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My vehicle is sitting outside for a couple of months, more precisely, since around April 4th 2021 when I drove back from a safety inspection. Back then, the shop that inspected it required me the following in order to pass safety inspection:

  • Rear: Both Rotors, Callipers and Breakpads.
  • Front: Left Hub only.
  • Battery, and other parts.

Where I live (Ontario) I am required to pass safety inspection in order to be able to drive my vehicle. And since my battery was also dead, I didn't even drove around the block.

Yesterday I came close to my vehicle and I could tell the front rotors were all rusted. I am about to start fixing it and changing all the parts myself. And, I have a feeling that I will need new front rotors as well, though two months ago the safety report said they were in good condition.

I will start working on it this next weekend. But, assuming all that rust is superficial, what would be the best way to procedure?

  • Buff out the rotors if rust is superficial? If so, what is the proper way to do that?
  • Order new rotors right now?

Thanks for your time.

[EDIT]

Here are some pictures of the front left rotor.

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The rust seem to be superficial, I already drove it to a friends garage, I will see tomorrow how is the state after breaking a few times. I will try to take all the rust out around it just to make it look nice to the garage shop guy that will be inspecting it.

I do have to change the bering hub for this wheel, give that was required on the last safety check I did. Part of me thinks that I should just change the whole thing as well. But, right now I don't want spend more money, unless this rust could be an issue for safety check.

Given those pictures, what do you guys think? Thanks a lot.

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    Surface rust on rotors is pretty normal after a car has sat outside. If it's scaling then I'd say there's an issue but highly unlikely your rotors would be that bad. Consider that semi-metallic brake pads can also contain bits of steel and brake dust might give a rusty film on your wheels as well. If your battery is completely dead, the car may not fully charge it back after you jump it. Typically best in this case to hook the battery to an actual charger. (some stores do this for free)
    – Phaelax z
    Jun 25, 2021 at 17:30
  • Thank you so much for the feedback. I just posted some pictures about the situation of the rotor of the front left wheel. What do you think about that? I just placed a new battery on it too.
    – Eduardo Reis
    Jun 26, 2021 at 4:47
  • It's nothing to worry about. What year is your car? Being in Ontario, I'm guessing they use a lot of salt during the winter, which will cause rust. If you're that concerned, you can replace the rotors (it's a simple job) or have them turned/resurfaced. The calipers are fine so long as the pistons and guide pins move smoothly.(check for uneven brake wear) You can clean them up with a wire brush. Or if feeling handy, remove them completely to clean them up and paint them.
    – Phaelax z
    Jun 28, 2021 at 4:15

1 Answer 1

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See if your battery will take a charge before you do anything else. Most likely it will take a charge, but always the chance it might not. Best to not spend the money if you don't have to.

As far as the brake rotors go ... as long as there isn't any pitting on the rotor, take the car out for a slow drive and brake often. More than likely as long as the brakes were good to start with, this action will be more than enough to clean off the rotors. Rotors usually don't start pitting until there's years of non-use, so these are probably good also.

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    Thank you so much for your feedback. I just started working on it today. I added some pictures on the question body. I tried to boost the battery first so I could move my car into the drive way to replace the battery. The think is that I have a Chrysler 200, and in order to replace the battery I had to remove the wheel. I was trying to avoid doing it on the street, but boosting the battery was taking too long. After 20 min all electronics on the car were turning on, but the engine was not able to start yet. So I didn't want to wait more and changed the battery there.
    – Eduardo Reis
    Jun 26, 2021 at 4:39
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    After googling pitting on the rotor I think I need to do a closer inspection tomorrow on the rotor. Any advice for assessing the rust on the Calliper? Thank you once again.
    – Eduardo Reis
    Jun 26, 2021 at 4:44

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