[Tomko]

I recommend putting the exact same ACDelco ones back on that got you 100,000 miles to begin with.

No matter how much I have spent have I ever got a aftermarket brake rotor to last anywhere close to the OEM ones.

This has been my experience as well. But not for the faint-hearted.

The true factory rotors on my 9C1 Caprice were over $250 a pop back in the day. Also available from GM were service parts at about half that cost and AC Delco parts at even less. Talk about an eye watering brake job - but I didn't want to alter the 9C1 braking characteristics.

Another consideration for those living in coastal or salt belt regions is that the true factory rotors have the FNC treatment that the service parts or AC Delco parts do not have.

 

[Tomko]

Regarding price, I think if you buy "Genuine GM Parts" or "OEM GM" online or at a dealer it just cost more over the ACDelco because GM is marking them up. For the Cruze, the ACDelco rotors are not much more than aftermarket.

I'd say go for the ACDelco Professional grade. I believe the professional grade are the same thing as the OEM/GM stuff. Can someone correct me if I am wrong about that? ACDelco does make "Advantage" series too which is just their cheap line, I would avoid. The ACDelco Professional parts have a anti-rust coating on them too.

Thanks.

One of the many sad things that came out of the 2009 bankruptcy is that AC Delco was sold off. It exists today solely as a brand name applied to parts made by others, often in the Far East.

If you were to order the original factory OEM part and compare it to the AC Delco part, I think you'd notice differences in physical characteristics such as weight and performance characteristics like durability.

The true OEM parts that the vehicle left the factory with are the originals as designed and specified by the engineers who built your car. Every other part on the market is either a copy of that part - made to a price for which a worthwhile profit can be gained - or an +/- equivalent part already used somewhere else.

As you know from your children, while they may be equivalent: they are not the same.

Furthermore, while OEM parts only carry a one year warranty, aftermarket ones often carry lifetime warranties. So you have to ask yourself how the aftermarket is selling you a product at a lower price with a better warranty? The answer is that they must be producing a lower quality item.

 

[Tomko]

Was it worth buying the GM warranty? In other words, did you spend more on the warranty than you got in repairs, or would the repairs have cost more than the warranty? Just curious.

As far as brakes go, the Centric rotors are harder steel and have an electrocoating finish that looks great and should prevent some rust. No matter how great the OEM rotors were for you, these would probably be better, and the cost is similar. Check out Xtremerevolution's brake recommendations. There is some good info there.

I'm not sure how well known it is, but the stock OEM rotors on the CTD are the same ones that the Cadillac ATS leaves the factory with on the 2.5 engine model.