The mechanic told me that my rotors need to be replaced because they are rusty. He also said they they would be difficult to turn because they are solid.
Are either of these statements believable?
I wouldn’t say they would be more difficult to turn because they are solid, but they will be very thin to start with and most likely will be undersize after clean-up.
This is the circumstances with the S-Blazers with rear disc, very thin to start with.and very prone to rusting.
If you insist take the rotors to a machine shop and have them turned,on your dollar,and if they are unservicable after turning its only you that looses,not the mechanic that knows that it’s not a good bet to invest time into these rotors.
I don’t understand why rustiness is a problem. Of course they aren’t rusty where the pads make contact, and why care about the rest?
What part is he saying are rusty? Because the faces get rusty basically overnight, but get cleaned off as soon as you use them. If the part that mounts to the wheel hub is especially rusty, that might be a legitimate concern.
I wasn’t thinking along the lines that the rust is in a place other than the flat surface of the rotor.
I concluded the car sat for a long while and the flat surface of the rotor got rusty.
And I have seen the flat surface rusty even when in surface.
So he is your mechanic, your the one talking to him, where is he halving problems with rust if not on the flat surface.
In any case solid (non-ventilated) rotors are very thin to start with,so rust or no rust machining may not be a option
What make,model,year car/truck are we talking about and are we talking about fronts or rears? (maybe he has a problem with the parking brake surface)
Why do you feel the rotors need turning
Rusty is too vague. There are usually pits in metal that will run deep if the rotors are left in a corrosive environment. Solid rotors are thin rotors, ventilated rotors are thicker and heavier. If I knew what year your car is or how many miles are on it and when the rotors were changed, I might be able to say “just get new ones.” They don’t resurface them for free either. They would probably have to remove so much metal to resurface them that the rotors would be thinner than the specified minimum thickness. The problem your rotors have is that the edge of the disc is probably very rough which could lead to radial cracks. You don’t want that either. The mechanic is trying to make a judgement as to the age of the rotors and he’s trying to figure if they are worth keeping on the car. Enjoy the new parts: It’s better if you put the most miles on them instead of the next owner getting all the benefit of your money.