Rotor issue or tie rod issue

The other day I got my rotors turned. Now at low speeds everything is smooth when stopping, but when stopping from highway speeds it shakes worse than it did before. I took it back to the shop and they said it could be a bad tie rod. Does this sound right?

 

Pads may not have been properly bedded into the freshly cut rotors. Are the pads new too?

 

Not new, but replaced right before I bought the truck a few months back.

 

I don't get them cut anymore. The rotors are so cheap I put new ones on when I need a brake job

 

Pull the pads off, sandpaper them and reinstall. Follow a good bed-in procedure. Tirerack.com has a good write-up on how to.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

 

I do the same thing. Plus its less of a hassel. I do my own brake jobs so taking the rotors off and taking them to a shop to get turned is a pain. I know some places turn them on the vehicle but then you have to wait for the mechanic to take his sweet time. Easier to spend a few extra bucks and buy new rotors...takes little time and effort to change them.

 

My 03 had the same problem, turned out to be warped rotors

 

From tirerack:

Failure to follow these procedures may result in brake judder, excessive noise, or other difficulties in bedding-in the new brake pads. The pads need a fresh surface to lay down an even transfer film. Residue from the previous pad compound on the surface or an irregular surface on a used rotor will cause the pads to grip-slip-grip-slip as they pass over the rotor surface under pressure. The resulting vibration will cause noise and telegraph vibrations through the suspension and steering wheel. This vibration is known as brake judder or brake shimmy. This is typically caused by an uneven transfer film on the rotor surface or an uneven surface on the rotor not allowing that transfer film to develop evenly. This is often misdiagnosed as a warped rotor.

It happens the other way around too, used pads on new or fresh cut rotors will do the same thing.

 

What grit of sandpaper should I used to sand the pads?

 

I would think any good wet/dry emory cloth would work. You're not trying to take friction material off the pads or metal off the rotors, just the glaze off the surface.

 

I agree. Plus, I have ran into a new phenomena with alot of shops by me....They just don't give a shit and don't do things correctly. The result is I pay good money for sub par work. I don't trust that the guy who looks like Brett Micheals and smoking a cig while cutting my rotors is going to do the job correctly. I just get new ones and have less headaches.

 

Are you a 5 or 6 lugger?

 

I agree with everyone else that it definitely sounds brake-related, and is very unlikely to be a tie-rod. Maybe it's a good excuse to step up to some Hawk or other performance pads?

 

yeah, i should have just replaced the rotors instead of having them turned. That's my fault for not checking prices first. Hopefully they'll get it figured out and my truck won't feel like its popping wheelies when i get it back.

 

Did they cut it with an oncar brake lathe? or did they pull the rotor off and used the a regular bench lathe? Cutting with an oncar lathe is the better of the two. Have them measure runout before cutting to make sure it is the rotor.

 

Just got my truck back. They basically said I need all new brake components. Rotors, pads, calipers, and hoses. And they said that the left caliper was sticking some causing the truck to pull to the left when the brakes are applied. He said the brakes weren't being applied evenly.

 

That sucks.... sounds cheap....

 

where do I find cheap tacoma calipers?

 

I don't know of any aftermarket calipers. They're not a part that usually wears out. I had to replace them on my Avalon and had to go through my dealer, but maybe that's because it was older. You could always try a Napa or auto parts store.

 

I might just start with the pads, rotors, and hoses and see if that helps. Is it ok to replace only one caliper, or should I replace both at the same. I think just the left one is bad.