Dear Tom and Ray:

When my grandson was visiting me during his last college break, the brakes on his old Honda conked out. His dad wired money for a minimum brake job (what father wouldn't?). But the young man called me in a panic when the brake-shop mechanic told him he needed two new rotors because the old ones were "too thin to be recut." When I insisted on seeing the Honda specs on minimum rotor thickness, the "mechanic" did not know what I was talking about, but he KNEW the rotors were too thin. The cost of the job, including the new rotors, was more than the old Honda was worth. So after more insistence on my part, the owner of the shop BORROWED a micrometer from another shop, and reluctantly agreed that the new rotors were not necessary. As an 80-year-old grandfather, I was happy to be able to help out my 20-year-old law-student grandson (who, incidentally, did not inherit much mechanical inclination from me). Here are my questions: Shouldn't a reputable brake specialist be able to prove with his own micrometer that a rotor is too thin to be recut before insisting on new rotors? And if the rotors are not warped, do they have to be cut at all? -- Hal

Ray: You're absolutely 100 percent right, Hal. This guy was obviously more interested in selling rotors than serving his customers.

Tom: If the rotors are not warped, scored or pitted, they should be left alone. You put in new pads and that's it.

Ray: If the rotors do show signs of warping or deterioration, then they either need to be recut or replaced. And there are specifications that tell you exactly how thick a rotor has to be before it can be ground down any more. And yes, a brake specialist should certainly have the tools to make those measurements.

Tom: There are times when we recommend new rotors even if the old ones ARE thick enough to be ground down. But that's only on cars where the new rotors are really inexpensive (like on Volkswagens). And in cases like that, for a couple of bucks more, why not get new ones?

Ray: But rotors for some older Hondas are quite expensive, so you did the right thing, Hal. Now give this kid a good lesson about lawyering and demand one third of the money he saved as a contingency fee.

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How can you tell if a used car is in good condition -- or even OK, for that matter? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Used Car, PO Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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