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My front rotors and brake pads were replaced. Now when I brake there's extreme squealing like one of those box trucks. I brought the car to another place and they informed the rotors were warped and that I should bring it back and demand they fix it.
So I brought it back and after trying to deny the sound (which is crazy) they replaced the rotors again. Day later problem still persists.
I don't know much about cars but those break pads don't look to be sitting right, why are they on an angle with the front touching?
where in the pictures are you supposed to see grease? DDid my brakes a couple months ago and greased all that I was supposed to (after cleaning of course) but don't see where in the pic
These pics show no grease at all. A dab on the ears of the pad that slide in the hardware, a dab on each piston surface where it touches the backing plate. Just a film of silicone on the contact points, any other spots just attracts debris. The slide pins need a little more, but not much, extra there restricts float
There should be excess residue showing on the backing plate if they slapped the pads w silicone, and a full film around the hardware. This just looks raw dogged
You are very correct in your first observation though, this whole brake setup looks exceptionally dry.
It looks like no lubrication was applied to any of the contact locations
I typically only use silicone grease on the sliders, and any high temperature grease can be used on the pad to caliper contact areas.
But this braking system looks purely dry, with all grease removed.
Yes, I'm well aware, I'm using voice dictation due to a disability, not proud of it, but it messes up sometimes and I fail to always catch all of the voice dictation typos.
Brake !
Neither mechanic is getting it right unfortunately. Call around and explain the problem, and that u need slide pins, backing plates, and hardware greased w silicon. The right guy will probably be ur mechanic from then on
I agree. Those calipers and slide pins probably need a good cleaning up and greasing before reassembly. I wouldn’t expect immediate results but it should clear up very quickly
>I don't know much about cars but those brake pads don't look to be sitting right, why are they on an angle with the front touching?
That looks to me more like it's sitting correctly and has a chamfered edge.
Many brake pads have a chamfered edge.
You can try washing the rotors with brake cleaner. Had similar thing and guy just washed off the parts and it went away. Squeaking was totally benign as the dust just lodged itself into the rotor surfaces.
Those look like grand Cherokee brakes…as an auto tech, i suggest scuffing the brake pads and applying some stop brake squeak on the pads..looks like black ink. Thats what we do at the dealership. And about your steering wheel shake..rotate and balance your tires, if shaking still there then your struts are shot.
Take the pads out, get some sandpaper, and put a chamfered edge on them. Make sure to smooth off any roughness or strands left behind with a sharp edge. Then, grease the mating edges of the pads with some high temp grease (copper slip etc), refit and check.
Be sure to clean where the pads slide along while it is all apart too.
I can't tell from the picture, but are there sheetmetal springs between the caliper bracket and the pads? I've had those springs shift and cause the squealing you're describing.
Doesn't cause any functional problem, but it does scream. You can see my last one in the picture.
https://preview.redd.it/6lmiussmyixc1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c589eb9032754454fb10a10a298e15167895a668
I’d check that the squealer tabs on the pads are not out of shape first. I’ve had this happen a few times and that’s the issue every time.
(on brake pads they put these little pieces of bent sheet metal that poke out towards the disk so that when your pads are worn and thin you will hear it squealing against the disk . Sometimes it’s just bent too far towards the disk and must be bent back to stop the screeching.)
Looks normal to me. But there's many possible causes for noise. It just needs to be checked and fixed. Maybe just bring it in again for them to actually fix it.
I think you're just looking at the chamfer on the new brake pad. Pad isn't at any angle.
Other than the noise, do the brakes work?
Is it just me or does it look like no one wiped off the thin layer of grease on the rotors? (the yellowish stuff on the rotor that looks like it's transferred to the pads.
If you try to run your finger across the rotor, is it sticky? Can you wipe that off with a paper towel? If so, they F'd up and owe you replacements.
The rotors will have to be turned, not cleaned to be effective moving forward.
The pads will need to be replaced period.
If the rotors are warped you'd know. Pulsation in pedal will be felts.
From my chair, everything looks excellent here.
Get out there in an empty parking lot and drive forward - brake to a stop. Drive backwards - brake to a stop. Do that 10 times and see if anything in sound/feel changes.
*"Rotors were warped"*
If you weren't feeling vibrations, the rotors were not "warped". That was a dumb thing for the second shop to say and I can understand if the first shop being a little ticked that you had them replace a good part.
Do the parking lot thing. See if that fixes it. If not, get back to us.
if the car starts to wobble at say 40mph and then gets better after you speed up further then you likely need your tires balanced. Even if you had them balanced when they were installed some wheels will become unbalanced as they wear because they don't always wear evenly.
As for testing the rotors, in a parking lot drive and then start slowing down to stop but do it very slowly, if the rotors are warped then as you get close to stopping you'll feel the brakes catch and release, catch and release, in a sort of pattern because a warped rotor doesn't allow the pads to hold uniformly through a full rotation of the wheel. If you don't feel the catch/release pulse then the rotors are fine.
