OT: Jetta break bads melting?

[PhilipJCaputo]

My girlfriend drives a 99 jetta (the new style), she recently had new back rotors and pads put on. (she didn't give me a chance to do the work which would have probably saved her money).

So I'm check'n out the new rotors and brakes and I smell that burning brake pad smell, check out the passenger side rotor, and through the wheel it almost looks like the pad has melted. Not totally melted, but just enough that the edges of the pad are not crisp sharp right angles, they are kind of like this mush looking spot.

I don't know what hte problem is, she is going to take it back to the place where the work was done, but it almost also looks like I saw some discoloration in the rotor. (also the rotor has groove looking lines in it (already), but there hasn't been any gouging in the rotor)

I'm wondering, can brake pads melt (I think there is a bad set of pads on there), lets say it was getting hot enough to melt any brake pad (saying that these brake pads are not defective), would that cause some damage to the rotor getting really hot like that?

[winfred]

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a66f741529e.htm

[PhilipJCaputo]

No... no over loading... and its just the brake pad on the pass. side of the car

I'm voting faulty brake pads...... (maybe a faulty caliper a close second)

[TC535i]

I'll post pics on Monday, but... I did a front brake job on the Kia today, rotors and pads... put everything back together, and it turns out for some reason (maybe the made-in-china-rotors, maybe something's damaged), the bottom of the pad backing is just GRINDING on the rotor hat. After a lap around the block, I pull back in, jack it up, and see what's happening. 10 minutes later (with the help of Senior Dremel), the backing plate isn't rubbing on the hat anymore. If the car cost me more than $1k, I might think about doing it "right", but... this works! :)