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That depends. In general, brake rotors should be re-surfaced when you replace the pads. As brakes wear down, the surface of the rotor will become worn as well, and will not be even. Re-surfacing restores the rotor surface to a smooth, flat, uniform finish - which is a nice match for the new, flat brake pads. However, re-surfacing removes metal (it essentially removes all of the high spots until the whole surface is even with the lowest spot previously found). This will result in the brake rotor being thinner than when the car was new. All brake rotors have a specification for minimum thickness. If resurfacing the rotor causes it to be less than this minimum specification then it cannot be used on the car (at least by a reputable shop). So, if re-surfacing results in the rotors being too thin, they need to be replaced. In order to save the cost of re-surfacing first, a good mechanic should be able to tell you before s/he re-surfaces the rotor if it will pass the thickness specification after the re-surfacing. If not, then it will need to be replaced. Most rotors today can be resurfaced at least a couple of times before getting too thin. The exact specfication for your rotor will depend on the year and exact model of the car. Of course, you can always opt for neither. If you leave the rotor alone the brakes will be somewhat grabby, and will not be quite as effective since the braking surface is not optimal, but it's always an option.

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Q: Should you replace rotors at the same time as the brake pads?
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