Have a 2015 Fit. Brake rotors developed "high spots" at 24K. Rotors were turned. Developed "high spots" again at 49K. I've been driving for over 50 years and my experience has been that these problems develop much later in the life of the vehicle...70-80K. Now the dealer (Honda of Murfreesboro) says
that he doesn't know whether they can turn the rotors again w/o having minimum thickness problems on the rotor.

Has anybody else had these kind of problems? What was the solution?
Thanks !

Jimmy

 

Improper wheel tightening procedures?
Impact gun used on the lugnuts, without torque (limiting) sticks?


Are the rotors 'blued' from heat?
Mountains, riding the brakes and getting them hot? Heavily loaded car?


When very hot brake pads are held tightly pressed against a stationary and very hot brake rotor, 'friction material transfer' can occur and that leads to high spots and subsequent brake vibration/pulsation.

One thing I suggest is when you come to a stop, don't sit at a dead stop with your foot heavy on the brake pedal. Leave plenty of room in front of you so you can let the car creep forward very slowly so the hot brake pads aren't sitting against the hot and stationary brake rotors. This helps avoid transferring brake pad friction material to a single spot on the surface of the rotor.

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If the rotors have been resurfaced once, they need to be measured to see if they may be resurfaced without leaving them thinner than the minimum spec. Usually they can have a second or 3rd resurfacing, but that will depend on how much material must be removed to true the surfaces. Sometimes one just has to do the work then measure to see what's left.
I do hope they are using their 'on-car' brake lathe.

If they must be replaced, I strongly suggest genuine Honda rotors, not aftermarket.

 

Many years ago we had 3 set of rotors replaced for free by Ford under warranty. Then I read that the wheels needed to be torqued correctly (equally on all lugs). Especially when using alloy wheels. Once we did that we never had another rotor problem. I can not explain why, so we just do it on all vehicles we have owned or worked on since on since then.

Rotors that have developed hot spots rather than a warp, usually will not last long after being turned down. On a hot spot the steel i the disk has been heated to the point that the hardness has changed in that spot. evenn after turning there is a friction difference as the disk passes the disk pads causing pulsing brakes. If left long enough it will develop a wear spot on the tire.

For a long term fix you probably need to replace the offending rotor(s).

Brake drums can also develop hot spots.

 

wxgeek, seems pretty much normal to me. I've had the pleasure, for the most part to have had 4 Honda in my stable from 2004 through 2015. All of them developed warped rotors at a rate I considered unacceptable. The Accord I had had them all replaced before 15k miles. The CRV and 2 civics (with different drivers) each managed to reach at least 20k but not much more before needing resurfacing. The Fit I only kept for 16k miles and noticed slight warping. I'm a stickler for rotations and correct lug torques and I live in a flat part of the country and use brakes judiciously. All I can say, from personal observations is that if you want the problem solved simply go for better rotors and pads after your warranty is through. I don't know why Honda insists on using their undersized, inferior brake set up. I have a 2010 Camry, well over 150k, and only replaced the rotors and pads around 110k. Not the best brake setup on that one either, but lasted a heck of a lot longer than any Honda I've had. By the way, still have one of the old Civics, got tired of replacing/resurfacing the rotors and went aftermarket some time ago. No problems since.

 

We never had rotor issues on our last three Hondas/Acuras. In fact, our '07 Fit has the factory installed rotors at 10 years old and 130K miles.

We DO observe ezone's advice about not holding the car stationary after a hard/long stop (as in, exiting a freeway from a good speed). BTW, it's not the pressure of the pads that causes the material transfer, it's the heat. So, don't expect to eliminate issues just by staying stationary with the hot brakes OFF....you need to creep. (I'm talking to you, automatic transmission owners.) :-)

PS, brake pad temperature increases substantially with worn pads, which is why these issues crop up after a few thousand miles.

On the older Fits with rear drum brakes, adjusting the shoes helps too. Get those rear brakes to do their share of the stopping! We adjust ours about once a year.

 

FYI

some aftermarket prices:

$22 (Oreilly's)
$25 (on sale free shipping from AutoAnything)


oem dealer:

$57 (Bernardi)

 

datz odd. I've owned many cars I've bought new and only one car (Nissan) had this wrapped rotor problem, none from Honda including the 4 Fit's I've owned.

My wife doesn't baby the Fit either.. not sure what happened on yours op.. maybe a defective rotor to begin with. hope u get a replacement.

 

The Importance of Quality Brake Rotors | Know Your Parts


^Clicky link^

 

Good info. Thanks.

 

Never a problem on a Honda. Ford on the other hand, freaking horrible!

 

I took particular notice of the paragraphs regards brake rotor cooling in the article ezone referenced.

Living in an area where roads are frequently salted, I find that rotors often rust up after a few years. This is especially apparent in the cooling vanes on the front rotors.

So, during a tire rotation, I inspect and clean out the cooling vanes in the rotors. This doesn't take long...I simply ram a screwdriver into the vanes to clean out the accumulated rust inside.

I don't pay the extra $$$ for Honda brake rotors, though. I've found that Centric brand rotors work well, plus they are painted/coated on the hubs and in the cooling vanes, and that resists rusting. They cost than OEM (but a lot more than the cheapo 'white box' junk carried by many auto parts stores).

 

Car and Driver's long term test Fit also had brake warpage so not too surprising: 2015 Honda Fit EX Manual ? Long-Term Test Wrap-Up ? Car and Driver