How To Change Rotors On Toyota Highlander

Replacement brake rotors for a Toyota Highlander typically cost $467.

Can I replace the brake rotors on my own?

I took my wife’s car for the first time in a while a few weeks ago. The steering wheel shook a lot as I used the brakes while traveling at a fast speed. I was aware that the rotors needed to be changed. She drives a 2007 Chevy Malibu with more than 113,000 miles on it, which is far more than the amount of time before a brake replacement is advised.

Brake pad and rotor replacement is a quick and simple DIY project. But it took a lot more time this time. I visited the neighborhood parts store and purchased two front rotors and brake pads. I brought them home, parked her car on jack stands, and began removing the previous tires. Because of the worn brake pads, the rotors were severely damaged. However, they hadn’t yet begun emitting that high-pitched metallic screech that occurs when you brake. I made the decision to rotate the tires while the automobile was supported by supports. What’s this? Even worse were the ones at the back. I visit the parts store once more as a result. Advice: Just go ahead and purchase all four rotors, pads, and the required tools if you decide to wait that long to replace your brake pads. You’ll gain time this way.

I removed the back ones when I got home. I wanted to compress the piston on the back calipers, so I grabbed my C-clamp (one with a straight handle) and twisted it on the first as I slowly moved the handle, which caused the piston to slowly revolve and allow me to step in. Not that horrible. When I got to the right rear, even after removing the brake line and draining the fluid from that caliper, my clamp wouldn’t crush the piston.

I returned to the parts store. I also purchased a one-man bleeder kit, a brake fluid container, and a C-clamp with a “T handle. Thinking there wouldn’t be much fluid left once it ran out, I purchased the tiny bottle of fluid. For the third time, I returned home, squeezed the piston with the 9-inch C-Clamp, and put everything back together. It’s time to take a spin. I drove the car to test the brakes, and everything was flawless. The tiny bottle of liquid, though, wasn’t enough. The brake light failed to turn on. Returning to the parts store I spent $250 on materials and labor for the entire repair, which was considerably less than the $750 my mechanic would have charged me.

How long do Toyota Highlander rotors last?

How long do the brake rotors on a Toyota Highlander last? The answer is very dependent on the circumstances surrounding your daily journey, your driving habits, the kind of rotors you have, and the kind of car you are operating. Depending on the aforementioned variables, Toyota Highlander rotors often need to be replaced every 30,000 to 80,000 miles.

What does Toyota charge for rotor replacement?

What is the price of a brake job? For all four brake rotors, a Toyota brake rotor replacement can run from $300 to $750. The labor and parts costs are included in this estimate.

How much does a Toyota Highlander brake job cost?

Depending on the type of brake pads chosen and how much damage your old, worn-out brake pads did to your car’s specific parts, including the rotors, replacing the brake pads on a Toyota Highlander can cost anywhere between $150 and $300 each axle.

What is the lifespan of brake rotors?

To keep wear to a minimum, you should generally change your brake pads every 10,000 to 20,000 miles. Your rotors are something that you have a little more time with. To maintain the best possible condition of your brakes, you should replace your rotors every 50,000 to 70,000 miles.

How can I tell if my rotors are damaged?

How to Spot a Bad Rotor (15 Bad Rotor Symptoms)

• the steering wheel vibrates.
• The brake pedal pulses.
• sporadic brake noises
• when applying the brakes, grinding.
• after installing brake pads, screeching.
• Rotors that are not circular.
• scores or deep grooves.
• Rotor cracks.

How can I tell if I need to replace my rotors?

• Brake pad quality: Contact with cheap, harsh brake pads or improperly placed brake pads will result in damage.
• Driving style and Environment: Driving in cities, mountains, or in harsh settings (like the scorching heat of the desert or the bitter cold of the winter) results in faster rotor wear rates.
• Car weight: Rotors and pads deteriorate more quickly the heavier the car or the more upgrades or alterations a vehicle has received.
• Axle position: With forward bias proportioning, the front axle normally carries more weight than the back. The front often wears rotors and brake pads more quickly than the rear because it carries a greater “load” when braking.

