Dear Tom,
I own a 2006 Malibu LS. I recently had the front and rear rotors and pads replaced, as well as the rear calipers. About 750 miles later the brakes started squealing (very pronounced). The rotors cost $46-52 each; the pads cost $50 each; and the calipers were $79 each. I brought the car back to shop once, and they 'cleaned the brakes up.' Brakes were quiet for only two days, and started squealing again. Any solutions?
- Lincoln, NE
Answer:
Brake squeal is the result of a high-pitched vibration of the brake pads. Either the pad anti-rattle clips are worn, or were not re-installed, or the pad insulator shims were not re-installed at the time of the brake job. Get it back into the shop and have these checked. Once you stop the vibration, you stop the squeal!!
TomDear Tom,
I own a 2006 Malibu LS. I recently had the front and rear rotors and pads replaced, as well as the rear calipers. About 750 miles later the brakes started squealing (very pronounced). The rotors cost $46-52 each; the pads cost $50 each; and the calipers were $79 each. I brought the car back to shop once, and they 'cleaned the brakes up.' Brakes were quiet for only two days, and started squealing again. Any solutions?
- Lincoln, NE
Answer:
Brake squeal is the result of a high-pitched vibration of the brake pads. Either the pad anti-rattle clips are worn, or were not re-installed, or the pad insulator shims were not re-installed at the time of the brake job. Get it back into the shop and have these checked. Once you stop the vibration, you stop the squeal!!
Tom
With over 27 years in the automotive industry and nearly a decade in automotive talk radio, Tom Torbjornsen makes learning about cars easy with his personal manner, his expert advice, and his high energy and entertaining style. Tom has the unique gift of simplifying the complex and tearing down the technical, meeting you at your level of understanding. You will be encouraged as you gain the confidence to deal with problems related to the second most expensive purchase you will make in a lifetime - your automobile.
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Brake Squeal After New Brakes
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1. People get charged for brakes all the time and really do not need them. They are just afraid of letting them go to far and costing more to fix, so when they get a noise they want them fixed. they should always get a written estimate before having repairs done and check to see if they are getting an honest auto estimate.
Posted at 8:14PM on Sep 21st 2008 by scott
2. Tom, my name is David Murry, and I also am a certified mastertech,with responce to the people with the brake squeal I have found that most so called techs dont know a thing about cleaning the slides and all moving brake parts with a wirebrush. Then they need to lube all the necessary hardware such as the caliper slides and bolts.Everything must move freely and be clean and lubed,then the proper pads must be installed wich is more important then ever.A set of quality brake pads are costly and for good reason #1 proper stopping, #2 quietness, When custermers call in for a estimate for a brake job I never give it over the phone,I always have them bring the car in and we put it on the rack,pull the wheels then we try to educate the cust as why the brakes are worn and or why they make noise.Brakes have really changed the last couple of years with very little education to the consumer.We try to do this every chance we get. thank you for the time to liston to my comment. David Murry owner of Discount Auto Repair since - 1987
Posted at 9:30PM on Sep 30th 2008 by David Murry
3. Hi,
I have a 1997 Nissian Altima. I had the rear breaks replaced today. Pads only. the drums were not cut. When I got home I was smelling a burnt rubber smell. I drove some more and now I hear squeaking when moving from a stop. The smell seems to be gone.. Please let me know by email what you think the trouble is.
Regards,
Lou
Posted at 9:17PM on Oct 4th 2008 by Lou
4. Hi,
Discovered this site only today. My toyota Corolla DLX 90 (156,000 miles) was performing all fine, until one day going at a good speed, it suddenly jerked very badly (as if the brakes were pressed all the way down, and let go in an instant; Then the same process repeated until it came to a standstill). In seconds it stopped. Since then the engine runs absolutely fine (Quick startup etc) but can't move the car either ways. very high pressure on the throttle might even move the car just a teeny weeny bit. Mark that when the flat bed tow truck took it to my place, and I started engine again, the car moved as if nothing had ever happened. 150 ft later I touched the brakes while turning a little, and jerk and stop again.
