2024 Flash failed inspection rust on rotors

[Everett]

My 24 Flash with 4.5 k miles is no longer legal to drive. The dealer says it needs a complete brake job ,rotors and pads due to rust. The truck is parked in a heated garage and driven only locally. usually with OPD on . There is some minor visible surface rust on the rotors, barely noticeable. I absolutely refuse to spend anything on this truck. The vehicle inspection system is a racket and it would be cheaper to pay the fine rather than the brake job.

Sponsored

 

[K6CCC]

I take you are in a state with mandated periodic inspections. Can you take it to someone else? We don't have periodic vehicle inspections here in California, but many counties do have periodic smog checks (obviously not an issue for us Lightnings). If you fail a smog check you are still legal until to drive until the registration expires so you can get it fixed or tested as another location.

 

[Grease Lightning]

My 24 Flash with 4.5 k miles is no longer legal to drive. The dealer says it needs a complete brake job ,rotors and pads due to rust. The truck is parked in a heated garage and driven only locally. usually with OPD on . There is some minor visible surface rust on the rotors, barely noticeable. I absolutely refuse to spend anything on this truck. The vehicle inspection system is a racket and it would be cheaper to pay the fine rather than the brake job.

Get up to 60 mph on a rural road with one pedal off, then start riding your brakes with the coach on (making sure you had actual brake use) and rep until you don’t see and surface rust.

Should work right for you….

 

[Everett]

I take you are in a state with mandated periodic inspections. Can you take it to someone else? We don't have periodic vehicle inspections here in California, but many counties do have periodic smog checks (obviously not an issue for us Lightnings). If you fail a smog check you are still legal until to drive until the registration expires so you can get it fixed or tested as another location.

Most of the independent shops have gone out business . Dealerships have taken over. Vermont has an onerous system linked to a database with state issued Ipads. that track everything about the vehicle. Low income, seniors on fixed income are forced to pay $60 annually for a sticker

 

[RLXXI]

Most of the independent shops have gone out business . Dealerships have taken over. Vermont has an onerous system linked to a database with state issued Ipads. that track everything about the vehicle. Low income, seniors on fixed income are forced to pay $60 annually for a sticker

Time to move or vote differently.

 

[B177y]

My 24 Flash with 4.5 k miles is no longer legal to drive. The dealer says it needs a complete brake job ,rotors and pads due to rust. The truck is parked in a heated garage and driven only locally. usually with OPD on . There is some minor visible surface rust on the rotors, barely noticeable. I absolutely refuse to spend anything on this truck. The vehicle inspection system is a racket and it would be cheaper to pay the fine rather than the brake job.

Get up to 60 mph on a rural road with one pedal off, then start riding your brakes with the coach on (making sure you had actual brake use) and rep until you don’t see and surface rust.

Should work right for you….

Do this except once you're up to speed flip the transmission into N and apply brakes. That gives you 100% friction brakes and will knock off any rust. Do it a couple of times.

Get it re-inspected after.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Do this except once you're up to speed flip the transmission into N and apply brakes. That gives you 100% friction brakes and will knock off any rust. Do it a couple of times.

Get it re-inspected after.

110%%%

 

[21st Century Truck]

"Rust on brake rotors" is laughable. The better quality disc brake rotors have a higher iron content, for all kinds of thermal and heat dissipation reasons. Such higher quality rotors therefore do get a rust patina (slight surface rust). The oh-so-shiny chrome / stainless steel looking rotors are a long-running marketing effort to prettify things. Higher iron content rotors stop the vehicle better, and more reliably.

This is pretty common knowledge in motorcycling where stopping power is often a critical component of the motorcycle and of the rider's life.

 

[JMD359]

My 24 Flash with 4.5 k miles is no longer legal to drive. The dealer says it needs a complete brake job ,rotors and pads due to rust. The truck is parked in a heated garage and driven only locally. usually with OPD on . There is some minor visible surface rust on the rotors, barely noticeable. I absolutely refuse to spend anything on this truck. The vehicle inspection system is a racket and it would be cheaper to pay the fine rather than the brake job.

Unfortunately you aren’t using the truck enough to keep the rotors clean and when you do you aren’t using the service brakes hard enough , these components are not meant to sit around and that’s what you’re doing. They’re meant to be used.. you have to use the brakes that means you have to do a few hard stops from higher speeds back to back but not enough to overheat the brakes . The problem is by letting it sit so much now your pads are probably rusted and place too. You probably need to take everything apart clean it up. Wite brush or whizz wheel all the rust off the pads , clean out the pad grooves and slides , or replace them and put it all back together , you can’t just let vehicles sit around when they’re in a state with road salt. It’s been found with other manufacturers that garaging a vehicle is the worst thing for it when it’s brought in with road salt on it and left to sit in the garage. You’d be better off leaving it outside for the winter . The warmer garage temperatures, with the humid environment, from a wet undercarriage ,,cause rust and corrosion process to accelerate. Unless you put in a ventilation system, that’s gonna continue to be an issue for you.

 

[kf59]

Time to move or vote differently.

At least they are less likely to be t-boned by a someone driving around with faulty brakes. I’d pay $60 buck for that insurance.

 

[RickLightning]

Get up to 60 mph on a rural road with one pedal off, then start riding your brakes with the coach on (making sure you had actual brake use) and rep until you don’t see and surface rust.

Should work right for you….

Shift to N, then apply brakes.

Do this except once you're up to speed flip the transmission into N and apply brakes. That gives you 100% friction brakes and will knock off any rust. Do it a couple of times.

Get it re-inspected after.

Yes, shift to N.

 

[Adventureboy]

You can turn traction control fully off by holding the button for about 10 seconds. This will disable 1PD and regen and force the truck to stop under physical brakes only. The advantage is you don't have to stop aggressively to get to physical brakes. I do this for a few good stops every few weeks or after a rain to clean up the rotors. Warning: It turns TCS off, so be gentle on the accelerator, especially around corners. 600 horsies with no bridle.

 

[bryce]

I have rust that forms on the rotors of my Porsche Boxster when it sits for a while (which it does a lot more since I purchased the Lightning). Some good hard stops takes it off quickly. Doing the same with the truck should have the same effect. With our without one-pedal-driving, some hard stops should do the trick. Just make sure you don't have anything loose in the bed while doing this.

 

[RickLightning]

To be clear, shifting to N does not require "hard stops".

 

[SunPowered]

First became aware of this potential problem last year, thanks to this YouTuber:

.

His explanation begins around 2:10 in.

Am in agreement with prior commenters about encouraging the brakes to work old-school/ friction (as they were designed for) to knock the rust off. Both as prevention and probably as the cure. (My instinct is to start gently and then ramp up through repetition until the rear brakes are involved and clean. But that's just me.)

Sponsored