It seems more and more shops, are just **** canning rotors instead of turning them......

Last tire rotation, GM shop quoted me new rotors with a brake job.......

Before that, when I got new tires at Firestone, they quoted new rotors(even higher than the dealership)......

Wife does highway driving, and at 55K are still going strong with no pulsation....

So is this the trend out there? My shop always turned rotors if possible.......did not have any problem, as long as you didn't cut to the min spec.....the main thing was, to have a perfect "finish" to the rotor......saw too many guys, not rotating/replacing the cutting bits, if necessary....you could tell right away when they came back from a road test, just by looking at the rotors....

No, I don't turn rotors. I exclusively buy quality Wagner rotors at RockAuto, price is not to much higher than turning and it is a zero hassle action. With turning the rotors one may be exposed to a rotor to this to turn, and then be stuck paying retail for a not-quality replacement as one may have to take what they can get. Also, what if the person turning the rotor makes a mistake and turns below tolerance.

Years ago turning was the way to go. With the low price of quality replacement rotors, makes turning rotors a non-favorable action in many cases.

Shops find it easier and cheaper to just slap a new pair on and ship it. It also saves on the hassle of you warped my rotors blah blah blah.

We have the equipment at our shop to turn the big truck drums, but again, its easier and cheaper in the long run to just yank and swap.

Just turned a set today on a Equinox. Only time my shop replaces the rotors are when they are below specs or severly rusted up from salt. And on some rare occasions I have had to machine new rotors from Oriellys. That'* a fun one to explain to customers.

Last summer I turned a set on the PA up front. Rotors only had 10 k miles on them, wanted to swap out the ceramics to try a set of semi-metallic pads and imbed with a fresh machining.
Much better stopping power with the semi-metallic pads !
Otherwise I like to start with new quality rotors, pads & calipers.
Then you're good for years, as long as your brake lines are not rusted to crap.

at one time I turned rotors / drums for a shop, but it seemed like the last few years, that 90% of the rotors they were bringing me was under spec, and so we measured a new one, and they were just above the min, so nearly any wear would put them in the replace category,
I just replace my own now I have not moved out the brake lathe in many years,

personally, since i maintain 4 cars that take the same front rotors, what i did was replace on the first car. after that, i saved the rotors. when its time for a brake job, i have the first cars set turned, then do the entire brake job as if the rotors were new. save the old rotors for the next car. now that im working at the store, i may not do this in the future because my price is about the same as the cost of turning at the machine shop.

you will find metallic pads EATS the rotor up so you will have no choice but to replace them

according to the class i took at work, the pads go from easiest to harshest, as follows.

organic: easy but tons of dust

semi metallic: still somewhat easy, but a considerable amount of dust

metallic: medium and less noticeable dust

ceramic: hardest pad with the best stopping power if bedded in correctly. it will trash a rotor, but has next to no dust.

for liability most shops won't turn rotors anymore,that and the fact that most rotors come from china or mexico,made of inferior metal and don't last as long.