Disc cuss

I bought a late 2006 low mileage Toyota RAV-4 from Toyota in Bracknell in July this year. There has been a judder on the brakes, which has got worse. I dropped the car in to my local Toyota dealer in Oxford yesterday who has inspected the brakes (cost me £95 + VAT) and told me that the judder is because all four brake discs are warped and need replacing at another £600+. They say warp is characteristic of wear and is not covered by the warranty. I looked on the Toyota forums on the Internet and found this to be a particular problem with the RAV-4. I have contacted the Bracknell dealership that is surprised that it is not a valid warranty claim and has followed up with Toyota without success. The brakes are not corroded and don't look worn. Is there anything you can do? I have put 2,000 miles on the car since July and it is now showing something over 24,000 miles.

Asked on 23 January 2010 by S.W., Oxfordshire

Answered by Honest John
That wasn't something I'd heard before, so I've noted it in car by car breakdown. A possible cause is grit between the brake discs and the hubs causing the discs to rotate very slightly out of alignment (though this is highly unlikely on a car that has never had its discs removed). The more likely cause is sitting on the brakes after a long brake from high speed. It's a heavy car and is not over-braked, so braking from high speed will superheat the discs. If you then sit on the brakes at a standstill, the part of the discs not clamped by the pads will not cool at the same rate as the rest of the discs and that will lead to warping.
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