what causes brake squeaking?

By Admin Reading time: 8 min read Published on: 07 / 11 / 2022
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When the brake pads get worn out, you hear a weird sound which means, the brakes are squeaking. That worn-out sound can be caused due to a little bit of rust on the rotors. After a rainy day or night or sometimes due to the new pad set which has not been used. On the other hand, there can be serious problems like mechanical issues with the caliper. If after some brake application the squeaking sound goes away that means, not as the such problem was there. But, if the noise persists or worsens, your car is losing the braking which indicates that it needs to be checked by a mechanic. Mostly you’ll hear these weird noises out of the brake pads when you drive at a low speed. At lower speeds, the frequency of vibration is very high which allows the brake pads to come in contact with the rotor disk which is usually due to the dust or dirt and results in brakes squeaking. There are many reasons that cause brake squeaking and it is really very important to find that. Sometimes It is difficult to discover why the brakes are squeaking but also, if you’re not sure what the problem is, Don’t worry! We’re here to get you to know what might be going on with your braking system.

Reasons why the brakes of your car are squeaking?

  1. Dust between the pads and the rotors

A common reason for squeaking brakes can be the debris and dust on the surface of the pads and rotors. This happens when your car sits collecting dust for a long period or it can also happen due to the various driving conditions. As it is not a serious problem So, just by allowing the friction between the rotors and the pads, dust can be wiped off!

  1. Due to the overnight moisture

If on starting your car in the morning you hear some odd noise first, it is possible that the sound is completely normal! That is due to the humidity, snow, or rain overnight. When the moisture sets on the pads or rotors it results in this layers of rust all around which causes a grinding or squeaking sound when you apply the brake. To protect rotors from getting moisturized, park the car indoors.

  1. Braking styles

Repeatedly fast braking at high speed produces excessive heat that causes hard glaze on the surface of brake pads and due to this brake pads are no longer able to generate the friction that is needed to stop the vehicle. They might fracture or crack and at that time you need to get them replaced.

  1. Using cheaper brake pads and their higher metal content of it can also cause these horrible squeaking noises. The metal pieces of these brake pads come In the contact with rotors which make a high-pitched squealing sound.

What should you do when the car brakes are squeaking?

  1. Shims are something that ensures brake pads are secured tightly with the brake calipers which also use a layer of rubber to reduce the vibrations. By installing a pair of shims you can totally eliminate the vibration and weird noises.
  2. If your brake pads are new and squeaking weirdly, the easy and best solution is to grease the contact points. For that, you need to remove the brake pads first and then apply the grease at all the points, which includes any contact point at the brake caliper and the backside of the brake pad. While greasing make sure that the brake pad friction surface and the rotor surface should remain totally free of any oil and grease.

Now, you know all about the squeaky breaking! If your car brakes are also squeaking then you must know the solution to it – the one n only easy solution is greasing or performing a complete brake job.

Read more:

A guide to determining whether a used car needs new brakes.

Brakes - Drums Versus Discs

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