Alfa Romeo Stelvio Forum banner

Why is it so hard to find replacement parts for the Stelvio...specifically rotors?

6K views 47 replies 19 participants last post by  ViscontiVerde 164L* 
#1 ·
Is it just me or is it becoming more and more difficult to order rotors for the Stelvio online? I've been at this for over 2 months now and it isn't like I haven't found any at all but for the most part, those are Ebay buys that I'm not too comfortable with, majority of the repudable sites (i.e. PartsGeek, RockAuto, etc.) are out of stock. What's going on?
 
#7 ·
Every car manufacturer is experiencing supply chain issues for one thing or another, it is the world we currently live in.

TopEuro is an American based company, shockingly, they provide their phone number on their main page (which I think it is a positive thing), you might want to give them a call and ask a few more questions about those rotors, get a feel for them. At these times, beggars can't be very picky choosers ;) ...and for the price, I would take my chances. Another way to approach it, for the price, I would order those and the better ones/OEMs, use them until the better/OEM rotors arrive, then replace them.
 
#9 ·
Smart money is buying parts well before they need them now.... Remember when TP was impossible to get because of hoarders? Now they are buying brake parts and oil besides the supply chain problems.

highly suggest getting brake parts before you need them. I am about a year away and placed an order. Never in my life have I considered buying parts for my personal car a year before I'll need them.

And yeah... All brands... Nothing special anymore about any of them really. Same suppliers, same parts.. different software and chassis with certain exceptions like everything.
 
#13 ·
Not always.
My Stelvio is brand new, but it occasionally has a brake squeal under light braking.

You would need to either inspect the brake pads yourself, or have a professional inspect your brake pads to see if they are the cause of the squeal.
There can be a variety of things that can cause brake pad squeal, and you really need to determine the actual cause.

Additionally, some brake pads are very aggressive materials, and will squeal no matter what you or your mechanic try to do to them.

If you wanted to stick your cellphone into your wheel to take a picture of your brake pads on both sides of your rotors and post them, we can give you our opinions on what you show us.
 
#17 ·
Brake pads use a friction rating that measures when cold and hot, then uses a letter grade to represent the rating. Most manufacturers use pads that are rated to be less aggressive when cold then when hot ie, EF rated pads, Alfa uses FF rated I think. A is least friction, Z would be the most...though Z rating doesn't exist I think G is about as high as it goes..probably an exception but in general....

Alfa specifies the same friction at both temperatures, which is more agressive then most cars and while it does stop better/faster, it has the side effect of being grabbier and causing more noise when cold... They also contribute to the rotors being worn away faster since more friction when cold wears away more metal then less friction. (Again though, it's why the car stops so quickly even with tiny rear brakes on the base)


Information below for those interested, there are variations besides the friction rating that could mean a more agressive rated pad actually has less tendency to make noise then a more agressive rated one, as pad compound, thickness, and other factors effect that aren't part of how the friction rating is computed, this is discussed some in the article, not much though.


 
#30 ·
There's nothing really special about Alfa's plugs. they are NGK (ngk ILZKR7G.) They are used in jeeps mostly so nothing special. Rock auto has them in stock and even amazon. They burn cooler and should last about 60k-80k miles. I don't know why the recommendation is 30k but I pulled mine and cleaned it up a bit then stuck it back in.
 
#25 ·
Yes, there's nothing wrong with those pads, and should not be changed.
I would pull the pads off, clean up any dirt buildup in the caliper and pads, and then apply some Silaramic Brake System Grease to the caliper to brake pad contact points.

That would most likely put an end to the random squeaks and squeals you are living with.
 
#26 ·
My tire/brake shop now has a cool machine that turns the rotors in the car. Stelvio Ti a good candidate for this if rotors need a touch up. Doing bang up business resurfacing expensive rotors, pop the pads and give them a quick clean-up or replace. Of course some rotors are too far gone and others due to construction or materials can’t be done but I just saw a late model big Merc getting the treatment. Leaving rotors on the car speeds up the job tremendously for the shop, and lowers the labor bill for customers. So the bill is basically labor and maybe pads.

FYI I am using OEM rotors and Porterfield R4S pads, no squealing, not too grabby, better than OEM performance, not tearing up rotors. It’s a good combo. I did see the “high end” heavy duty rotors and pads at Rock Auto a while back, am sure they would provide acceptable performance and might try that next time. The Stelvio 2.0 brakes are not exotic.
 
#28 ·
Yes, thanks for that important addition. As discussed in other threads, most low/mid mileage brakes that exhibit vibration are not warped or excessively worn, but have surface deposits that can be cleaned up to work with refinished or new pads. Of course driving hot brakes through deep water, excessive activation of stability control, riding the brakes, sand and gravel, corrosion due to weather exposure and manufacturing deficiencies can cause problems …as well as just smoking the brakes on a heavy vehicle.
 
