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Date:         Mon, 16 Aug 2004 00:11:41 -0400
Reply-To:     Eric Zeno <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Eric Zeno <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Subject:      Re: Syncro front rotor life expectance
Comments: To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <01ea01c48335$b3ca2010$0200a8c0@RON>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

One thing is for sure. The iron is an alloy. This means it is not pure iron. All manufactures will try to cut corners hear. When disc brakes were first put on pass. vehciles, disc brake after market rotors would rust like mad over OEM on USA built vehicles. This was blamed on the quality of materials. My problem is no different. These have not been on the vehicle long enough to justify the rust, even under the worst conditions.

Ron, is there any way to identify the brembo rotors? I would be very suprized if these are factory brembo rotors. I have the reciept, but it does not state the brand.

Eric 86-VW4x4 vw4x4@fyi.net 86-SS Syncro Pittsburgh, PA USA 1936-Chrysler 92-Jetta GWC www.fyi.net/~vw4x4/vw4x4.htm

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, The Bus Depot wrote:

> > Here is one for the record books. I've had a set > > of new front brake rotors installed on my Vanagon Syncro, > > for about a year and a half. These were a special deal > > from our most popular list vendor. They are trash. > > These are obviously made of a material that rusts very > > badly. The brake pads that were used with these rotors, > > are not even worn down half way, but the brake surface is > > all chewed up with rust on mostly on the inside. > > > Eric, > > If these are my rotors you're talking about (as I did have a closeout > deal on Syncro rotors a couple of years ago), these were first-quality > rotors manufactured by Brembo, who is the OEM supplier to Porsche, VW, > Mercedes-Benz (on their S-class sedans), BMW, Ferrari, Lambroghini, > Lotus, and others. The only reason that they were closeout is that I got > them from a distributor that had decided to stop carrying them for > Syncro's, but they were recent-production, first-quality merchandise. In > fact, that distributor who sold them to me was a VW-approved supplier to > Volkswagen of Canada, so the same products they sold me were sold by > Canadian VW dealerships as well (for twice the price, I might add). I > only wish I could have gotten more, as it was an exceptional price for a > VW-approved Syncro rotor. I never buy "factory seconds" or anything > less than first-quality merchadise, except in very rare cases where the > defect is purely cosmetic, the product undergoes my personal scrutiny > first, and it is clearly identified as such. > > Rotors, of virtually any brand, are cast iron. They rust. In fact they > will begin to look rusty rather quickly, just as a muffler will. How > quickly they rust depends solely on environmental factors and the > condition of your braking system. If you had paid twice the price for > rotors elsewhere they would have been the identical Brembo rotors (since > this is what most companies sell as their premium brand) and would have > rusted in the identical amount of time if placed in identical > circumstances. Furthermore I have had not one complaint of any Brembo > rotor failing prematurely, nor have I had any such an experience on my > own Vanagons (on which I've been using Brembo rotors for years). > > As I recall, you live in Pittsburgh, which has had two very severe > winters in a row and uses lots of road-salt - not the best thing for > iron. So of course the rotors would be in worse shape than the ones that > were on your other Syncro, which sat for ten years without exposure to > road conditions or even continuous wear. Also, the abrasiveness of the > particular brake pads that you have installed can make a big difference, > as well as your personal braking habits. You also might want to check > the condition of your calipers, hoses, etc. These are just guesses as to > what might have caused your rotor wear. But one thing I can tell you for > sure, from years of experience, is that Brembo rotors are far from > trash. If they were, top companies like Mercedes, Porshe, and BMW would > not be putting them on their $100,000 cars. > > - Ron Salmon > The Bus Depot, Inc. > www.busdepot.com > (215) 234-VWVW > > _____________________________________________ > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT >


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