In its most basic form, stopping and slowing down a car involves braking rotors being pressed by brake pads, but it’s actually more complicated than that. Let’s examine the sequential operation of the entire system.

• The driver presses the brake pedal in an effort to bring the vehicle to a stop.
• Brake fluid is forced out of the reservoir by a plunger in the master cylinder.
• The fluid travels to the wheels via stiff brake lines.
• The fluid is then transported into calipers by flexible brake lines.
• The brake pistons in the calipers are forced out by the fluid pressure.
• The backing plate of the brake pads is compressed by the pistons.
• Brake rotors and pads begin to rub against one another, with the pad linings pressing on the rotor surface from both the inside and the outside.
• The car slows down or comes to a stop as a result of the friction.
• The brake rotors and pads heat up to a high degree as a lot of heat is produced.

The ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems in contemporary vehicles regulate the pressure of the brake fluid.

One of the most noticeable components of the entire brake system are the brake rotors. They are those metal discs attached on the wheel hubs that resemble a flying saucer and are seen just beyond the hub cap. They are often created by casting solid “blanks” made of special metal alloys, which must be resistant to wear and high temperatures, in molds; typically, cast iron and cast steel are used for this process. They are molded with internal cooling vanes in addition to the holes for the bolts that secure them to the axle. Depending on the vehicle and end usage they are intended for, they may then be specially machined to include slots and/or drilled holes.

The friction that results from the compression of brake pads against rotors generates heat and fumes that may become trapped inside the system. The least expensive alternative, solid rotors have a propensity to overheat. Comparatively, higher-quality rotors have a number of venting methods to reduce that heat. In addition to facilitating faster heat dissipation, drilling holes and milling slots into the surface that comes into contact with the brake pads prevents gasses and debris from being trapped, hence increasing the rotor’s wear life and maintaining the braking system’s durability. Slotted-only rotors have internal ventilation channels that conduct heat away from the front of the car and toward the rear.

Custom brake rotors constructed of ceramic or carbon materials are very expensive but seldom overheat; they are utilized in high-end and racing cars.

Brake rotors should be inspected at every maintenance and service your automobile receives even though they typically last longer than brake pads, typically at a rate of two to one. Measuring their physical thickness to see whether they are too thin is the most reliable approach to tell if they are nearing the end of their lives. The vehicle’s service manual specifies the minimum thickness, and some brake rotor manufacturers even etch it on the surface of the rotor.

Additionally, if any of the following symptoms occur, brake rotors may also need to be replaced:

• The driver feels a vibration in the steering wheel and/or the brake pedal after depressing the brake pedal.
• Reason: Pad deposits. On the face of the rotor, brake pad material can accumulate and produce high spots. Usually, a brake system that is overheated or underheated causes this. As the caliper piston is moved in and out of the caliper, these deposits often manifest more as pedal feedback.
• Pad deposits can be avoided by selecting the proper brake pad compound formulation for your vehicle. Nevertheless, if the deposits are not eliminated by repeating the bed-in procedure, turning or replacing the rotors may be required.
• Although severe steering wheel vibration can occur, it usually occurs as a result of a failing suspension component and not a braking component, despite the possibility of steering wheel shudder and/or feedback.
• When braking, the brakes make a lot of noise.
• Corrosion or worn-out components are the causes. The tight tolerances between brake parts might be impacted by heavily corroded brake components, leading to dragging or grinding effects. In order to warn drivers that their brakes need to be replaced, many brake pads are available with “mechanical wear sensors,” which are metal clips that are intended to scrape against the rotor when the brake pad thickness gets too low and produce an audible noise. These systems serve as a helpful reminder to check your rotors as well, even though their primary purpose is to draw attention to worn brake pads.
• Surface cracks have appeared on the brake rotor.
• Extreme heat is the cause. It’s crucial to realize that there are two separate kinds of rotor “cracks” that relate to the rotor’s expansion and compression as it cools and heats, but signify different problems.
• Heat checking: As depicted in the image below, this condition causes tiny hairline fractures to form on the rotor’s friction surface. This heat checking is quite normal and expected when operating at high temperatures, such as in a racing setting, and rotors exhibiting this are not always thought to need replacement.
• In contrast, if a fracture spreads and touches either the outer or inner edge of the rotor, as in the illustration below, the rotor has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced right away.
• Note: It is important to understand that heat checking is not a result of subpar materials, and that cracks do not appear when run at extremely high temperatures. The greater the quality of the rotor, the longer the rotor will endure before either types of cracks occur.
• The functioning surface of the brake rotor has been scratched or damaged.
• Worn component or debris is the cause. If the metal backing plate of heavily worn brake pads comes into touch with the rotor, the rotor may be harmed. Additionally, road debris like stones and rust can get in between the brake pad and the rotor, causing the friction surface to groove.
• Contrary to what many people think, brake rotors almost rarely “warp.” This is a very uncommon occurrence because bending, or “warping,” a rotor requires enormous amounts of physical and thermal energy. Any unevenness, however, is solely the effect of pad deposits.

