# Brake Rotor Coating



## EPaterline (Mar 2, 1999)

Hi!
My son and I are replacing his front rotors and brake pads on a 99.5 Jetta MKIV. We have already done the rear brakes successfully so we have some sense of what we are doing. 
I purchased OEM rotors from the VW dealer the other day and was surprised to find that the front rotors cost twice as much as the rear rotors and that the brake surface was "painted" silver. I quickly handed the rotors back to the parts guy and told him i wanted the "shiny rotor that the brake pads grab". After a hearty laugh he told me that the rotors come coated to prevent rust and that we would have to take the coating off before we installed them.
I have tried to get the Fing coating off with brake cleaner (all directions warn never to use petroleum based products to clean brake parts so I used brake cleaner) - it didn't work. So then I used gasoline - that didn't work either. 
A. How the heck do you get the paint off?
B. Do you really need to get the paint off? Won't the brake pads take it off when you use the brakes?
Also, thanks to the mechanic who did the last rotor replacement the head on the set screw is snapped off. Since the brakes worked fine without the set screw can I leave well enough alone or do I have to drill it out? Aside from making things harder to align when you are putting the wheel bolts back on it doesn't seem to really do anything.
Thanks for the help!


----------



## GTijoejoe (Oct 6, 2001)

*Re: Brake Rotor Coating (EPaterline)*

The paint is some type of zinc or geomet coating, you don't have to take it off.... don't worry about it, the pad friction will do its job either way and soon enough the coating will be gone.
The retaining screw on the disk is only there to keep it seated for the wheel alignment, some vehicles don't even have retaining screws from the factory.


----------



## spitpilot (Feb 14, 2000)

*Re: Brake Rotor Coating (GTijoejoe)*

As long as you clean the rotor braking surfaces good with "BrakeCleen" to make sure there is no oil or greasey stuff on there, all will be fine. I've run rotors w/o set screws in the past...only PITA is gettin wheel on..helps if you have a "wheel installer" tool from ESC!...I always put a dab of antisieze on my set screws to prevent future issues! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## EPaterline (Mar 2, 1999)

*Re: Brake Rotor Coating (EPaterline)*

Thanks all. The VW dealership told me to grind it off. I sanded it off in a couple of minutes. I was affraid the coating might make the brakes squeel if I didn't clean it off. Used brake cleaner on the surfaces before installing. As you all predicted, no problem with set screws - just a bit of a challenge getting the wheel and rotor to line up. The front brakes and rotors were much easier to do than the rears.


----------

