This isn't making any sense at all. Maybe you misunderstood what you were told.

The brake pad wear indicators are not set to scrape the rotors (giving the signal that pads are almost worn down and need to be replaced) when the pads are only worn down 50%. Typically the wear indicators don't scrape the rotors until the brake pads have only ~10% or so material remaining. Also, it is not normal that once the wear indicator starts scraping the rotor it happens only intermediately. The minor exception would be when it first starts barely contacting the rotor it may be intermediate for a day or so, or when the brakes totally cooled down and the metal retracts until they are used again.

Lastly, if the wear indicators truly are scraping the rotors now (which indicates the pads only have ~10% pad material remaining), it's unlikely that you have until the end of the year before you need new brake pads...unless of course you park the car or you do not drive the car much in the next 11½ months, or if most of your driving is on the Interstate where you don't use the brakes very much.

Yes the GS does have this shield. Some members here have reported that issue and just had to bend the dust shield back. Probably some rocks or road debris hits it enough to bend it towards the rotor.

50% is way too early for the wear indicator clip to contact the rotor. And changing pads do not necessarily require rotor replacement.

The squeal occurs intermittently when the position of the pad in relation to the disc changes, like when turning in a parking lot, or when applying the brakes. The wear indicator clip also wears down as well, hence squealing the loudest when the brakes are applied.

I'm with you on the fact that it doesn't make much sense but what more could I of possibly done? I even suggested they take a look at the dust shield to see if it may be bent or perhaps a rock may have been caught between the rotor and shield. They double checked it and showed me while the car was on the hoist for my peace of mind. There was literally nothing that looked out of the ordinary. I'm no expert but the dust shield seemed fine with no bends and nothing lodged between it and the rotors They showed me that the suspension was fine with no leaks on the struts and no play in any of the other components. At that point I was told if it continues to come back and they will check it again because as of now they can't even reproduce the sound. I even suggested that maybe it was related to the auto parking brake(as other people have had issues with that in the past and I use it all the time). That also seemed fine according to them.

I'm out of ideas and the noise has yet to be heard today so not really sure what to say to be honest.

Assuming you are't lowered or don't have way oversized tires (scraping the fenders or liners), it's hard to say what is causing the scraping sound you sometimes hear. I also presume it really is a scraping sound and not a clicking sound like the 2-piece front rotors will sometimes make. It appears the dealer checked everything and couldn't reproduce the sound you're hearing, so about all you can do keep an eye on it and take it back if it keeps making the sound. It's one of those things where you prefer that the sound is constant instead of intermediate, which makes troubleshooting the problem much easier.

I know it can be hard to do properly but try to record it.

Couldn't agree more i was hoping it would do it all day today so that the dealership could easily identify it. I know have to wait for this and my sunroof noise to become more prevalent looks like I am going to have a fun year

Thank you bclexus for always taking the time to respond to my posts I truly appreciate it.

Funny thing is I tried to but when I pulled out my phone and started recording yesterday it had already stopped doing it. Lets hope i am sucessful in my next attempt to record it. I hope its honeslty nothing.

Much thanks Cwang .

It now doesn't make any sound when turning left. It makes a much quieter scraping sound when turning right. I have a feeling something is wedged between the rotors(i.e. rocks) or perhaps rust buildup may be causing this. My logic is that one of the rocks that was stuck may have fallen out which is why I don't hear anything when turning left now also there was probably a rock causing the scraping noise when turning right too but its much quieter so it probably could not of been heard over the lound scraping sound when turning left.

I'm going to look at this over the weekend because logically I can't think of any other reason.

It's actually quite rare for a stone or pebble to become wedged between the brake rotor and brake pad, or between the brake rotor and the shield. If it does happen, it's either crushed or vibrates out quickly.

Man please help me out here cause i've done everything i possibly could. I can't even record it because its gone by the time i pull out my phone to record. I've even tried not using the auto brake to see if that may have been the issue with no difference. Do you think maybe the rust on the rotors could be a possibility? Honestly I think I had this issue a long time ago in the past but Lexus replaced my rotors and pads for free as I had just bought the car and complained about clunking, clicking and squealing. It was over 2 years ago so I can't distinctly remember. Getting pretty frustrated with this...

You need to replace your rotors (and pads while you are at it). I had the exact same issue this summer, and was horrified when i removed the rotors... about a pound of rusted junk came out. I had to beat the hell out of my rotors to get them off, as they were seized on. If you are doing them yourself, this is the way you want to do it. (do NOT try to hit it from behind... it's useless). Replace the pads and the anti squeal shims at the same time.

Also, the rear rotors have a tendency to rust on the INSIDE FACE ONLY on these cars. Make sure you check the INSIDE FACE of the rear rotors to see if they need to be replaced. Mine typically last 60,000km (40,000 miles). I've only used OEM.

I would be extremely happy if they lasted 60,000kms. It seems like you are on point but that's pretty disappointing because I only have 36,000kms on them and I don't drive like a maniac or anything like that (causing premature wear) but I guess the Canadian winters and all the salt on the road are to blame.

It's very likely your scraping noise problem is caused by rust buildup. You are in an area where the climate is favorable for steel to rust quickly and buildup heavily.

Better yet.. 3-3.5 years is what they have lasted me. Perhaps you drive less than me per annum.

They don't wear out... there is plenty of life left even on the ones i threw out. They rust out. Funny because on my tacoma's, the brakes last well over 100k (including rotors) and they don't rust like the Lexus brakes.