An emergency mechanic (don't trust one word of what he said) said the problem was Brake booster and Brake pump. Got those replaced. No change in results. Any suggestions??
Regular maintenance has been done religiously including timing belt change, oil change etc. Should I invest any money into this car at all? What are the possibilities I could look at?
Thanks a lot for your suggestions...
Indi
Posted at 2:34AM on Oct 25th 2008 by Indiguns
5. Well,
Luckily for me it seems the transmission fluid and such stuff is ok. The rear brakes are jamming up, (one wheel or both). Basic analysis seemed to prove the point as well. When pushing the car from front to back, the front part lifts up, and the rear wheels seem to dig in (literally goes down a little). When you try and push the car from back to front, the car doesn't move at all
So, assuming a problem with left and right rear brakes, and figuring a replacement, it seems the brake shoes, drums, hardware kit etc should cost me under $150 (new). Labour for around 45 minutes should probably not be too much of a concern. So it seems like I can keep on driving my beloved...
:-)
Will update you as and when I can start the process. In the meanwhile thanks again for the prompt help and suggestion...
Indi
Posted at 11:29PM on Oct 25th 2008 by Indiguns
6. Brake squeal is the result of a high-pitched vibration of the brake pads. Either the pad anti-rattle clips are worn, or were not re-installed, or the pad insulator shims were not re-installed at the time of the brake job. Get it back into the shop and have these checked. Once you stop the vibration, you stop the squeal!!
http://www.autoglassguru.com/state-OK.html
Posted at 12:42PM on Nov 25th 2008 by jenero
7. People change the brakes as they are afraid of accidents, as this is one of the most important part in a car if this dosent work there is a sure change of accident.
Rose.
Posted at 3:33AM on Jan 28th 2009 by New Car Repair
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Posted at 8:39AM on Jan 20th 2009 by stuprs
9. very nice and informative post.
Posted at 8:06AM on Feb 18th 2009 by manisasad
10. David:
I could not agree with you more on your comments. Consumers don't have a clue as to what constitutes a high quality brake job. All you cite is necessary for a brake job that is quite, stops smoothly and safely. Keep up the great work! You are a credit to the repair industry!
Tom Torbjornsen
Posted at 5:12PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by Tom Torbjornsen
11. I have had issues with break squeal and I have also have had issues with mechanics trying to make a sale based off noise. Be careful when dealing with a new brake shop.
Windshield Replacement Arizona
Posted at 5:22PM on Mar 12th 2009 by WindshieldGuy
12. I generally get brake squeal after the Car Wash. I believe it is because of the dirt in the rotors.
http://www.windshieldreplacementphoenix.net
http://www.windshieldreplacentaz.com
http://www.Rvwindshieldreplacement.net
Posted at 5:25PM on Mar 12th 2009 by WindshieldGuy
13. I have a 2002 Nissan Altima. two weeks ago I had new struts installed in the front, the mechanic shop also told me I had to have a wheel alignment because of the struts. then I had new rotors and brake pads installed in the rear. they also told me I needed a brake flush. A few days later I took the car back because the brakes squeeled, The tech installed new brakes and rotors and two weeks lated the brakes are still squeling. should I take them in again?
Posted at 11:57AM on May 26th 2009 by Sharon
14. Brake squeel can also be caused by people "riding the brakes" a lot. I live in a mountainous area and I can see that a lot of people's brake lights are on for a long time going down hills. A good fix for this is to downshift the transmission to create some engine braking. I've been in back of some people were i can actually smell the brakes burning.
This seems to be a touchy subject with people who dont realize they do this or dont realize the ill effects and complain to the shop that there is somthing they are doing wrong.
