Do I have to replace my brakes due to rust or it is not that bad?

Question

It was suggested to me to replace my brakes due to heavy dust asap. Could you please advise whether it is really needed or there might be another way to get rid of this rust. Thanks!

Answer 1

Rust on the brakes does not matter unless the car has been sitting motionless for a few decades - otherwise (and in this case) it is simply surface rust that will not effect braking performance at all.

Having said that, there does look to be a pretty sizable lip on the swept area of your rotor (the shiny bit, which is what the brake pads come in contact with). Generally speaking, rotors are only mean to wear ~2mm before being replaced (1mm on each side), and I'm thinking you're getting pretty close to that point (called the 'discard thickness'). If you have a set of digital/vernier calipers or micrometers, you can measure the thicnkess of the shiny part of the rotor, and compare that to the thickness of a new rotor (the number can usually can be found on the edge of the rotor and/or online). Additionally, along the top of the swept surface it looks like there are two steps, which would indicate that your brake pads may also be nearing the end of their life. If you could provide another picture of the brake pads, we could give you a better idea of how close they are to their end of life.

Brake rotors will generally outlast brake pads at a 2:1 ratio, so, from the pictures provided, I would recommend throwing all new rotors and pads at it and calling it a day.