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  • procainestart

    April 6, 2010 12:49 p.m. procainestart Dork

    My friend's got a car that sometimes sits for months at a time in the moist Pacific NW. The braking is lousy for the first few miles. Is there anything quick/easy to be done during storage to keep rust at bay so he can get that minty-fresh braking feeling right away, or is there really little more to be done than a little left-foot braking early on to machine off the rust?

  • turboswede

    April 6, 2010 12:54 p.m. turboswede SuperDork

    Um, drive the car more often?

    I think you can buy rotors that are coated to help prevent rust, etc. but I would think that during use the coating would wear off and you'd be back to rusty rotors again.

  • m4ff3w

    April 6, 2010 1:26 p.m. m4ff3w SuperDork

    Cosmoline should keep the rust away. But it might not help with the brakes being lousy for the first few (define few?) miles.

  • cwh

    April 6, 2010 1:34 p.m. cwh SuperDork

    Stainless steel rotors? Are they available? Sounds like an idea.

  • mad_machine

    April 6, 2010 2:44 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

    it's just a fact of life... maybe drive around the block dragging the brakes? I would definatly NOT leave the handbrake on while the car is sitting. leave it in gear, chock the wheels, or something.. but you do not want the pads to weld them selves to the rotor through rust

  • jamscal

    April 6, 2010 3:17 p.m. jamscal Dork

    Bag the wheels and put a bunch of those dessicant pkgs in there???

  • patgizz

    April 6, 2010 3:17 p.m. patgizz SuperDork

    mad_machine wrote:

    it's just a fact of life... maybe drive around the block dragging the brakes?

    did that with the belair yesterday. it sat all winter in the driveway because it's garage spot was taken by project van.

  • Jensenman

    April 6, 2010 3:21 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

    Rusty rotors are a fact of life, unfortunately. It's worse in seaside areas; you should hear some of the Mercedes that sit at beach houses for 6 months down here.

  • April 6, 2010 3:43 p.m. skruffy Dork

    You could spray them down with light machine oil to stop the rust, but that would completely defeat the purpose of having them work well when you want to drive it.

  • Kia_racer

    April 6, 2010 4:20 p.m. Kia_racer Reader

    switch to carbonfiber brake rotors they don't rust.

    /thread

    Edit - fixed, sorry fingers can't spell some days.

  • njansenv

    April 6, 2010 5:34 p.m. njansenv Reader

    Kia_racer wrote:

    switch to carbonfiber break rotors they don't rust.

    /thread

    It's BRAKE.

    Dammit.

  • Appleseed

    April 6, 2010 6:53 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork

    Lunch brake.

  • wbjones

    April 6, 2010 7:07 p.m. wbjones HalfDork

    Appleseed wrote:

    Lunch brake.

    thank you... I needed a good belly laugh...

  • CarKid1989

    April 6, 2010 8:51 p.m. CarKid1989 HalfDork

    patgizz wrote:

    mad_machine wrote:

    it's just a fact of life... maybe drive around the block dragging the brakes?

    did that with the belair yesterday. it sat all winter in the driveway because it's garage spot was taken by project van.

    You could just called me up. i would have gladly driven your belair around

 
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