Squeaky brakes

07VTRex · 03-23-2009, 03:14 PM

Ok so heres the deal. About 3 months ago, 5000 miles tops, i replaced brake lines and pads on my07wrx. I used hawk HPS pads and i stainless steel brake lines, and re-used stock rotors. I will admit, i did #### out and i let the dealership install the parts. I know i know i regret not doing it myself, but whats done is done. The car now has just under 30,000 miles on it.

PROBLEM:

My brakes squeek and screech like hell at low speeds <20mph. It seems every time i am in a parking lot, or in a low speed environment my brakes make a terrible noise. It did not make any noise for about 2 months after the install... Now i do not think i could have possibly worn the pads down that fast. Also, the rotors looks fine from what i can tell and with only street driving and 30,000 miles i would expect them to still be solid. There is no squeeking at high speeds however, the brakes work fine and i do not ahve any problems stopping. So what could be causing this noise. It is getting worse on average, but it is VERY INCONSISTENT. SOmetimes it squeeks very loud and long, sometimes it is a quiet squeek, sometimes there is no squeek. Does anyone have any idea whats going on?

mosc · 03-23-2009, 03:35 PM

Did you turn the rotors when you replaced the pads?

VD5505 · 03-23-2009, 04:05 PM

When you are driving and start to come to a stop does you steering wheel shake at all? Do you do any driving on gravel roads or dusty roads? I found a pretty good website talking about brake noise and facts why certain pads squeak more than others and what not.

Silencing Brake Squeal

07VTRex · 03-23-2009, 08:24 PM

honestly i do not know if they turned the rotors. How can i tell? The dealership installed them...

Also i Do a LOT of driving on gravel raods, and sometimes dirt. How does this effect it?

jwtarbaj · 03-23-2009, 09:38 PM

I would expect if the dealer did the job they turned the rotors but there are no guarantees.

The gravel road is important because you could have a rock stuck in between the pads and rotor.

Did you follow the pad manufacturer's break-in procedure?

07VTRex · 03-24-2009, 03:42 PM

i did do my own brake in procedure that i considered a generic process. I did about 5-10 stops from 20 mph progressively harder and faster each time, also progressively increasing the speed to 35 mph. So yes i did my best to brake in the pads.

THere could be a rock in there because i drive on a lot of gravel. i will have to learn how to take them apart to check. It just confuses me because the noise is so inconsistent, sometimes there isnt any noise even.

mosc · 03-24-2009, 05:14 PM

Those are not the manufacturer's break-in recommendations btw.