I have a 2002 LS430 with 28k miles. The brakes squeak and sometimes there is grinding noise from them after driving in stop and go traffic for a while. There is no brake warning lights. It has done it infrequently in the past but it is getting more frequently recenlty.

Has anyone experienced the same problem? It seems too early to have the pads worn out and the warning should have come on if they were.

Check the front pads. They could easily be shot at 28k with stop and go driving. Do it soon or you'll need to have the rotors turned. I could be wrong but I think the brake warning light is just for fluid level. There are a couple of little tabs on the brake pads that you can see through the caliper. These are the pad wear indicators.

George

I took the car in to the dealer yesterday for an inspection of the brakes. There was about 30% left on the front pads and 70% in the back. But the front rotors were glazed and slightly grooved and needed to be machined. The service rep told me that there is a service bulletin on the brakes and would replace the pads and machine the rotors if a customer complains about any noises. (I wonder if that meant there were some know defects).

Although the rep said that the bulletin was meant for newer LS430s and, with 28K miles, my car wouldn't qualify she comped the work on it anyway to make a customer happy. Now that is the service quality I would expect from Lexus and one of the reasons that I bought this car.

I'm glad it worked out for you. I think it wouldn't hurt to mention that dealer by name. Everone wants to know who the good guys are!

I am a little confused though about the diagnosis. Glazing normally hurts brake effectiveness but doesn't cause grinding noises. If the pads weren't shot, what caused the noise and grooved the rotors?

George

I took it to Jim Falk Lexus in Beverly Hills, where I purchase the car. I have tried Lexus of Santa Monica and their service is equivalent of a Ford dealership - poor.

The technician was not very specific with the exact cause of the grinding. I suspect the problem was with the pads. The noises actually started when it only had about 12K miles; but it was very infrequent then. The glazing definitely caused the brakes to squeak and fade somewhat when the rotors got hot and I think it also caused some "metabolic" changes in the pads that caused them to grind against the rotors.