regular maintenance checks for your car

You never want to spot rust on your vehicle. If you have spotted some rust on your rotors, here are three different ways you can tackle removing that rust from your rotors.

Although you should still be able to brake properly if there is rust on your rotors, it could prevent your brakes from working as effectively as they could. Additionally, rusty rotors will also shorten the lifespan of your rotors. You'll have to replace your rotors sooner if the rust wears them down.

Use An Aerosol Cleaner

You can pick up an aerosol cleaner made specifically for brakes from your local auto parts store or brake service provider. Aerosol brake cleaner is pretty simple to use.

All you have to do is spray it onto your rotors. You may have to get down on the ground in order to get in between your tires and effectively spray your rotors with the aerosol cleaner.

Most brake aerosol cleaners do not require that you do any scrubbing. All you will have to do after you spray your rotors is use a rag to wipe away the cleaner and the rust. With some aerosol brake cleaners, you don't even have to wipe away the cleaner. The cleaner is designed to quickly evaporate so you don't have to wipe it away. Be sure to read the instructions on any aerosol brake cleaner you purchase.

Scrub Your Rotors With An Abrasive Brush

If the aerosol cleaner did not remove all the rust from your rotors, try using a more abrasive brush to scrub the rust off of your rotors. You can use a steel wool pad to scrub off the rust. Or you can use a tough-wire bristle brush to scrub off the rust.

After have scrubbed off the rust, you may want to wipe away any remaining rust particles or just quickly spray your tires and rotors off with your garden hose to get rid of any remaining rust particles.

Liquid Rust Cleaning Agent

If your rotors are super rusty, you may need to go for a more aggressive solution. If your rotors are completely covered in rust, and have been for some time, there is still some hope for your rotors. However, you will have to put in a little more work to save them.

You'll have to jack up your vehicle and remove the rotors. Then, you'll want to fill a fix gallon bucket or a large tub up with some a strong liquid anti-rust cleaning agent and some water. Most strong cleaning agents need to be diluted with water; make sure you read the instructions on the back of any cleaning agents that you purchase.

You'll want to soak the rotors in this cleaning solution for a couple of hours. The cleaning solution should dissolve the rust; although you may still have to use an abrasive brush to scrub away the stubborn rust that just doesn't want to disappear.

After the rotors are cleaned, you will have to reattach them to your vehicle. This is the most extreme rust cleaning method, and one you should only have to use if you have let the rust sit and build-up for an extended period of time on your vehicle.

The best way to keep your rotors in good working order is to clean them as soon as you see any rust. If you attack the problem right away, it will only take you a few minutes to clean off the rust. However, if you let the rust sit and accumulate on your rotors for an extended period of time, it's going to take you a lot more effort to clean them up.