Rust on rotors
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 10
From: Salinas Ca.
Rust on rotors
I stopped into the local Chevy dealer yesterday. He had 2 06 vettes and about 5 05's. ALL of the 05's had rust on the rotors. I could not believe these great looking cars were being displayed for sale with nasty looking rotors. It included Z51 rotors and standard rotors. I switched to Eradispeed drilled rotors very early and have not had rust problems on my 05 car. Is this a common problem for which there is no cleaning solution? Or is this dealer just lazy?
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,563
Likes: 2
From: Dallas Tx
First drive will take care of it. What happens often on dealer lots is a crew will come in a wash all the cars in place. The rotors will surface rust over in minutes if the car isn't driven after the wash.
Rotors are all bare iron, they will all do that. Just real noticeable on vettes with thin spoke wheels and big rotors. Give it a drive they'll be good as new.
Rotors are all bare iron, they will all do that. Just real noticeable on vettes with thin spoke wheels and big rotors. Give it a drive they'll be good as new.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 357
Likes: 0
From: Chicagoland Illinois
Are we truly talking about the braking surface of the rotor , or are we talking about down closer to the hub. If we are talking about rust on the braking surface......what turnip truck did we fall off. 
All rotors on all the vehicles I have ever owned will rust when they get wet. It is a bare uncoated iron surface, it will rust. If you are looking at rotors without rust on them then they have been used since the last time that they were wet.
Every time I wash this car or any other car they will start to haze over before I can get the soap rinsed off. This is normal.
It amazes me how many people continue to to be surprised by this.
All rotors on all the vehicles I have ever owned will rust when they get wet. It is a bare uncoated iron surface, it will rust. If you are looking at rotors without rust on them then they have been used since the last time that they were wet.
Every time I wash this car or any other car they will start to haze over before I can get the soap rinsed off. This is normal.
It amazes me how many people continue to to be surprised by this.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 37,329
Likes: 12
From: Plano Texas
CI 6-7-8-9 Veteran
CI-VI Car Show Winner
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
Originally Posted by Derail
All rotors on all the vehicles I have ever owned will rust when they get wet. It is a bare uncoated iron surface, it will rust. If you are looking at rotors without rust on them then they have been used since the last time that they were wet..
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 35,769
Likes: 148
From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
Originally Posted by Derail
Are we truly talking about the braking surface of the rotor , or are we talking about down closer to the hub. If we are talking about rust on the braking surface......what turnip truck did we fall off.
All rotors on all the vehicles I have ever owned will rust when they get wet. It is a bare uncoated iron surface, it will rust. If you are looking at rotors without rust on them then they have been used since the last time that they were wet.
Every time I wash this car or any other car they will start to haze over before I can get the soap rinsed off. This is normal.
It amazes me how many people continue to to be surprised by this.
All rotors on all the vehicles I have ever owned will rust when they get wet. It is a bare uncoated iron surface, it will rust. If you are looking at rotors without rust on them then they have been used since the last time that they were wet.
Every time I wash this car or any other car they will start to haze over before I can get the soap rinsed off. This is normal.
It amazes me how many people continue to to be surprised by this.
Bare steel/iron will surface rust in a blink. a couple of minuit drive and all is well
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 10
From: Salinas Ca.
The point of my post is that these are great looking cars, but don't look as great with rust on the rotors. It just seems to me that a dealer trying to sell them would want to get the rust off the rotors to maximize appearance. If there is no cleaning solution, drive the cars just a little. Maybe I'm too picky, but I don't want to look at new cars with rust showing.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 4
From: San Antonio Texas
Originally Posted by AMF
The rust on the inside of the wheel (which shows through the spokes) does not come off with driving. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,158
Likes: 4
From: Henderson Nevada
Originally Posted by benspruce
Maybe I'm too picky, but I don't want to look at new cars with rust showing.
Sorry, but if that's all you have to complain about, you need to reconsider your priorities. I'd rather have a little rust showing on the rotors than buy a car that had been driven a little each day to get it off.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 357
Likes: 0
From: Chicagoland Illinois
Originally Posted by mforman42
Yeah, you're too picky.
Sorry, but if that's all you have to complain about, you need to reconsider your priorities. I'd rather have a little rust showing on the rotors than buy a car that had been driven a little each day to get it off.
Sorry, but if that's all you have to complain about, you need to reconsider your priorities. I'd rather have a little rust showing on the rotors than buy a car that had been driven a little each day to get it off.
Driving it around just for that reason would not be acceptable.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,685
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by SA HEAT
That is why I cover my tires/wheels with 55 gallon drum liners when I wash the car and then clean the wheels individually by hand. Everything looks perfect and there's no rust. Sounds crazy but it works.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Whittier California
Paint 'em
I installed big Baer Eradispeed rotors on my last car but hated seeing the strip of rust on the rotors near the calipers. I simply cleaned off the rust with steel wool, wiped the rotors down with lacquer thinner and shot them with 1200 degree black exhaust header paint from a spray can. I wiped off the minor overspray on the drilled part of the rotor (where the brake pads rub) with lacquer thinner on a rag. Great looks for cheap.
BTW - the "zinc washed" rotor hats were permanently stained with some wheel cleaner I used. The black painted hats looked better behind the wheels than the shiny plating and made the wheels "pop" visually.
BTW - the "zinc washed" rotor hats were permanently stained with some wheel cleaner I used. The black painted hats looked better behind the wheels than the shiny plating and made the wheels "pop" visually.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 967
Likes: 1
From: / California
Originally Posted by benspruce
The point of my post is that these are great looking cars, but don't look as great with rust on the rotors. It just seems to me that a dealer trying to sell them would want to get the rust off the rotors to maximize appearance. If there is no cleaning solution, drive the cars just a little. Maybe I'm too picky, but I don't want to look at new cars with rust showing.
Starting the car up just for the purpose of moving it enough to scrub the rust of would be far more damaging to the engine because it wouldn't even get close to operating temperature. Between the two situations, I'll take the rust every time.
A little flat black paint on the other areas of the rotors does wonders.
