Cracked rotor?

[mfoley13]

I have a couple of questions about what I'm seeing on my front brake rotor. This appeas to be a crack but since I only have about 5k miles of easy driving on the car I'm thinking it may be a defective part. Has anyone seen something like this? Would it be covered under warranty?

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[ugstang17]

Need to see it from tne vent edge as well. A crack is clear through. May only be a mold imperfection. Drive it and brake hard a few times then take a photo. Allow the brakes to then cool down overnight and then take another photo. If its a crack it will likely expand based on simple physics....but then again I never studied law.

Is there a braking issue?

 

[mfoley13]

Is there a braking issue?

No issues. Just something I noticed visually.

 

[Norm Peterson]

My take - if you can catch your fingernail in it, get it replaced. It won't get any better, only worse.

Things like sharp internal 'corners' and the bottoms of cracks represent significant stress intensification, and brake rotor thermal expansion is something that gets repeated over and over. Crudely, fatigue life is a combination of stress and number of occurrences, and is cumulative.


Norm

 

[ugstang17]

No issues. Just something I noticed visually.

It's likely just an imperfection in the casting process or a minor oops on the rough in process that may have been missed. Cut if you wish to see if it can be resolved as a warranty issue I would hurry. Most brake linings, clutch linings, rotors, pressure plates, and flywheels are under 12/12 as I recall like belts and so forth,. They are considered normal wear items. Otherwise use it as an excuse to buy a slotted performance rotor setup and tell your wife that those were "cheaper" than buying them from the dealer.

They will likely only replace the one if it is warranty btw. Some people take concern with that.

And if it is merely a cosmetic imperfection as I see in castings on a regular basis, the brake pads will wear on the rotor and as the rotor wears the imperfection will become less noticeable. If it is a crack it will expand and contract with heat and you should see a difference if you take photos hot v cold as I suggested.

 

[Dr. Norts]

Looks like there was a void left during the casting process and the thin layer of metal that was over top of it has worn off exposing it now.

I'd replace that right away it looks like it's asking for trouble.

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