brake solutions

[Jetes03tundra]

well after cleaning my rear brakes....i still had the vibration/pulsation. So i went to my Midas dealer, and the guy said my brakes were out of round, so he fixed them for 71 bucks and adjusted my brakes in the rear also. However it did help just abit, but he did say after test driving it again, that my front rotors were warped but i had plenty of metal on there to cut them down some and for 95 bucks he would fix it. My question is IF i ever plan to install 33" tires, will this not be a good idea with less metal on the rotor? Is it worth getting new rotors and pads for what i see is about 220 bucks off performance peddler and wheelers off road?

Last, I know theres a TSB out for newer/bigger drums on my 03. But my dealer still says im full of sh*t and im looking on the internet too much. What can i do about that?

[Tundradrenalin]

Jetes, I moved your thread to a place where you might get a solid answer. Brakes are important.

I think the Midas guy would do to your brakes what a plastic surgeon would do to his girlfriend... make them as nice as he can for whatever the price. You're doing the right thing IMO, shopping around.

Man get those tires already would'ya.

-Andy

[Jetes03tundra]

i cant get those tires cause of all the money im spending now!!!! haha

[Picasso]

Originally Posted by Jetes03tundra

well after cleaning my rear brakes....i still had the vibration/pulsation. So i went to my Midas dealer, and the guy said my brakes were out of round, so he fixed them for 71 bucks and adjusted my brakes in the rear also. However it did help just abit, but he did say after test driving it again, that my front rotors were warped but i had plenty of metal on there to cut them down some and for 95 bucks he would fix it. My question is IF i ever plan to install 33" tires, will this not be a good idea with less metal on the rotor? Is it worth getting new rotors and pads for what i see is about 220 bucks off performance peddler and wheelers off road?

I don't trust your Midas shop. It is very easy to isolate the front and rear brakes on our trucks to determine which one(s) is/are the cause. Cutting the drums for a Tundra is problematic for any shop according to members of this board whom I trust. A few people who have reported having their drums cut had to replace them because they ended up being ruined. As for the front brakes, $95 seems a little steep but I haven't shopped for this lately. Is this for on the car rotor cutting or off? It should only be done on the car. If your rotors are actually out of round, I would get them cut if there is enough thickness remaining to keep them in spec. If you put on 33's in the future, this will make your brakes work harder which could cause them to wear out faster. This depends more on how you drive your truck than just the size of the tire. I would deal with the brakes when you get the 33's.

Originally Posted by Jetes03tundra

Last, I know theres a TSB out for newer/bigger drums on my 03. But my dealer still says im full of sh*t and im looking on the internet too much. What can i do about that?

Your dealer is clueless. In addition to the TSB that is available on this site to TS subscribers, other mail order web sites like Frozenrotors.com has listed an "upgraded" drum for our trucks for a while. Toyota dealerships are capable of pulling up TSB's. Have the service writer pull up TSB BR003-02 Revised dated Sep 16, 2002. This covers the rear drum and gives the redesigned drum part number.

Just in case the dealership can't find the TSB, here's what you're looking for.
Old drum part #: 42431-35210
Redesigned drum part #: 42431-34021

Good luck.


Paul

[Jetes03tundra]

Originally Posted by Picasso

I don't trust your Midas shop. It is very easy to isolate the front and rear brakes on our trucks to determine which one(s) is/are the cause. Cutting the drums for a Tundra is problematic for any shop according to members of this board whom I trust. A few people who have reported having their drums cut had to replace them because they ended up being ruined. As for the front brakes, $95 seems a little steep but I haven't shopped for this lately. Is this for on the car rotor cutting or off? It should only be done on the car. If your rotors are actually out of round, I would get them cut if there is enough thickness remaining to keep them in spec. If you put on 33's in the future, this will make your brakes work harder which could cause them to wear out faster. This depends more on how you drive your truck than just the size of the tire. I would deal with the brakes when you get the 33's.

Your dealer is clueless. In addition to the TSB that is available on this site to TS subscribers, other mail order web sites like Frozenrotors.com has listed an "upgraded" drum for our trucks for a while. Toyota dealerships are capable of pulling up TSB's. Have the service writer pull up TSB BR003-02 Revised dated Sep 16, 2002. This covers the rear drum and gives the redesigned drum part number.

Just in case the dealership can't find the TSB, here's what you're looking for.
Old drum part #: 42431-35210
Redesigned drum part #: 42431-34021

Good luck.


Paul

So would i be best off to get new rotors? which ones are the best? Im looking at the Brembo plain rotors and the Powerslot rotors? But i hear the Powerslot rotors that are slotted seem to make alot of noise while braking! I would definitely use OE pads up front.

For the TSB, if the dealer finds it, is this something they are suppose to handle and fix for me? what if they just say ok, so what?

[Picasso]

Originally Posted by Jetes03tundra

So would i be best off to get new rotors? which ones are the best? Im looking at the Brembo plain rotors and the Powerslot rotors? But i hear the Powerslot rotors that are slotted seem to make alot of noise while braking! I would definitely use OE pads up front.

