SINISTER

iTrader: (1)

Okay guys I am buying a 2010 Cobalt SS/TC with only 7k miles.

It was stored in a garage and I have waited over a month waiting for the dealer to finish the recalls.

Well after a month they told me all the recalls were finished...then I found out after I wanted proof that they never did the steering wheel recall.....so they were lying....

Now I found out that they needed to change the rotors on the car??

So my question is....why would they need to change the rotors on a car with only 7k miles.???..I can see maybe the pads but the rotors?? When I think of brake rotor problems I think of abnormal brake caliper action, excessive heat, defective brake pads but this would occur over multiple miles not a small amount like 7k???

So then I think physical damage of some kind?

Here is what my sales rep said:

"The car didn't NEED new rotors the tech wanted to machine them but I insisted he just replace the rotors so that pulsation wouldn't eventually come back a few thousand miles down the road."

Great they installed new rotors, but what concerns me is if they are trying to cover up a bigger problem... maybe this car had some kind of accident, maybe flood damage that caused the rotors to rust and warp....carfax shows nothing...but what do you guys think??? Are these cars notorious for brake rotor problems? Could it be due to storage... for multiple months? Am I being paranoid?

Mr Mall Cop

iTrader: (1)

If you use the search button you will find a lot of threads with rotor and brake problems on these cars

SINISTER

iTrader: (1)

Yea, I did search but most people changing their rotors out were at 20k miles or greater ...not 7k?

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

I warped my stock rotors in way less mileage, just means someone was driving the car as it's supposed to be driven.

Cobalt_Daddy

In an LSJ maybe.

I have hard braked from 230km/h before and my rotors never warped.. still smooth as butter.

did you track race it or something and heat the brakes up multiple times?

Powell Race Parts

iTrader: (3)

the only thing you can say is "measure them" . Sitting around not doing anything unless in a hermetically sealed environment is not good. Stored in heated garage in winter and a/c in summer is not bad. All other storage esp. cold storage in Canada can be brutal. Moisture and mice are the main culprits.

colodude18

iTrader: (4)

Chevy pretty much got all the braking issues resolved by the 2010 model year. I don't see them warping from braking unless like someone said the car was tracked or brakes were otherwise abused. I had my front rotors machined a few times due to mild pulsating after tracking. Good news is abusing the brakes is usually easily fixed by replacing the consumables, i.e. rotors and pads. As long as the brakes work properly now, I wouldn't worry too much. A 2010 with 7K is awesome. I thought mine was low at 39K miles

SINISTER

iTrader: (1)

I am buying the car....I don't even own it yet.
I have no idea what it was put through in its first 7k miles of life.
Apparently it was owned by a military guy who stored it while he was gone for multiple years. His dad would drive it around a couple times a year to keep the fluids going....car fax one owner.

SINISTER

iTrader: (1)

I cant measure them, I don't own the car and they were removed and replaced with new rotors. So honestly that's a great deal but I was just wondering if warping of rotors were normal for a car with 7k. Or if I should be worried about accident damage....

I guess I am being paranoid, I just hope that it was never in an accident, they are sending me a report that will show that they inspected everything including the frame. It is located with a big Ford dealership across the nation...so I cant inspect it myself....

m33pm33p

So they replaced the rotors, what do you have to worry about? Rear calipers are known to fail on these cars.. good thing they have brembos on the front.

Shanedude

Hope he puts back on OEM pads. The car comes with great pads from factory, some people downgrade and slap what they think are better brands with less success.

SSlobalt

Replacing the rotos doesn't actually fix the issue. It's the calipers that need to be replaced. I replaced my rotors at 9K and 22K. I'm afraid that if I get a new caliper, it's just going to do the same thing. I'm waiting for a replacement caliper that is a different make.

"Resetting" the caliper works for a little while, but it eventually gets stuck again.