QuestionQUESTION: my rear pasenger brake is squeaking when i brake and the pad is really worn down but i only put a new pad on 2 weeks ago, this is the second time a new pad has worn down within 2 weeks and twice it has been the same brake. do you have any thoughts on wat the problem could be and what could be done to fix it?
ANSWER: Hi Craig
Without knowing the make and model of your car, I cannot give you specific advice about your problem. I presume you have a car with rear disc brakes because you refer to pads. Is it an MGF? If so, how did you retract the pistons when you fitted new pads?
When you took the old pads out, was one old pad worn down much more than the rest, or were the other 3 quite thin as well? This could give me a clue to the problem.
If both the new pads are wearing down quickly on the same side, then either the handbrake cable mechanism has seized on that side, or the piston in the calliper has stuck open, or it was not fully retracted properly. In this case both pads will be constantly rubbing against the disc. You may need to replace the handbrake cable, or the entire calliper.
If just one pad is now wearing down quickly, then this sounds like a sliding calliper that has stuck. As you drive along, one pad is constantly rubbing against the disc and wearing very quickly. The squeal that you can hear is the pad wearing down and getting very hot. You just need to free the calliper, and remove any wear ridge that may have been created when it got stuck.
Feel free to come back to me.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: i have an mgtf , i took the car to a garage to get a new pad and disk fitted on my rear passenger brake, and a week later i took the car back to get a squeal shim fitted to the bottom of my caliper,i had a look at the brake again this morning in the day light, the pad seems to be fine after all but there was definitely squeaking noises coming from the back of my car whenever i brake, any ideas?
ANSWER: Hi Craig
If you had this done a week ago, took it back, and it still squeals, you really should take it back again to the garage and tell them to fix it.
Ask them to go out with you in the car, and demonstrate to them exactly what you are complaining about.
In cases like this, I would not expect them to make a charge unless there was another problem that they missed the previous time. Even then, they should not charge in full, because they should have spotted it the first time, and certainly the second time.
Just a thought - does it only happen on corners? Could be the hub bearings need adjusting. This could have been masked by the calliper problem, but should have been spotted with a road test after they did the work.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: not really corners, it only makes a slight squeak when i gently press the brakes to slow down and when i press the brake harder the squeaking goes away,the wheel where the squeaking is coming from is very dirty where as the rest are clean, if that helps?
AnswerA slight squeak when gently pressing is not uncommon and very difficult to fix. They could try putting a little Coppa-Slip on the back of the pads. Also, it depends on the make of pad used. I would stick to well-known brands such as Ferodo, Mintex or Green Stuff. Some brands do squeal, and this has been made worse in recent years, ever since the use of asbestos was banned.
Also, the new discs and pads need to bed-in, so you could just wait and see if it goes away.
There shouldn't be more brake dust on one side compared with the other. Is it left over from the sticking pads? It needs cleaning off thoroughly and then keep an eye on it to see if it comes back.
