RoryTug Report post Posted July 28, 2012 I tow a 2001 Acura MDX. The vehicle had 92,000 miles and 9,000 miles being towed. It still had OEM front brakes that were above 70%. Before I began towing it, I noticed the front rotors were beginning to warp. This was evidenced by a mildly pulsating brake pedal on light stops. After a long trip towing, I noticed the pulse had increased slightly but nothing horrible. After a second trip towing it in the summer, suddenly the pulse was extreme and the peddle spongy. I also smelled burning rubber after driving. Long story short: The dealer found the brake caliper boots to be completely melted and the rotors warped beyond repair. The working theory is that the minor warp that had been present for years caused the rotor to rub the brake pads for prolonged times when towed which caused friction and heat build up which caused more warping which caused more rubbing and so goes the vicious cycle until failure. Lesson is, if your car has any warp in the rotor, have them turned to avoid heat build up on long hauls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted July 28, 2012 Rory Tug, Welcome to the Forum. Do you have an aux. brake on your MDX? If so you might have it checked out to see if it is set up wrong or is malfunctioning. I may be wrong and will be corrected if so, but I don't believe warped rotors will cause that much heat. But if you have a sticking, caliper then that can cause a lot of heat. Also if your rotors are warped that bad, I would not turn then but have them replaced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoondockSaint Report post Posted August 1, 2012 Warped rotors aren't actually warped. It's pad material smearing on the rotor surface. An easy fix is higher temp tolerant brake pads such as ceramic, or non-organic brake pads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted August 1, 2012 Warped rotors aren't actually warped. It's pad material smearing on the rotor surface. An easy fix is higher temp tolerant brake pads such as ceramic, or non-organic brake pads. I have turned hundreds of rotors that WERE warped and metal had to be removed to true them. And, if badly warped, they would go under-spec if turned enough to true them-- so they need to be replaced. Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoondockSaint Report post Posted August 7, 2012 I have turned hundreds of rotors that WERE warped and metal had to be removed to true them. And, if badly warped, they would go under-spec if turned enough to true them-- so they need to be replaced. Brett I've never seen a truly warped brake rotor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted August 7, 2012 BD St., Sorry but you need to look again. I have seen rotors so badly warped that the pedal will move up and down when you apply the brake. Check with any garage and/or mechanic the you trust. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoondockSaint Report post Posted August 9, 2012 Not saying it's impossible. But that I have never seen such a thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