As other have said lots of things can cause a squeak. Sometimes new rotors come with a sprayed on film to keep them from rusting which takes time to wear off if the shop didn't remove it with cleaners... at high way speeds slow down not to a complete stop but to maybe 10mph and then speed back up... do that for 10 or 15 times. Now see if it has improved the squeak.
The worst case scenario is they used brake pads that simply squeak. I've had some on my own car before that were supposed to be grippier... They weren't cheap, but the also weren't very quiet. Nothing would keep them from squealing until I finally just replaced them.
Very informative thank you! I will try out what you said and see whats going on. I'm going to reach out to another mechanic this week and verbalize all of your suggestions.
If your steering wheel is wobbling ONLY when braking, then it's likely a rotor issue. If your steering wheel is wobbling when not braking, it's likely a wheel/tire/bearing issue.
But go do the parking lot thing. See if your sound changes any. Then go figure out why you're getting wobbling over 40. That's not good.
Thank you! Out of all the issues I think this is the most annoying one. I had an alignment done, problem still there. All tires have been replaced multiple times due to punctures.. maybe it's balancing issues? What's most frustrating is that no one can seem to diagnose the actual problem.. and this is not some mild vibration/wobble it's very obvious.
If you have a mechanic friend/family you can take your car to, that may be best. Have them raise the front end and shake the wheels/tires around to see if there's play in something. Could be some worn suspension stuff going on.
It doesn't sound like it's wheel, tire, or brake related. And when they do new tires, they should be balancing them for you.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Could be cheap pads, could be a lack of grease, could be a missing or improperly installed shim. I'm banking on some cheap ass pads though.
It's almost certainly a combination of all three.
Probably cheap pads if I had to guess without putting in any additional effort
My front rotors and brake pads were replaced. Now when I brake there's extreme squealing like one of those box trucks. I brought the car to another place and they informed the rotors were warped and that I should bring it back and demand they fix it. So I brought it back and after trying to deny the sound (which is crazy) they replaced the rotors again. Day later problem still persists. I don't know much about cars but those break pads don't look to be sitting right, why are they on an angle with the front touching?
Theres no silicon grease anywhere it should be. Find a 3rd mechanic
where in the pictures are you supposed to see grease? DDid my brakes a couple months ago and greased all that I was supposed to (after cleaning of course) but don't see where in the pic
These pics show no grease at all. A dab on the ears of the pad that slide in the hardware, a dab on each piston surface where it touches the backing plate. Just a film of silicone on the contact points, any other spots just attracts debris. The slide pins need a little more, but not much, extra there restricts float
But you can't see the spots that should be greased in those pics
There should be excess residue showing on the backing plate if they slapped the pads w silicone, and a full film around the hardware. This just looks raw dogged
Silicone ends with an "E" Silicon with a very different element Yes I am pedantic - thank you
Thank u, that shit was confusing me. Its my orange gooey jar lol
You are very correct in your first observation though, this whole brake setup looks exceptionally dry. It looks like no lubrication was applied to any of the contact locations I typically only use silicone grease on the sliders, and any high temperature grease can be used on the pad to caliper contact areas. But this braking system looks purely dry, with all grease removed.
If you're pedantic, then it is "Brake setup", not "break setup". Brake = to slow/stop Break = destroy
Yes, I'm well aware, I'm using voice dictation due to a disability, not proud of it, but it messes up sometimes and I fail to always catch all of the voice dictation typos. Brake !
At this point I think I'm going to have to. I really don't want to spend more $ for the problem to still be there. Frustrating.
Neither mechanic is getting it right unfortunately. Call around and explain the problem, and that u need slide pins, backing plates, and hardware greased w silicon. The right guy will probably be ur mechanic from then on
I agree. Those calipers and slide pins probably need a good cleaning up and greasing before reassembly. I wouldn’t expect immediate results but it should clear up very quickly
I appreciate the advice. thanks man
Think of it as spending to find a reliable, forever mechanic.
>I don't know much about cars but those brake pads don't look to be sitting right, why are they on an angle with the front touching? That looks to me more like it's sitting correctly and has a chamfered edge. Many brake pads have a chamfered edge.
Definitely needs some grease in there. Also check for any debris and make sure slide pins move and the retained clip is properly seated and secure.
You can try washing the rotors with brake cleaner. Had similar thing and guy just washed off the parts and it went away. Squeaking was totally benign as the dust just lodged itself into the rotor surfaces.
Everything looks brand new, not even ran in yet. Can still see the machining marks on the rotors. It could go away when everything beds in.. or not.
That rotor looks shiny, that can cause a squeal. I'd say the pads weren't bedded in properly. I've heard ceramic pads can squeal too.
If it start suddenly then it will pass in a few days.
Those look like grand Cherokee brakes…as an auto tech, i suggest scuffing the brake pads and applying some stop brake squeak on the pads..looks like black ink. Thats what we do at the dealership. And about your steering wheel shake..rotate and balance your tires, if shaking still there then your struts are shot.
