to install new pads/rotors due to the inability to compress the caliper.

Common Failure mode:
- Dust boot fails
- Rust happens to piston surface
- Rust on piston surface prevents piston from retracting properly
- Failure to retract makes brakes "stick on" slightly all the time
- Pad and rotor life are shortened dramatically. Rotors may warp.
- Cannot compress piston manually due to rust issue

Fix:
- Almost universally people replace calipers with a reman unit.
- Persons who are measurably more awesome will rebuild the caliper with new seal and dust boot, so long as the rust on the piston is minor.
- Rebuild is half the cost or less of a new caliper, but requires more labor time. If you are paying for labor, a reman caliper is usually a better choice.

[redline380]

- Persons who are measurably more awesome will rebuild the caliper with new seal and dust boot, so long as the rust on the piston is minor.

I don't think most realize how easy and cheap it is to rebuild your own calipers. Parts are less than $10 on rock auto and it takes about 10 minutes. I did all four on that avant I bought. Very gratifying

Rear caliper rebuilds do indeed suck though. A lot

[thermostate82]

There called brakes for less I think they where just trying to up sell me. Anywho I will prolly just rebuild them myself if it would stop raining and warm up here in Florida.