#33 ·
Not to beat a dead horse but I think I joined less than a year ago and now you are on your 4th car. Mazda, rav4 and RDX. Did you really buy these or did you rent them? Just curious... now the xc40? How would you even get them? (not in stock anywhere near me and 6months wait) and the dealers.. Just as frequent as Alfa dealers... One last thing. Why are you still here to rag on Alfa? from your history of past 9months or so, I would say you have more to complain about rav4 and rdx. Is that happening in their forum?
 
#37 ·
-Yes, I buy them.
-Volvo is a true luxury brand. Even though the closest dealer is 90mi (half the distance to Alfa dealer for me), they will send a drive with a loaner car, pick mine up, and then drop it back later or the next day, so it takes very little time from my day, to deal with service.
-You probably wonder at the financial sense. So far I've made money doing this, AND enjoyed driving a different car every 6 to 8mo or so.
-Ive had no complaint with Acura aside fuel cost, which isn't about the car at all, as its performance is as advertised, with my current personal use at 24.3mpg lifetime.
-C40 is en route. ETA 2 to 3 weeks. I waited for a 2023YM or Id have it now.
-Rav forums are more commuter based and they are pretty happy. They dislike when you point out the massive fwd bias of the Prime. Acura forums complain of fit/finish type stuff a lot, and I agree, my RDX is rigid and 100% rattle free, but does have Tesla quality panel alignment inside and out. American cars. Hard pass from here on out. I came back and tried one (Acura), and not for me in that regard, but it really isnt a big bother, just an honest obsrrvance. I won't be keeping it long enough to opine on mechanical prowess as 10 to 12k miles Ill have by trade time isn't enough to form any stance. No car breaks that early unless its an assembly error or its a true POS.
Yes, thanks for that important addition. As discussed in other threads, most low/mid mileage brakes that exhibit vibration are not warped or excessively worn, but have surface deposits that can be cleaned up to work with refinished or new pads. Of course driving hot brakes through deep water, excessive activation of stability control, riding the brakes, sand and gravel, corrosion due to weather exposure and manufacturing deficiencies can cause problems …as well as just smoking the brakes on a heavy vehicle.
Overtorquing the rotors warped my 370z and other cars. If the dealer doesn't hand torque, this can happen. I cost Nissan NA some money and a service manager his job over it. And yes, he had it coming for lying to Nissan NA about specific advice to me to buy slotted race rotors. "I NEVER told the customer to use Non oem parts to fix this!".
 
#34 ·
To be fair ....

Before Alfa.... 6 months wasn't an uncommon length of ownership for me. I have been keeping cars longer since turning 40, but mostly because I gave up on finding something I enjoyed that was also practical.

So...the ownership patterns make sense to me.

Also, IMO.... Most real car enthusiast's buy cars because it seems good on a test drive and it gets rave reviews from journalists and fanboi's.....only to get bored with it within a few months and start looking at new ones. Only reason more people don't change cars more often is they can't afford it.. or they give up on actually finding one they enjoy.


Because....most cars, even performance models..... Are kinda lame. Too many substitute actual dynamics and road feel for 0-60 times and technology, which gets old pretty fast.

It still amazes me after 44,000 miles and 4 years.. I look forward to every time I start the engine in my Stelvio. Just because of how it feels when I drive it.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Exactly. I am looking for practical and fun. I had it in my RDX, but the fuel cost moved it outside of the practical envelope for me. I think it's stupid to pay what I pay monthly, when fuel is included, for a vehicle with limits as low as the RDX. Im paying circa 2020 Audi SQ5/MB GLC43 AMG monthly footprint. The c40 will bring me back into price v performance line, while also stabalizing my expenses long term and costing less to own than the rdx once insurance, note, services, and fuel are accounted. The c40 driving experience, I expect to be similar to an srt8. Loads of power, slightly numb handling, but well sorted suspension. Im good with that as I've owned v8 SUV before and can enjoy this. Saw a dyno for a Polestar 2 (same car) and it made 409awhp/485awtq. 4800# vehicle, but still respectable. Does the motortrend figure 8 in 26.3 and 0-60 in 4.2 and quarter in the 12s at 108ish and will cost me around $100mo to fuel. Service cost is avg $400/20k miles.

Dynamics and road feel are nice, but after a long shift sometimes I just want comfortable cruise home, little fun in the corners, and an absolute mallet off a redlight or from a roll. Probably my favorite vehicle has been my WK1 Jeep, minus the horrific low quality mechanicals. It was serene, nice, comfy, and hit pretty hard back in the day with the 357hp/389tq Hemi in a 4400# vehicle. 5 speed 545rfe held it back. The Volvo, Ive been told is similar to X5. We will see, but I bet I love it. Hell, Id have loved the Prime if it weren't for the horrific Fwd bias.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top