[viperguy212]

Hey all,

So I purchased a set of DBA t3 rotors from MarylandSpped a few months back and threw them on the car w/ stock Gt calibers and Hawk Street pads.

One mild Northeast winter and the once really nice looking rotors have completely rusted on every surface besides the actual rotor face. The hats, internals, and even slots on the face have a nice coat of rust on them, and not the kind of rust that just falls off from driving or is normally to be expected.

I was under the impression (as they stated) that these rotors were painted (which they are) and rust resistant. Tried to wirebrush them, no luck.

From DBA's site:
"Paint protection on non-friction areas, Reduces corrosion, Stops any unsightly rust formation"


Does anyone else have these rotors or same symptoms? I think i might get in touch with DBA to see if i got a bad batch or something.

 

[V8 G8]

DBA made a pretty dumb mistake putting that in their website, I have never seen a rotor not rust unless it sits in a garage 24/7 and gets driven once a year. It will happen no matter what. Even though I think your rust is pretty bad, they will rust.

On another note, I just bought some DBA T3's, how do you like them?

and what pads you running? I am debating between HPS or Ceramic HPS.

 

[viperguy212]

I have the HPS's, the combo is awesome. Wet, dry, snow, whatever my breaks stop on a dime, kind of why I hate to see them look like crap lol.

For the $10 more I opted out of the ceramics, technically they produce less wear on the rotors but I'm pretty sure considering these are Club spec rotors they should hold up fine no matter what you throw on. I have about 5k on my pads now and have not heard a single squeak and break dust is hardly there.

I shot DBA an email because they do carry a pretty significant warranty on their stuff. I've had cheaper rotors not get this bad lol. Worst comes to worst I may take them off and use some high temp paint on the non-contact surfaces.

 

[V8 G8]

That is awesome to hear! So you would recommend the non-ceramic HPS's then I'm guessing? I want some pretty aggressive brakes.

And yeah your rotors are pretty bad as far as rust wise. I switched over to some Centric blanks and Posti Quiet Ceramic pads right before the winter and I have very little rust, a lot less than you. (Also DO NOT buy that combo for aggressive driving, it is horrible) I can snap a pic if you want. What state are you in? I'm guessing they use a lot of salt.

 

[viperguy212]

That is awesome to hear! So you would recommend the non-ceramic HPS's then I'm guessing? I want some pretty aggressive brakes.

And yeah your rotors are pretty bad as far as rust wise. I switched over to some Centric blanks and Posti Quiet Ceramic pads right before the winter and I have very little rust, a lot less than you. (Also DO NOT buy that combo for aggressive driving, it is horrible) I can snap a pic if you want. What state are you in? I'm guessing they use a lot of salt.

Yeah I would say go with the non-ceramic, I really couldn't even justify the $10. Go with the HPS (semi metallic) and they'll not only last longer but stop better.

I'm in PA so theres salt everywhere, I might try some of this stuff:
http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-gel-rust-dissolver.html

I've used eastwood stuff before and it worked great.

 

[V8 G8]

thanks for your help and advice! Ordered the HPS's just now.

Maybe that stuff will work! I'm curious to see what DBA says though.

 

[twort]

I'm curious to see what DBA says though.

+1 as this are on my radar when I need to replace the brakes...

 

[V8 G8]

any word from DBA?

 

[richm52]

Did you call Maryland Speed since that's who you bought them from and the feedback is that they're very responsive?

 

[MarylandSpeed]

We sell a lot of these without issue really. I am not sure what to say about the rust. DBA uses a lot of Iron in their brakes (part of the reason they work so well). The rust is not something I have ever seen them warranty. I have seen instances where chemicals get on the brakes and take the paint off or cause rust. I will forward this to my rep at DBA and see what he has to say.

 

[[email protected]]

Maybe if a few more people came to them(DBA) with the complaints, they would put a thicker coat of the paint on the hats.
The rotors I got in 2004 have less rust than the rotors I got in 2008...

 

[bostonf4$]

I have no problem w/ rotors getting rust on the disc, but my DBA rotors also got rust on the "hub?" part too - and that is what ticks me off, because the disc rust will come off instantly when you brake a few times, that hub rust just looks ghetto and drips onto my rims and stains them.

The cheaper powerslots I have on the rear are still matte black color on the "hub" part....

On the other hand the front DBA's have 56,000 miles on them, have never been turned, and still stop great, no squeal, and no shimmy

 

[2fast4you]

I have had the DBA's for a little over a year now,no rust but they are shaking and the paint lines indicate no excessive heat and yes i did all that they asked prior to install.

 

[karlhungus]

I just checked my stock rotors that I pulled off last month and none of them are rusted that bad. Something's up for sure. I've never seen vane rust like that especially on a good brand.

 

[dude26]

Im waiting on a quote for dba t3's w/ ceramic hawk pads along with some other new toys for the 8. Sounds like maybe i should hold off. What would you guys do as far as brakes and rotors. Or is this problem just a few limited instances. Im spending alot already on the other mods and the wife would hang me if i went the brembo route. I am going to order something sat. So all info is greatly appreciated.

 

[viperguy212]

We sell a lot of these without issue really. I am not sure what to say about the rust. DBA uses a lot of Iron in their brakes (part of the reason they work so well). The rust is not something I have ever seen them warranty. I have seen instances where chemicals get on the brakes and take the paint off or cause rust. I will forward this to my rep at DBA and see what he has to say.

Thank you so very much! I emailed DBA but have yet to get a response.

From some far corners of the internet I found a couple of WRX guys using T3's running into similar issues. Most have said that it looks almost exactly like my situation. To include also the install was done to DBA's exact specs with all professional equipment, techs, etc. I made sure that he rotor surface was cleaned off properly to DBA spec, even still the paint has to be incredibly thin to be affected by a simple all purpose cleaner, if there were even the case.

As Monaro stated most people attribute it to the super thin paint on the rotors, if there is any. Most say that after some respray they turn out fine, but I feel thats kind of a cheap route to take for rather pricey rotors.

Like I said before I hate that they look like this because they work so damn well. Even today on the interstate, brought me to a dead stop so fast someone almost hit me from behind!

 

[V8 G8]

shoot I really hope that the rotors I have sitting in the garage don't have this problem! I am even more curious now to see what DBA has to say since it seems more people have the same issue. I hope they either fixed it already or maybe some people got a bad batch??

We will hear from them hopefully soon! Keep the updates coming!

 

[viperguy212]

Hey all, just to keep you updated: I've been in touch with one of DBA's techs and there should be a solution of some sort coming soon, stay posted.

 

[johnnyservice]

+1 as this are on my radar when I need to replace the brakes...

+1... or is that +2... me too.

 

[V8 G8]

Hey all, just to keep you updated: I've been in touch with one of DBA's techs and there should be a solution of some sort coming soon, stay posted.

Thanks for the update! Was just about to post asking if you heard from DBA, glad to hear they are trying to find a solution.