Car And Truck Brake Parts

Brake Rotors

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Brake Rotors
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The timing belt must be changed according to the service manual. On early 1999 cars with automatic transmissions, this can be as low as 40,000 miles! Other cars used 60,000 mile belts. In 2003, VW came out with a new belt which used larger rollers with better bearings and upgraded the replacement interval to 100,000 miles. If your TDI has had a timing belt replacement since 2003, it should have gotten these replacement 100,000 mile parts or else you should stick to the original timing belt change interval. When the timing belt is changed, all rollers, torque to yield bolts, and the water pump must be changed at the same time. The average cost to have all these items changed is between $800-1000.

If you're not sure when your TDI engine's timing belt was last changed, change it as soon as possible. If the timing belt breaks, at a minimum, the engine cylinder head will be damaged. This is because the timing belt coordinates the timing of the engine valves with the engine pistons. If they are not timed correctly, the valves will bend or mushroom up when they hit the pistons. The minimum repair cost after this is $2,000, a lot more expensive than replacing the timing belt, water pump, and rollers. If the engine is badly damaged, you will need to replace the entire engine with a minimum repair cost of $4000 if you can find a good used TDI engine. As you can see, it's well worth it to replace the timing belt on schedule.

The brake pads and rotors should be checked for wear. If the brake pads wear all the way down to the pad backing they will cause damage to the rotor. When this happens, you will often hear a grinding or screeching noise from metal on metal contact. While the rotor can be reused as long as it's not worn beyond the minimum service thickness, it's cost effective to replace the brake rotors at the same time as the brake pads. If the brake rotors get worn while the pads are still good, you'll have to go back in and remove everything you just serviced to replace the rotors.

The brake fluid should be changed every two years, regardless of mileage. This is because the fluid breaks down and absorbs water. If the fluid fails or boils, you could lose the brakes which could lead to an accident. This item can be slightly delayed because the fluid gradually breaks down over time. However, the longer you wait the greater the chance of problems.

The engine oil in a VW TDI should be changed every ten thousand miles. VW TDI require synthetic engine oil rated for CI engines, compression ignition, also known as diesel engines. The actual life of the engine oil depends on service conditions like if your car is driven in very dusty areas, the type of engine oil you use, engine condition, and if you do a lot of cold engine starts and short trips. The service manual suggests an engine oil change every 10k miles just because it's too expensive to pay for an oil analysis for a few liters of oil. Engine oil analysis is normally reserved for industrial or heavy truck engines because it can save them money by letting them save many gallons of oil.

The TDI engine's air filter should be changed before every forty thousand miles. The interior cabin air filter should be changed every twenty thousand miles.

The diesel fuel filter should be changed every twenty thousand miles.

The sunroof drains should be cleaned once a year to make sure they don't clog up and flood the interior.

In conclusion, these are the major maintenance checks which can keep your VW TDI running well. Refer to your owner's manual for the full list of maintenance items. Article is copyright myturbodiesel.com, 2010

Ed is a frequent TDI owner who does DIY maintenance. You can learn more details about how to do these maintenance procedures at and ask any questions at the VW Jetta TDI forum and VW Golf TDI forum

High-performance Pontiac Brake Rotor: Efficient Distributor of Brake Friction and Pressure

Who would not want a great performing car? With the recent hype in car upgrades, more and more car owners are now upgrading their cars to make it go faster, handle better and look better. When it comes to performance upgrades, the braking system is often ignored. This should not be the case, because this group of car components has an indispensable role of keeping you safe and protected on the road by providing you with safe and repeatable stopping. No matter what vehicle type you have, the concept behind the braking system is universal. The braking system installed in your Pontiac vehicle uses friction in order to slow down or stop your car. It does this through leverage or mechanical advantage and through hydraulic force multiplication. However, the entire system would not be able to perform its collective function if one or more of its sub components are not in good working condition. For this reason, you need to be aware of the various parts and their proper maintenance to ensure a longer service life.

