Your experience with resurfacing factory rotors and/or Duralast rotors

I have around 71K miles on the VX and the driver front pad has started making a gouge into the rotor. Since I've had it since 18K, I'm guessing it is all factory, though I've read about factory brake pads lasting much longer. I have already bought the OEM brake pads from Merlin and planning to go to the mechanic soon, but am not sure about rotors, so I'm hoping you guys can shed some light on the following two options for the rotors:

1. What has your experience been with resurfacing the factory rotors? How long have your resurfaced rotors lasted and did you have any issues with the resurfaced rotors?

2. What has your experience been with the autozone Duralast rotors?

The mechanic charges $34 for resurfacing the rotors while a set of Duralast runs for about $95 after tax. Ideally I'd like to keep the factory ones but would really appreciate learning about your experience with the above two options. I've read about many here using R1 concepts rotors but I just don't have the time at this point to wait for those.

I've got duralast rotors in the rear of my VX. Had em on maybe 35k miles.. theyre not bad, but im noticing hot spots on them, so more than likely will need to be replaced soonish.

as for cutting rotors, ive never been a big fan of it. if its not done exactly right, youll end up with problems. talk to the mechanic, ask him to measure the rotor thickness and compare it to isuzu recommended thickness. if you you are still above isuzu spec after cutting and there are no discolored spots on the rotors after a drive, id say youre probably safe

i would assume that with a groove on rotors youve had for 75k miles.. they wont be good to cut

Thanks for the advice, sounds good, would have been nice if I had some time to find other rotors than Duralast since you're seeing those spots.

Overnight or 2 day shipping usually isn't "to much" more. Then you get what you want instead of settling for something else.:bwgy:

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Originally Posted by Triathlete

Overnight or 2 day shipping usually isn't "to much" more. Then you get what you want instead of settling for something else.:bwgy:

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Yeah, should have planned better and gotten the R1 concepts for $126 shipped over the Duralasts ($94.5). I really wanted to just get the factory ones resurfaced, but that didn't pan out and my miscalculation cost me. I really needed to get the brakes done without any more delays.

BTW next day shipping is $35 :) so best to plan better.

My total:

- Factory pads from Merlin $100 shipped
- Wheel/hub seals $10 (Had to get one from autozone (Timken $6) and one from O'Reillys (Masterpro $4), each had only one, same part number 710168)
- Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease $7
- Labor $150 for front pads/rotors install and bearing repacking

turning rotors is fine given acceptable thickness remaining. The thinner you get them the hotter thye get and if you live in a hot area or drive aggressive heat can build up even further. Thta being said I found slotted rotors on ebay that have been doing fine. The slotting helps them remain cooler and dissipate heat quicker

Some interesting notes from the brake job:

One brake pad (outside driver side) was completely worn out and was the culprit for gouging into the rotor. One was a little more worn on one end but still had plenty left and the other two had at least 50% pad left. It seems like I had a stuck caliper, otherwise, the factory pads would have easily lasted another 30-40K if not more. This is one of those unforseen and unfortunate $350 expense.

In hindsight, what is more interesting is that a year or so ago, my gas mileage dropped from 300 miles per tank to ~260-270 miles per tank quite instantly. At that time, I never really considered a stuck caliper as a possible cause (didn't really feel it much) and other things like old O2 sensors, spark plugs, EGR, clogged fuel filter, etc. seemed much better explanation. But now looking back, it was due to the stuck caliper on the outer driver side. The lower mileage was just another cost of this ordeal. So if your mileage drops suddenly without reason, make sure to also check for a stuck caliper :)