I paid $155.86 for a pair of new plain Brembo rotors at O'Reilly Auto Parts three months ago. The cryo treated PowerSlots that I had on previously made very little noise if any. Your call.

Originally Posted by Jetes03tundra

For the TSB, if the dealer finds it, is this something they are suppose to handle and fix for me? what if they just say ok, so what?

If your truck is still under warranty, a TSB tell a dealership HOW to fix a particular problem. It does not say that they must. If they decide not to honor your warranty, you should talk with the dealership owner or find another dealership.


Paul

[MEvang]

Jetes03tundra, Sounds like you got some pretty good information here already. Let me just add a few things.
I really don't know exactly what was done by Midas the first time you say, "fixed them for 71 bucks and adjusted my brakes in the rear also" but then they weren't fixed and they wanted 95 bucks to turn the front rotors. To me this sounds like they were fishing. I don't know if they turned the rear drums or what. It's quite easy to see if the front rotor are causing your problem. They could have put a dial indictor on them.
My guess is they turn the drum and just made things worse. Though the worse part likely won't show up right away.
Paul gave you the parts numbers for the updated drums. If Midas resurfaced your drums, it's very likely they are ruined. Buy the new drums and see if they are not much heaver then the ones on your truck, if they are you had the old light weight drums. Make sure the axle hubs are spotless, no rust paper shim material or dirt. Install the new drums, be careful not to over adjust the brakes. Torque the lug nuts.
You can now move the fronts if need be. You never said if you have had the updated calipers installed. You need to look into this, updated them if need be. You can resurface the rotors if they have more then .004 runout. Two things, they must be machined on the truck and they must not be cut below machine too thickness. Cost wise most find it's cheaper to buy new when you do it yourself.
If your getting bigger wheels and tires I think you will want your brake fixed first, this just makes sense.
Mike

[Cyberbilly]

Originally Posted by Picasso

I would get them cut if there is enough thickness remaining to keep them in spec. If you put on 33's in the future, this will make your brakes work harder which could cause them to wear out faster. This depends more on how you drive your truck than just the size of the tire. I would deal with the brakes when you get the 33's.

I'd get new rotors altogether. The problem with turning is that the more you turn them, the thinner they get which just makes them more prone warping.

JMHO

[Jetes03tundra]

Originally Posted by Cyberbilly

I'd get new rotors altogether. The problem with turning is that the more you turn them, the thinner they get which just makes them more prone warping.

JMHO

yeah i agree, however i need to figure out how much they will be taking off....might not take off but alittle, i dont know yet.

[Jetes03tundra]

Originally Posted by MEvang

Jetes03tundra, Sounds like you got some pretty good information here already. Let me just add a few things.
I really don't know exactly what was done by Midas the first time you say, "fixed them for 71 bucks and adjusted my brakes in the rear also" but then they weren't fixed and they wanted 95 bucks to turn the front rotors. To me this sounds like they were fishing. I don't know if they turned the rear drums or what. It's quite easy to see if the front rotor are causing your problem. They could have put a dial indictor on them.
My guess is they turn the drum and just made things worse. Though the worse part likely won't show up right away.
Paul gave you the parts numbers for the updated drums. If Midas resurfaced your drums, it's very likely they are ruined. Buy the new drums and see if they are not much heaver then the ones on your truck, if they are you had the old light weight drums. Make sure the axle hubs are spotless, no rust paper shim material or dirt. Install the new drums, be careful not to over adjust the brakes. Torque the lug nuts.
You can now move the fronts if need be. You never said if you have had the updated calipers installed. You need to look into this, updated them if need be. You can resurface the rotors if they have more then .004 runout. Two things, they must be machined on the truck and they must not be cut below machine too thickness. Cost wise most find it's cheaper to buy new when you do it yourself.
If your getting bigger wheels and tires I think you will want your brake fixed first, this just makes sense.
Mike

I did found out about when they "fixed" the rear drums....he said they only had to make 2 cuts and they were done.....doesnt sound like they did much to them?

[MEvang]

Here's the problem with cutting the rear drums. The center hole is quite big on these drums, the larger this hole is the harder it is to get the drum to center properly on a brake lath. The larger mounting cones can also more easily be off. Add to this the fact that most shops brake laths tools are rarely if ever trued up, and the lathes are rarely if ever properly serviced Finaly most tech know little about how to properly set up a lath for cutting.
In my opinion if they had to do two cuts on your drums they screwed them up. You can check them by simply jacking up your truck and spinning the wheels by hand. You may have to adjust the brakes a few clicks but if you feel the brakes getting tight then loose as the wheel turns, your drums are done for.
They will need replaced.
Mike

[Jetes03tundra]

alright well got the rotors turned......everything works good now.....i guess only time will tell!

If then again it happens, ill just upgrade the rear drums, and then look at some better rotors

[Jetes03tundra]

da#n brakes are starting to act like crap again.....guess ill be upgrading the rear drums, and then going with new rotors with OE pads to cure this so i can get some frickin 33's sometime