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Weird brake squeak

1.4K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  arlenok  
#1 ·
Hey guys, had to come here for this problem because neither I nor my mechanic know the answer to this problem.
Basically, my brakes started squeaking last month but the weird part is that the squeak goes away when pressure is applied. Now I did notice that the squeak becomes intermittent for a split second when going over bumps so it looks like something is loose? I need some advice because this is driving me nuts and I'm about to say $#%& it and buy new calipers...
 
#2 ·
On brakes that don't have a retraction spring (can't remember if that's the front or the back), the calipers rely on rotor runout to "push" them away from the rotor on release. It sounds like the very mild dragging is simply causing a vibration. (This isn't a B5 quirk; it's a common issue with disc brakes.)

The normal remedy for a situation like this would be to remove the pads, coat them with brake-quiet, lube up (or replace) the slider pins, and re-assemble.
 
#3 ·
I asked my mechanic to lube up the brakes the other day, all he did was put some lube between the calipers and the brake pads... I'll have him apply brake-quiet and do the slider pins and hopefully that'll be the end of it but for some reason I remain pessimistic about this. While searching the internet, I came across one guy that said that the anti-rattle clips might be broken?
 
#4 ·
I've had the squeeking problem when hitting bumps before (sounds like a bird chirping) and its always been due to the paint being worn away from the pad backing plate ends where they ride in the caliper carrier resulting in metal to metal contact. When no pressure is applied there's some play in the pads and the metal rubbing causes a chirp when jarred by bumps, etc. I agree, VERY annoying. The fix is simple, just apply hi-temp brake grease anywhere the pad backing plate edge contacts metal on the caliper carrier. I only remember having to do this once. I just replaced my original front pads and rotors at 95K, a 5M and highway commute means easy on the brakes! I applied brake grease on the new pads (and carrier) when installing them as a preventative measure, but chances are I probably won't still own it if that happens again down the line, anyway.
 
#5 ·
Honestly I think I'd be able to live with it at this point if it only squeaked when going over bumps (probably not actually, that would annoy the hell out of me) but my squeaking is CCCCCCONSTANTTTTTT and making me do this very often ->:banghead::mad::banghead: