raubt

Hey guys (can't believe I haven't posted here in over two years...),

I had my brakes done about a year ago by Midas and they've been squealing (a bit) ever since. I had them done in the fall of last year and I live in Canada so I assumed this was just an issue with the cold (since the stock brakes always squealed a bit at first in the cold as well) but the brakes have continued to do this all through the spring and summer here too, so I don't really get what's going on.

I took my car back to Midas after about 6 months (once spring hit and I knew it wasn't a temperature issue) and they completely took the brakes apart and inspected everything, did a road test, etc, but their tech couldn't replicate the problem for some reason (bad hearing?) and apparently nothing was visually wrong with the brakes so they couldn't help me out.

It seems to me that the squealing is becoming more and more apparent, no matter the weather or if I've applied them a few times (I know they can get rust on them overnight or after a wash or whatever) so I'm tempted to take them back for another inspection but I'm not too confident they'll find anything this time either.

So I'm wondering... Is there any "logical" reason this could be happening? Something I can suggest to the techs if I take it back?

I assumed they were OEM quality, but in hindsight probably not, so is it maybe just an issue of cheap brakes? If they're squealing already in nice weather I can just imagine what they're going to do when it's cold as ***** out in the winter, so I'd like to get this solved if I can.

whosniffedme

You could try fixing it yourself. My brakes squeaked pretty bad until a couple of days ago I did my own brake job and cleaned and lubed everything as well as swapping pads. There's a little metal piece that the pads slide into that is sometimes the cause of the problem, you can buy grease for it though that helps that out a lot.
This video might help you out on knowing what I'm talking about

Good luck!

Argonaut

Brake squeal can be caused by a variety of things. One very common cause is the pads just aren't up to the proper operating temp. For example, the pads I use on a race track squeal like an old dump truck on the street. This basically means you have the wrong pads for your usage and should switch to a pad especially designed to be quiet. Another issue could be either the pads or the rotors are glazed - turning the rotors or vigourously sanding them with some fine paper will remove any glazing. You can also sand the pads. Or, you can try doing several hard stops from high speed in a row and see if that clears it up. Some folks have success applying a special hi-temp grease on the backs of the pads that dampens the vibration that causes the noise. Another cause is the rotors are slightly warped or the surface is irregular - new rotors or turning them will cure this one.

So bottom line - the squeal can be caused by a variety of things but irregardless it shouldn't be affecting the performance. However annoying the noise might be the car should still be stopping just fine. If it isn't then there is a bigger issue going on.

07grabber4.0

The reason the tech cant hear it is because an owner can only hear their problems because they know their car better then anyone.. Im guessing. You should prolly check your brake pads and make sure they are on right. Also you should check the rotors and make sure there is no warp or rough surfaces on the outside of it. Do you know where the squealing is coming from exactly?

tchs22

I know as a tech one of the reasons for squealing brakes could be dry hardware. If they don't lube the brake hardware it will squeal eventually. If you decide to tackle this yourself, that is where I would start.

Does the car have vibration or hop when you step on brakes? Just trying to help out anyway I can.