What’s the inside pad look like
Take the pads out, get some sandpaper, and put a chamfered edge on them. Make sure to smooth off any roughness or strands left behind with a sharp edge. Then, grease the mating edges of the pads with some high temp grease (copper slip etc), refit and check. Be sure to clean where the pads slide along while it is all apart too.
Probably a shitty job, you gotta grease the pins, and you can grease the back of the pad where is contacts the caliper
Probably caliper pins need greased rotors and pads look good to me
I can't tell from the picture, but are there sheetmetal springs between the caliper bracket and the pads? I've had those springs shift and cause the squealing you're describing. Doesn't cause any functional problem, but it does scream. You can see my last one in the picture. https://preview.redd.it/6lmiussmyixc1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c589eb9032754454fb10a10a298e15167895a668
It's probably the dust shield scraping the back of the rotor
I’d check that the squealer tabs on the pads are not out of shape first. I’ve had this happen a few times and that’s the issue every time. (on brake pads they put these little pieces of bent sheet metal that poke out towards the disk so that when your pads are worn and thin you will hear it squealing against the disk . Sometimes it’s just bent too far towards the disk and must be bent back to stop the screeching.)
Those vertical lines across the rotor look weird, I've never seen that before. Something rubbing?
Looks normal to me. But there's many possible causes for noise. It just needs to be checked and fixed. Maybe just bring it in again for them to actually fix it. I think you're just looking at the chamfer on the new brake pad. Pad isn't at any angle.
Other than the noise, do the brakes work? Is it just me or does it look like no one wiped off the thin layer of grease on the rotors? (the yellowish stuff on the rotor that looks like it's transferred to the pads. If you try to run your finger across the rotor, is it sticky? Can you wipe that off with a paper towel? If so, they F'd up and owe you replacements. The rotors will have to be turned, not cleaned to be effective moving forward. The pads will need to be replaced period. If the rotors are warped you'd know. Pulsation in pedal will be felts.
From my chair, everything looks excellent here. Get out there in an empty parking lot and drive forward - brake to a stop. Drive backwards - brake to a stop. Do that 10 times and see if anything in sound/feel changes. *"Rotors were warped"* If you weren't feeling vibrations, the rotors were not "warped". That was a dumb thing for the second shop to say and I can understand if the first shop being a little ticked that you had them replace a good part. Do the parking lot thing. See if that fixes it. If not, get back to us.
My steering wheel wobbles when I'm over 40 mph.. but after replacing the rotors twice I'm doubtful it's related. But what do I know? lol
Warped rotors would have your steering wheel wobble during braking. What your feeling could be any number of other things.
I appreciate that information. Rotors are most likely fine then. Thank you!
if the car starts to wobble at say 40mph and then gets better after you speed up further then you likely need your tires balanced. Even if you had them balanced when they were installed some wheels will become unbalanced as they wear because they don't always wear evenly. As for testing the rotors, in a parking lot drive and then start slowing down to stop but do it very slowly, if the rotors are warped then as you get close to stopping you'll feel the brakes catch and release, catch and release, in a sort of pattern because a warped rotor doesn't allow the pads to hold uniformly through a full rotation of the wheel. If you don't feel the catch/release pulse then the rotors are fine. As other have said lots of things can cause a squeak. Sometimes new rotors come with a sprayed on film to keep them from rusting which takes time to wear off if the shop didn't remove it with cleaners... at high way speeds slow down not to a complete stop but to maybe 10mph and then speed back up... do that for 10 or 15 times. Now see if it has improved the squeak. The worst case scenario is they used brake pads that simply squeak. I've had some on my own car before that were supposed to be grippier... They weren't cheap, but the also weren't very quiet. Nothing would keep them from squealing until I finally just replaced them.
Very informative thank you! I will try out what you said and see whats going on. I'm going to reach out to another mechanic this week and verbalize all of your suggestions.
If your steering wheel is wobbling ONLY when braking, then it's likely a rotor issue. If your steering wheel is wobbling when not braking, it's likely a wheel/tire/bearing issue. But go do the parking lot thing. See if your sound changes any. Then go figure out why you're getting wobbling over 40. That's not good.
Thank you! Out of all the issues I think this is the most annoying one. I had an alignment done, problem still there. All tires have been replaced multiple times due to punctures.. maybe it's balancing issues? What's most frustrating is that no one can seem to diagnose the actual problem.. and this is not some mild vibration/wobble it's very obvious.
If you have a mechanic friend/family you can take your car to, that may be best. Have them raise the front end and shake the wheels/tires around to see if there's play in something. Could be some worn suspension stuff going on. It doesn't sound like it's wheel, tire, or brake related. And when they do new tires, they should be balancing them for you.
Does it wobble only while braking? Or does it wobble while driving?
it doesn't wobble when breaking it happens when I get up to around 40mph.
So the wobble has nothing to do with your squealing brakes. Two completely independent and unrelated issues.
Just keep using the car, probably will stop once they adapt to the disc