Posted at 10:23AM on Jun 23rd 2009 by Rob Worman
15. Gentlemen,
There are a lot of comments here, but most honestly miss the true reason we have brake noise. Lube is very important, but surface finish of the rotor is essential to create a proper burnish of a new pad. During the initial burnish period, between 300 and 500 stops, the pad is heated and cooled and this up and down cures the friction material. If this takes place to quickly the pad get harder, so the longer, softer and less aggressive the burnish... the better the pads develop. It is true that noise is an in result of harmonic vibration (a condition called slip-stick), but it is also true that the softer the pad is (after the burnish) the less harmonic distortion it creates during application of pedal pressure.
Therefore, the way to reduce brake noise is to... 1. Cut a used rotor with round brake lathe bits to produce an ultra smooth finish. If measured, the Ra should be 30 to 35 at this point. Note that a new rotor is generally between 45 and 70, so just buying a new one with not give you the proper number.
2. Crosshatch the smooth surface with a tool called the Flexhone for Rotors to create a new Ra between 40 and 42. Anything rougher will be detrimental to the burnish, you must hit these numbers on every brake service.
3. Scrub the rotor clean with soap and water, to demagnetize it and flush off the metal particles still there from the cut or cross hatch.
4. To further reduce the tension on the surface during the burnish, apply the OE Approved Silencer Brake Conditioning Treatment to "soften" the mating surface and extend further the burnish period.
5. Apply a "real synthetic" based boundary lubricant, Ceramlub is the product endorsed and sold by Bendix. It is rated at 2800 degrees and has over 50% solids to support the pads during application.
6. Of most importance is the final break in procedure, it must be perform properly. You do need to make at least 30 slow downs, NOT stops. Just tap the pads and slow the vehicle from about 30 to about 5mph, then let off and re accelerate back to 30. Do this over an over again until your foot gets tired. The more you baby the pads for the next few days the longer the burnish and the better the pads develop (BEEP, D3EA, CofF and other tests have proven an extended burnish works).
You can get more info on this procedure at...
http://www.StopBrakeNoise.com
Hope this technical information helps explain the process a little.
Gary
Posted at 11:18PM on Aug 5th 2009 by gary
16. Hey, you might be having problems with your car. There is a website called eario.com. A new search engine that lists all the auto service centers, searching throughout service shops specialization,
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Posted at 10:15PM on Oct 18th 2009 by eArio
17. Hey, you might be having problems with your car. There is a website called eario.com. A new search engine that lists all the auto service centers, searching throughout service shops specialization,
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This will eliminate any unwanted information and create a small list of auto repair shops closest to you.
It’s free, easy to use and extremely effective. I would truly recommend it, hope this helps with your car problem. www.eArio.com
Posted at 10:15PM on Oct 18th 2009 by eArio
18. Hey, you might be having problems with your car. There is a website called eario.com. A new search engine that lists all the auto service centers, searching throughout service shops specialization,
and certification, to find the most relevant auto service station.
This will eliminate any unwanted information and create a small list of auto repair shops closest to you.
It’s free, easy to use and extremely effective. I would truly recommend it, hope this helps with your car problem. www.eArio.com
Posted at 10:28PM on Oct 18th 2009 by eArio
19. Hey, you might be having problems with your car.
There is a website called eario.com. A new search engine that lists all the auto service centers, searching throughout service shops specialization,
and certification, to find the most relevant auto service station.
This will eliminate any unwanted information and create a small list of auto repair shops closest to you.
It’s free, easy to use and extremely effective. I would truly recommend it, hope this helps with your car problem. www.eArio.com
Posted at 10:28PM on Oct 18th 2009 by eArio
20. Hey, you might be having problems with your car.
There is a website called eario.com. A new search engine that lists all the auto service centers, searching throughout service shops specialization,
and certification, to find the most relevant auto service station.
This will eliminate any unwanted information and create a small list of auto repair shops closest to you.
It’s free, easy to use and extremely effective. I would truly recommend it, hope this helps with your car problem. www.eArio.com
Posted at 10:29PM on Oct 18th 2009 by eArio