One of the fundamental components of your braking system is the Pontiac brake rotor. This car component looks like a round metal disc and can be seen clamped by a caliper that holds 2 friction linings or brake pads. They are usually made up of basic gray crummy cast iron. To eliminate those porosities that lead to cracking, most brake rotors are vacuum degassed. A typical Pontiac brake rotor has an average roughness of 30 to 60 micro inches. Moreover, the depth of the finish must be .002 to .008 inch to ensure a smooth and high performing brake rotor. There are different types of brake rotors: the scraper slots, drilled rotors and vented rotors. Scraper slots reduce the stopping distance because they dissipate heat. Aside from that, they shed water under wet driving conditions and they effectively throw the debris and dust away from the wheels. Drilled rotors undergo blind degassing to dissipate heat and ensure maximum braking performance in any condition. Vented rotors absorb thermal energy through the vent path. That way, the heat resulting from the braking system is channeled through the moving air stream.

It is a general maintenance procedure to replace or turn the brake rotors each time the brake pads are replaced. This would allow your brake rotors to have an equal distribution of pressure and friction. Some of the basic maintenance procedures that you can employ to prolong the service life of your Pontiac brake rotor include heat cycling them very gently, keeping them cool, and working on your braking technique. By coming on your brakes progressively, smoothly and slowly, you can be sure that your Pontiac brake rotor would be spared from getting damaged earlier. You may be hearing some squealing noises when you step on the brakes. This is particularly normal, because the rotor and the brake pads are made up of metal. However, you may want to check your Pontiac brake rotor for wear and tear if you have been hearing brake noises other than a squeal. So when you have been noticing those wear and tear signs, you better replace your worn out Pontiac brake rotor to prevent brake related accidents.

About the Author

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

What is the difference between all brake rotors?

What is the difference between regualr brake rotors, slotted, and drilled rotors? Which do you recommend and can you paint them?

Older brakes rotors used to be made out of solid iron. Friction from the pad surfaces would transfer into the rotor. These types of rotors have poor thermal performance and are easy to send into brake fade. Most modern rotor these days are vented. They are hollow with an array of internal fins resembling that of a centrifugal impeller. As the rotor spins, air is sucked in from the middle and discharged out at the perimeter. This additional movement of air helps cool the rotors. Slotted and crossdrilled rotors are intended for high performance applications. Crossdrilling was done initially not for cooling, but to vent gases generated by the brake pad during extreme braking. Modern pads don't offgas, so there is less of a need for crossdrilling these days. Crossdrilling also increases the surface area of the brake rotor by allowing it to transfer absorbed heat into the air faster than an undrilled rotor (at a cost of reducing its heat storage capacity). Crossdrilled rotors are also lighter, and the reduced rotating mass will cause a slight improvement to both accelleration and braking. The downside of crossdrilled rotors is that the holes are prone to cracking, and some machine shops may refuse to service them. Slotted rotors are capable of venting gases much like crossdrilled rotors. Due to the shape of the slots, slotted rotors have the ability to resurface the pads everytime the brakes are applied. The net result of this is a slighty shorter service life for the pad, but more consistant wear between the pad and the rotor (the slotted rotor has less of a chance of developing score marks than other types of rotors, this might be very valuable to you if you plan on frequently changing brake pads for racing events).

The choice of which type of rotor to install depends on how the vehicle is used. Most street cars will work fine with standard vented rotors. Brake perfomance can be improved by installing high performance brake pads. Your brake fluid should be purged every few years as well (running a fluid with a higher heat capacity is a good idea too, but check the chemical compatibility first) You may wish to explore slotted and/or crossdrilled rotors if your stock rotors are under performing in track application. If your brakes are seriously incapable of delivering the stopping power you need, you should look into a big brake kit. Stainless steel brake lines help improve brake feel (they take out the spongy rubber brake lines), but don't actually contribute to extra braking power. The internal teflon liner in stainless lines also wears away from road grit, so you should replace them every few years as well.

2000 Dodge Dakota Sport 4x4 review from North America
What things have gone wrong with the car? Bad brake rotors, but fantastic brake pads LOL. The rotors wore out and the pads didn't. Transfer case problems. Already got it fixed once, and was out $2,000, but now it's acting up again.

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