Hey guys, I am going to chime in on this one too. I have been doing mechanical work for a long time. I have worked in a lot of different shops over the years, including Les Schwab, Sears, and Good Year. During the first 2 or 3 years in the trade, I probably overhauled more braking systems than your average "recreational mechanic" would in a lifetime.
My take on the question at hand is this; No it is not completely necessary to turn the rotors on every brake job, on my own cars I use my best judgement and sometimes that means just slapping a set of pads on and calling it good.
However, if you are doing it professionally, you have a high degree of liability to deal with. I never did a brake job in a reputable shop that I didn't at least turn the rotors, whether they needed it or not. Anything that couldn't be turned because it would then be too thin was tossed into the metal barrell.
My take on the question at hand is this; No it is not completely necessary to turn the rotors on every brake job, on my own cars I use my best judgement and sometimes that means just slapping a set of pads on and calling it good.
However, if you are doing it professionally, you have a high degree of liability to deal with. I never did a brake job in a reputable shop that I didn't at least turn the rotors, whether they needed it or not. Anything that couldn't be turned because it would then be too thin was tossed into the metal barrell.
