Brake Discs

[XT5]

Hi, Can anyone help please. I have a 2007 Rav 4 XT5. 10,000 miles on clock. The brake discs are blue, not bright steel as I have seen on many cars. Also the rear discs pads only seem to be operating in the centre of the disc surface and are also dull/blue. Any idea's?

[anchorman]

Yes that is called "depositing" and is a residue stain from the pads. It is mainly down to the very low mileage and we have seen several examples. Your dealer will probably be quite happy to at least skim the discs and if you dig in he may well change the discs and pads. You can do it yourself to some extent by getting the brakes really hot then letting them cool with normal driving for 20 minutes or so around town where you are still using the brakes. You might need to repeat it several times but it will gradually clean up but may not fully. It isn;t really much to worry about - it looks worse than it is.

Welcome to the club and keep us informed.

[NMaria]

My experience is different from Anchorman's (sorry Anchorman, no disrespect intended). I do about 14k miles a year in my 07 XTR; it has done a total of 35k miles. My discs too went blue and dull, only part of the surface was being properly swept and they were generally wearing badly with ridges etc. I ended up with badly impaired braking power and warped discs, so much so that the dealer told me to stop driving the car straightaway. The theory is that corrosion of the discs caused them to get very hot where they were still being swept properly by the pads but not elsewhere, and that they warped as a consequence of this localized overheating. As no new discs were available (Toyota had run out - you wonder why), they skimmed my 'old' discs and fitted new pads under warranty (Toyota Whitheaven - super service). That was three months ago. The brakes now work well again but I am not sure how long that will last because the discs soon started showing signs of the old problem again, and once we encounter salt on the roads again this winter the same problem may well recur.

I don't know where Toyota go wrong; my husband has a Mercedes and his discs are always bright and shiny right from the centre to the rim. I regularly get hire cars and even the cheapie models tend to have better-looking discs!

[anchorman]

No disrespect taken Maria!

I got the warping as well and had new discs under warranty but it is down to depositing. If you look at the discs after it has been parked overnight and then just move the vehicle you will see the shape of the pad on the disc as a stain that won't wipe off. There is an element of corrosion but "normal" oxidizing is usually removed by the pads after a few miles driving. This doesn't because the chemicals in the pad have attacked the cast iron and the friction material isn't abrasive enough to remove it. I normally vehemently defend the virtues of Japanese friction material as it has unbeatably stable performance but it is coming to light that a typical European material might prove a better alternative as one with more abrasive will not only keep the surface clean but will on a small scale continuously true the disc.

I wonder if they have addressed it with the new model as our version will have cost a fortune in warranty claims. What I need is for Duncs to see if he can read the numbers off the back of the pad or Kingo to see if there is part No change/numbers off the back of a new kit.

[duncerduncs]

What I need is for Duncs to see if he can read the numbers off the back of the pad or Kingo to see if there is part No change/numbers off the back of a new kit.

How easy is it to read?

[anchorman]

What I need is for Duncs to see if he can read the numbers off the back of the pad or Kingo to see if there is part No change/numbers off the back of a new kit.

How easy is it to read?

I just had another look at this 2009 RAV and you can't see it. It isn't fair to ask Kingo to comment as it might be one of those running changes that Mr T doesn't like the dealers disclosing.

I will think of something................

[Stupidmia]

When I brake from any speed, I always get a 'pulsating' effect on the brakes.....could this be due to warping? I thought about going to see if they could be sorted under warranty, but I'm unsure if it would be best to do now, or wait a bit longer and get a bit more wear...so it will work out cheaper for me in the long run.

[anchorman]

I don't think there is any benefit in waiting as the time it takes to manifest itself is affected by so many variables. You can wait until service but if it gets too bad just take it in. I haven't heard of anybody struggling to get this rectified under warranty.

[igormus]

When I brake from any speed, I always get a 'pulsating' effect on the brakes.....could this be due to warping? I thought about going to see if they could be sorted under warranty, but I'm unsure if it would be best to do now, or wait a bit longer and get a bit more wear...so it will work out cheaper for me in the long run.

hello mate

the wraping can be simply explained ---- let's imagine the sityation when the you have just arrived at an auto washing garage ---- your braking disks are very hot and once the washerman directs a water jet on the disc/s -- you can imagine what can be happened with them (curving/warping and cracking etc). I deem it is the same you feel. Cheers/Igor

[Stupidmia]

Cheers for the replies....will pop into dealer sometime soon (need to change-over my service plan from my old Roadster anyhow) and ask them to take a look.

[Stupidmia]

Took car in to sort service plan and asked them to check brakes whilst there...it is booked in next Monday to get them skimmed.

At what point would they totally replace them? Does skimming reduce the life of them much?

[anchorman]

Depends on the dealer to some extent. Mine juddered and they said they would skim them. I leaned on the a bit and they just put new ones on. You should insist at least that they fit new pads with either skimmed or new discs.

Don't be concerned about having them skimmed.

[shcm]

Mine too now. New pads and discs please Mr T!.