Cleaning Rusty Brake Discs...

[madspikes 41 1 Cars]

Where the pug has been sat for 6 months the brake discs have gone very rusty, as you might expect. While search the internet on how to clean them up, I came accross this image...

 

 

I cant decide if this is madness or not!

 

As to my discs, well I think they need slight machining as there is some slight pitting, but I think its more cost effective to just buy some new discs... However, might give the above ago if I have enough brave pills!

 

Mad.

[Cameron 16]

Just drive it around for a few miles?

[Batfink 201]

new discs are only about £20

[SurGie 54]

Take them off and Soak them in vinegar for a week, job jobbed

[Baz 421]

Wire brush attachment on a drill or similar, what's wrong with that?

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Rough sand paper works for me

[madspikes 41 1 Cars]

Just drive it around for a few miles?

The first thing the car needs is an MOT.... so driving it around is kinda out of the question.

 

 

new discs are only about £20

Indeed, I do think this is prob the best option.

 

 

 

Take them off and Soak them in vinegar for a week, job jobbed

Interesting.... May give this ago... just because!

 

 

Wire brush attachment on a drill or similar, what's wrong with that?

Thats was / is my plan for cleaning them off... But no sure if attacking the discs whist spinning on the car is such a great idea...

 

 

Rough sand paper works for me

Was going to use this for finishing them.

 

 

Mad

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

My 6 mile drive to the mot centre tends to clean up the discs well enough, even when the car's been stood for a couple of years

[Cameron 16]

The first thing the car needs is an MOT.... so driving it around is kinda out of the question.

 

 

My 6 mile drive to the mot centre tends to clean up the discs well enough, even when the car's been stood for a couple of years

 

This. ^^^

 

If your discs are so pitted they couldn't possibly be cleaned up then yeah, buy some new ones; otherwise you're just wasting money. Even if your MOT station is really close by you can always take the scenic route, a 5 minute drive is all that's needed to clean up even pretty grotty looking discs. If you've got the skills then you can always apply the brakes with your left foot while you're driving along to speed things up.

[omega 82]

Where the pug has been sat for 6 months the brake discs have gone very rusty, as you might expect. While search the internet on how to clean them up, I came accross this image...

 

 

I cant decide if this is madness or not!

 

As to my discs, well I think they need slight machining as there is some slight pitting, but I think its more cost effective to just buy some new discs... However, might give the above ago if I have enough brave pills!

 

Mad.

 

well hes got glasses on shame about the hands

your starter for 10 what car is it?

[hcmini1989 16]

I dont think the brake discs are currently a fail tbh ,Only an advisory ,Had loads in work lately wich have been quite frankly dangerous and they`ve all passed .So drive it there and you should be ok .

[madspikes 41 1 Cars]

I dont think the brake discs are currently a fail tbh ,Only an advisory ,Had loads in work lately wich have been quite frankly dangerous and they`ve all passed .So drive it there and you should be ok .

 

Thats nteresting.... after your comments I did a quick google and came back with this....

 

MOT forum

 

It almost sounds like luck of the draw... Personally I would expect the brakes pictured to fail, as there looks to be something wrong... but I'm no MOT tester!

 

 

I just dont want the car to fail on some silly little thing... I'm trying to keep up my MOT pass record! So far with my ageing fleet, i'm up to 3 first time passes in a row, with milage on each of the cars being 160k (205Gti), 150k (Saxo), 105k (306HDi)...

 

Mad.

[davev 1]

nowadays brake discs have to be classed as dangerious to fail an mot. so corrosion, lipped, pitted ect can only be advised.

so if you reckon they would clean up on a drive there should be no way for them to fail it.

 

these are the only offical reasons for failure

 

g. a brake disc or drum contaminated by brake fluid, oil or grease h. a brake disc or drum in such a condition that it is seriously weakened or insecure

[Cameron 16]

They can still fail on being below minimum thickness though, right? I would class that as being weakened.

[allye 530 3 Cars]

This is handy, exactly same with me, my brembo discs were only 1500 miles old before it went off the road. I'm going to use some emery cloth and then some brake disc cleaner. On the way to the MOT centre I'm going to ride them good and proper and get them up to temp. Also may leave the hand brake on a little on the way as this is what I had to do last time to get it to pass under the advice of the testers

[Baz 421]

They can still fail on being below minimum thickness though, right? I would class that as being weakened.

 

Technically yes, but even if the tester did measure them i very much doubt they'd know the minimum thickness for each car etc, or bother to look it up.

 

You can remove the lip on discs anyway and make it look like they're fine, you should see some of the god awful discs i've seen that've been through an mot, Anthony's old Mondeo ones before they were changed for example, it was something like 21.8mm minimum thickness, including their massive lip they were only something like 18.9mm and the braking surface was literally paper thin!

Edited March 9, 2011 by Baz

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The way I understand things after talkling to the guy who I take my cars to for an MOT, if they pass the brake test & don't look obviously way past it, at most you'll get an advisory imo.

 

Mine have been stood for about six months now also & they were only a few months old when I fitted them so I'll be taking it for a drive to clear the rust off, although my car is has T&T.

 

Graham.