I do brakes once a year or every 20k if I can. I always replace rotors. You can turn them if you want but I would not recommend changing only the pad. Either turn the rotor or just get new ones. It's an extra $160 well spent. I always get the Wagner E-coated Rotors and I would highly recommend Wagner OEX pads. I bleed all of the fluid too.

 

I have done many brakes jobs on a variety of cars & trucks for my family. I almost never replace the rotors and have had great luck doing it that way. As long as they don't have weird grooves worn in them, I leave them alone. If they have grooves I will replace. I also typically don't change them until about 50,000 mile intervals.

 

I was running the Bosch Quiet Cast because they had a 3 year warranty on the rotor but it was too soft even with ceramic pads and would groove out. The Wagner rotors have not been doing this. I know it's not necessary to change the rotors or to flush the fluid but I think the brakes of my JK get beat up quick with the amount of off road and city driving I do plus I got used to a crappy feeling with the pedal. Now that I have all the correct tools, the complete job is about 2.5 hours and the brakes feel brand new. Stopping power fully restored and then some, which in my opinion isnt an area I'm willing to have anything less than perfect. An entire brake job on my JK since I have lifetime free pads is just 4 rotors and one can of brake fluid. It's about $175 out the door brand new or about $50 out the door for turned rotors. An important thing to note is that now in 2020 many rotors can't be turned (re-surfaced) because the material is cheap. The Wagners can be. There is enough meat on them.

 

Glad you got them off. I have had to fight with those in the past myself. I can imagine up north it is worse. I am surprised you had drum brakes. I thought they were disk on all four wheels.

 

Our parking brakes are drum in hat style, sitting inside the rotor.