Hey Guys. My brakes are shot:

They were already pretty bad but now: When rolling 10-15 mph the brakes squeak loud. When i brake, the noise stops.

Whats wrong?
What needs to be replaced?
Is it drivable?
Good time to get shoes as well?
1000+ in repairs?


Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. This is the first time iv had problems w/ the brakes since i bought my baby lexus. =(

 

Sound like you need brake pads. Do them ASAP so you dont ruin your rotors.

 

get new brake pads and get your rotors resurfaced.

 

So the the squeaking sound goes away when you brake? If you hear a squealing sound while braking your brake pads are low. If you feel your steering wheel shaking while braking then your rotors need to be resurface/replaced. If you are replacing the brake pads at least resurface the rotors. The SC have disk brakes all around so there wouldn't be any shoes to replace. You said your brakes are shot so I would not drive it if you can't stop safely.

 

Hi Paperchase,

I had the same issues with my brakes. When I purchased the car, the seller told me they needed to be replaced. I waited awhile and it progressively began to make that noise. The technician told me that those were my my wear bars or something like that and it was just an audible warning that you need to get your brakes replaced. I got the pads replaced and it works perfectly now.

 

Yeah, sounds like it needs replacements... Mine are weird. They squeal like crazy when I break till they get warm.. then they are silent. Havent changed my brakes once yet so I dunno when they need to be replaced. I've put 20k on the car in the past 3.5 years with it.

 

as has been mentioned, the wear indicators are starting to touch the rotor... when you press the brake, its pressing against it so hard it doesn't squeal...

definitely do pads, and get the rotors turned... make sure you measure the rotors first and ensure they are thick enough to reuse...

edit: so long as this is all it is, the car is still drivable - the wear indicators indicate 10% or so life left... you definitely want to catch this before you damage the rotor however...

 

Why is everyone here recommending resurfacing? If the surface isn't deeply scored, just measure the disc to be sure it still has life left in it, and change the pads. There are only two reasons to resurface - if the rotor is scored deeply (but not beyond service limits) or if you are changing pad materials (and this is doubtful, you can do 90% of this with garnet paper and some elbow grease or a quick set of stops with Hawk Blues).

Resurfacing really does nothing but waste good metal in most cases. Brake surfaces don't need to be flat, and they won't stay flat in service. They only need to be free of damage that would eat through the pads quickly. Even then, it is very often cheaper to replace pads than it is to replace rotors. I'd take two sets of pads at $59.95 an axle (MSRP for almost all Lexus pads) over $135 for a new disc replacement just on principle.

 

Oh, the squeal doesn't stop only when I break hard. It squeals for like the first few times I have to stop and then it wont make a sound till the next time I take the car out after it has sat for a few hours. Maybe the previous owners had weird break pads on there? Or are they still needing replacement?

 

we've had this discussion many times on here... for optimum brake performance, you should resurface rotors... it's common knowledge... brake pads leave material on the rotor... for optimum braking performance, a new pad should have a new clean surface in which to deposit some of its material for the best stopping power...

I'll call tomorrow, but OE lexus pads for $60? that sounds extremely cheap...

I just replace discs every time on my own car, but in the brake industry, you won't find anyone that will "recommend" not turning a rotor...

 

unfortunately, the only way to tell will be to pull the wheels and inspect both inner and outer pads.. good idea to compare thicknesses from side to side as well

 

Yeah, I still haven't gotten around to checking it. I'll see if my dad can help me check it again. He said it was fine 3 years ago, even though it did the same squealing thing back then too. I think I'll spring for a nice set of brakes and rotors.

 

Umm. OK. But I've both experienced and read quite different information from braking experts. My experience comes from racing bikes and cars, and the brake experts tell you there is no reason to turn a rotor that isn't damaged. They also tell you turning is a mistake, and they should be centerless (Blanchard) ground.

So, you may call it common knowledge here, but it isn't in industry or racing.

 

If I had a weekend racer and went through a set of pads in a weekend, I would not turn rotors every weekend, I would simply pad slap it and call it a day... I would be staying with the exact replacement pad, things like brake squeal and such I wouldn't care about... For a daily driven car when things like quietness and replacement pads not exactly matching what was originally on there, not to mention the fact that many people are having pulsating brakes when they come to places for brake jobs and inspections... According to that article you linked, you should keep a spare set of hawk pads around and swap them in between pad changes? I work at a shop and thats way too much hassle for me to even suggest to myself or one of the other techs...

according to their theories, you should run those pads til the vibrations go away... what if they don't? I've seen rotors warped so bad - runout, yes, runout of the disc, so bad that they were at the limit of what they could be turned, I've also seen them so bad they couldn't be turned they were warped so bad...

I think your whole point was to save money in the long run, but I don't see it, especially if you have to pay someone else to do your brakes... keep in mind, not everyone knows what they are doing when it comes to mechanical work, so they must find someone they trust to do it cheap or free, or pay a shop to do the work... imagine paying double labor to change in some "abrasive pads" and then put in new pads... not to mention having to buy an extra set of pads... when all you really have to do is cut .020" off a rotor (assuming it's not warped), and you get the same thing, and most places should include rotor turning labor as part of the service...

wait!!!! I missed the part that says it only has a 75% success rate... whollly ****,so, after paying labor twice and for a set of pads that you only used for a day, theres still a 1 in 4 chance it might not work and the rotors would have to be turned! EEK! tell me what sense that whole situation makes...

I just did brakes on the wifes car... 98 maxima - brembo stock style vented rotors, Akebono pads, new anti squeal shims, rebuilt OEM calipers, and new front hoses... even paying full labor, I would have only spent $360... We don't get stuff that much cheaper than you can buy it on ebay or the internet somewhere, and $240 for everything brand new is just downright cheap... this also guarantees that this high mileage car isn't going to have any more brake issues for a long time... or I guess I coulda ordered a set of pads I'll never use again, some stock pads, and just thrown it on there... spent about the same after labor costs (if I would have had to pay them)

edit: I just want to reinforce that this is for a street car... NOT a race car... the criteria that people want for both is quite different...

 

i have this problem also. i just did what i think fixed it today. Mine was the rear left wheel. it would squeak around 40-50 mph and 10-15 mph. i just took the caliper off and depressed the piston all the way in, sprayed brake cleaner all over the system and cleaned all the gunk off. the pads had gunk all around them and where they meet the caliper. just take it all apart and clean it up very nicely. i also bleed the rears also. i got the braked pad (3/4 of it left) and scrubbed it on the ground to roughen it up. it looked shiny so i thought WTH. and took it for a 30 min drive and no squeak at all. the only noise i got was when i did brake the pads sounded like the were dirty and kinda sounds like a grind but more of a rought surface rubbing. no biggie. just the rough pad rubbing the rotor. it went away after about 20 min of driving. hopefully a cleaning was all it needed.