When to replace brake rotors?

hw99

Hi guys,

I have a Camry at 120K now. Front brake pads was placed at 85K and was told by the maintenance person at that time that brake rotors couldn't be resurfaced since they were close to the minimum thickness.

Braking seems still fine these days. I don't hear any high-pitched noise or feel obvious vibration/pulsation when the brake is applied. The brake pads are still within a good range of thickness as the last check was made a couple of months ago.

But the brake pedal is softer than before so that now I have push harder to get car stopped. It that a warning sign which indicates it is time to replace the brakes rotors and pads? Thanks for your inputs!

rod_farva

If they were too thin to resurface at 85k, they are probably toast at 120k. Rotors are not that expensive and are a pretty important for the safety of you and the drivers/pedestrians/objects around you. This is not an area to skimp. You don't need to take it to a dealer, but find a good reputable independent shop that specialized in Toyota vehicles. If you wait until one of your rotors gets too thin and disintegrates, you will likely do damage to calipers, suspension, wheels, etc. that will be very expensive to fix. Go ahead and do pads/rotors now.