Whatever the reason of the wear, it is advisable to replace the entire assembly at once, including the front and rear brake rotors AND the front and rear brake pads, if even one rotor is worn out.

Brake rotors have a significant impact on driving safety, thus they must be changed with new ones as soon as damage is discovered. According to the automobile manufacturer’s recommendations, brake rotors must be chosen, and it is recommended to select branded items, ideally cross-drilled and vented types, made from high-quality materials. As some aftermarket manufacturers have recognized rotor weight and technical shortcomings and addressed these in their product offerings, researching known difficulties with your make and model of car may also provide insight into better-than-OEM remedies.

You are the best person to describe how safe braking feels in your own car. A rotor can sustain certain damage that will immediately modify its ability to brake, and that change needs rapid and urgent attention. However, since brake rotor deterioration can occur gradually over time, it’s equally crucial to inspect them at every service and record their thickness, degree of corrosion, and surface condition. Additionally, it’s time to replace the brake system components if you’ve made any modifications to your car or truck that alter the weight of the wheels or the overall vehicle, how the vehicle is utilized, or if you’ve added towing or increased payload.

The greatest approach to ensure your safety while driving is to replace your old, low-performance brake pads and rotors with new, high-performance ones!

What occurs if brake pads are changed without rotating the rotors?

For the optimum braking performance, fresh brake pads should be burnished (bedded) into the rotors.

Simply said, breaking in your new brake pads involves burnishing, also known as bedding-in, the brake pad.

Burnishing transmits an even coating of friction material from the brake pad to the brake rotor, improving braking efficiency over a wider temperature range and reducing noise and vibration.

To transmit the friction material to the brake rotor, a series of stops must be made, with cooling down intervals in between.

Get your mechanic to handle it because if it’s done incorrectly, you could experience brake pulsation, which would subject the rotor to heat shock and cause warping or fracture.

How many miles can OEM brakes withstand?

What is the lifespan of brake rotors? It varies. The lifespan of your brakes depends on a number of variables, including the size of your vehicle, your driving habits, and the quality of your brakes.

Brake rotor lifespans typically range from 30,000 to 70,000 kilometers. However, you should regularly have your brakes inspected by a qualified mechanic and keep a close eye on your automobile to determine when brake service may be necessary.

Replacing vs. Resurfacing Brake Rotors

You might be able to extend the lifespan of your present set of brakes by having your rotors resurfaced rather than replaced, depending on the state of your current set.

Resurfacing rotors, also known as “turning” or “machining,” entails abrading the metal disc to a uniformly smooth surface. If rotors have only a few trouble locations and little to no wear, they can be resurfaced.

Resurfacing is not an option if your rotors are bent, broken, grooved, severely corroded, or thinner than the level suggested by the manufacturer. Instead, you will require new rotors.

Resurfacing your rotors is only a temporary fix, even if it can be less expensive than replacing them. Prior to making a decision, be truthful about the state of your rotors and pay attention to the advice of a reliable mechanic.