My brakes are beginning to squeak at 16,000 miles. It only happens when i slightly break. The brakes are still very responsive, so I don't THINK they're worn out yet. Its not a very loud squeak yet, but its is progressively getting more annoying. How can I fix this problem fellas?

 

my stock front brakes went at 17K. replaced with wagner ceramic, i'm now at 45K and they're still going strong.

although, i do also have a squeaking from either my brakes, suspension, wheel bearings, etc... right now which i haven't been able to diagnose yet.

check the pads. it may be the wear indicator scraping against the rotor, it also might be something else rubbing against the rotors.

there is also a tsb that just came out for rust forming on the stock rotors due to morning dew/condensation. does it only happen in the morning?

my squealing happens mainly at the end of the day.

 

Take a look at the pads. If they are down to the metal ribbons, then they need to be changed. Pads should last WAY more than 16,000 miles unless your braking habits are very hard on them.

 

it happens commonly on alot of toyotas.

they started using brake pads with tiny bits of metal pieces in it so that they will last longer, so if you sometimes get a squeal that is whats happening, the metal from the pad is touching the rotor, but its no big deal.


go to autozone or whatever auto store and ask them for some anti squeal, it comes in a blue bottle.. then follow the directions and you should be good.

 

my squeal happens during all times of the day. There isn't any rust on my rotors. My pads seem to be fine, they have a slight arc in them tho. I don't know if they're warped or something. I'll have to try some of that anti squeal stuff. Any other suggestions fellas?

 

have you ever taken your tC to a track and pulled the ebrake after you came off of it?

 

i have squealing too, and i'm on aftermarket pads and rotors up front.

warped pads could do it.

 

No, i don't track my car so i'm pretty sure thats not a problem. I also engine brake when i'm doing about 45mph+, so i dont think i'm abusing my breaks.

 

Take off the pads and inspect, if they are still good (As they should be.. I would expect 40k out of a set), sand them a tad with some semi-fine sandpaper. Make sure all shims are in place, etc. There are a couple of types of antisqueal. There are types that spray on the rotors that work fairly well, and there are some that are applied on the BACKS of the pads that work pretty well. Play in the braking components is one of the big causes of the brake noise. The slight vibrations created at the braking interface resonate between parts that have room to vibrate and move, making a loud squeal.

I replaced mine with Axxis Deluxe Plus pads at about 32k just to get some more aggressive pads. But the stocks still had plenty of life on them.

 

Your pads might be glazing a bit

 

Mine are squealing and I only have 7k miles on the car. I'm going to check out the anti squeal stuff, they really shouldn't be making noise this soon.

 

I have an odd squeal.. im at 48k miles.. it seems only on my front right. I'm tough on my breaks.. but they've never made noise until about 34k.. even then i don't think my pads were even worn that much.. brakes are still tight but it's getting to the point where i need new pads. However.. the squeal i'm hearing now isn't the typical pad one.. it's only when my wheels are turning.. typically when the wheel is either cranked left or right.. and generally only if im backing up.. but i hear it sometimes rolling forward. anyone know?

 

I started squealing since 23K now im at 27K and never had it checked it still has good braking, is this gonna be bad for the rotors?

 

the tc tells you when your brake pads are low. the parking brake light will start flashing when you move away from stop.

 

Engine braking isnt too good a Idea... more stress on the motor. It's better to just throw it in nuetral and actually brake. Brakes = much cheaper to repair than a motor... Just logic.

30000+ miles here and still on original brakes/pads, and I actually brake... not engine brake.

 

really?

thats the first time im hearing that

 

I don't trust the electronics if I can feel like something's wrong... and my tire pressure light never works correctly. and yes.. i reset it for 3 sec and drive on it

 

Almost all Toyota vehicles have this feature.

 

logic?

hah.

 

Lets clear up a few things:

The tC does NOT tell you when the pads are low, it tells you when the fluid is low. If the pads are worn down enough, this makes the fluid level in the resevoir drop, so if you take off suddenly and slosh it around it will make the light blink sometimes. But this is in no way a system for monitoring your brake pads. If you checked your brake fluid at some point and thought it was low and added some, then the light would not come on as the pads wore down. And by the way, if they arently leaking, then dont add fluid, since when you put new pads on the car it will end up all over the garage floor

Engine braking is not terrible for your car. I wouldnt do it primarilly to brake, and you dont want to use it to slow down quickly (like downshifting and just letting off the clutch), but everytime you coast you are engine braking.

Putting the car in neutral while braking is a TERRRIBLE idea. If anything happens (like some idiot flys out in front of you or runs a stop sign and is heading right into you) you have to push the clutch, put the car in gear and take off again to get out of thier way, which means you are going to get hit. If you are moving down the road, the car should always be in the proper gear for the speed you are rolling, if not, you have no control of the car. And before anyone asks, YES this has saved my ****... a few times. Even at a stop sign. I quickly dumped the clutch once and hit the gas to pull onto the shoulder at a stop sign, right as some moron on a cell phone blazed through at 50mph. If I had not had the car in gear, he would have driven his 1/2 ton chevy up the @$$ of the saturn sc1 I was driving...

Some brakes just squeak.. two pads of the same brand may act differently, that is the nature of modern brakes. Shims missing on the pads, play in the brake parts, poor rotor surface can all make them squeal, so it isnt always easy to get rid of.