You're right. Infiniti would LOVE to sell you new rotors. So while the car is under WARRANTY, they turn and burn, then send you on your way.

After the warranty is up, they will then tell you, you're rotors are toast and quote you an inflated price for new units.

 

Turns out I did none of that, had plenty of pad left, only some debris that needed cleaning out. BTW you're right, a simple pad replacement would not require a brake bleed.

 

Right, but you're forgetting that this is the procedure listed in the service manual, not a bulletin. Sometimes, OEMs will issue a TSB for rotor warp that involves resurfacing the rotors and installing new pads, but in the service manual it just says to replace the rotors if it is out-of-spec. Toyota comes to mind.

 

From reading here:

Warranty = turn

Out of warranty = replacement.

Regardless of what the service manual says.

Especially on the 03-04 Gs that has the tin 11.5" rotors and ultra aggresive pads in order to match the then class leading 330i 60-0 brake performance.

 

From what i've seen

Warranty : if it's within measurements = turn; if it's below spec = replace.
Out of warranty : if it's within measurements = turn; if it's below spec = replace.

Now if your dealer is taking you for a ride, then it's different, but it it's still saveable they're supposed to just turn the rotors.

 

there seems like theres a little animosity to opinions on this thread, so i don't know if you guys will take my opinion for anything

i've been changing brake pads for over 12 years in multiple cars my family has owned. it is always "recommended"... but again, do any of us follow the expiration date on milk cartons? why if we can drink out of it for a few more days than let it go to waste.

i have one car ive never turned the rotors or changed them, just made sure to change them before they started grinding the rotor and never overworked/overheated the rotor to warp it. its on its 3rd set of pads, 120k miles, and original rotors. measured the wear, barely a mm. rotors do wear out, but brakes are designed for the pads to wear out first.

on the other hand, my sisters car... i've changed the rotors constantly. this is because everytime i've changed her brakes, there was heavy vibration, and/or grinding. she has numerously warped the rotors through her aggressive driving and overheating, and i don't even bother turning them, moreseo out of safety sake for her, but also when you warp a rotor once through overheating, the metal properties are weaker so even if you do turn it it is more prone to warping again. i'm not going to look for proof of this... either accept it or bash it.

anyways, yes it all is common sense. sniff the milk before you drink it out of your own safety. im on my second set of pads and don't plan to change the rotors or even turn them on the g35, unless i f' them up... but sofar its good. if i had the money i'd change the rotors every time... but if thats the case, i'd buy a new car every time.


and as a sidenote, break in the pads whether you change/turn rotors or not. the surface area is never going to be exactly the same on both.

 

So this is an OLD thread, but I came across it searching for some brake pad info, so I guess I'll share my experiences. Let me start by saying that I do have "formal" automotive training and hold an Associates Degree in Automotive Management. I have taken a four credit course that covered nothing but brakes. That being said, I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about brakes and cars, just thought i'd share what I know.

I have always been taught that you should resurface your rotors every time you change the pads. Assuming the rotor is not warped, runout, grooved, or out of round and contains no hard spots, you will still want to resurface them to ensure they have a fresh surface for the new pads to break in (or "burnish") with. I've seen a lot of people say on here that as long as the rotor is smooth you don't have to resurface them. I would say almost the opposite is true. The last thing you want is for your rotors to be glazed (really smooth). Brakes work because of friction and as a result, glazed rotors are counter productive. A properly finished rotor will exhibit a crosshatch type pattern on it that provides just the right amount of friction for breaking in new pads. This is very similar to the crosshatch pattern desired in the cylinder walls to aid in seating new rings.

So bottom line, I recommend resurfacing them, but many on here have different opinions, so do some research and make up your own minds.