After getting new brake pads and new rotors should they squeak?

Question

My car is a 2001 Honda Accord EX and my brakes needed some work done, so I took it to Tire Kingdom on April 5th. They told me that I was going to need new brake pads and new rotors on all 4 sides. No problem. So I decided to get the work done along with an alignment.

After the work was all done, a week and a half later I started hearing a tiny squeak, every time I applied the brakes. I thought nothing of it. As the days went on the squeak started to get louder, so I knew there was a problem.

I talked to a couple of mechanics in the area to find out from their experience what could it be and they all said the same things. 1 the type of brake pads that I'm using on the rotors or 2 it might have some rust.

So I took it back to Tire Kingdom this morning at 7. This time I went back I was a bit aggravated because it should been taken cared of the first time around. As I watch the mechanic, I observe him take my rotors off and put them on this machine and I think it was the machine to resurface my rotors. Because of the equipment that was blocking me I could not see what it was doing, but the machine ran for about 15-20 minutes, then he did that with my other rotors.

When I asked the guy at the service desk to understand my previous bill for the last time I came "didn't I pay for new rotors?", he said I did. I then asked him "if they are new why would they need to be resurfaced its only been two weeks? Does this mean every two weeks I need to come in to get my brakes resurfaced?" He chuckled and said kind of annoyed "Listen they got rust on them the metallic from the manufacture need to come off, it happens"

Now is this something that occurs often?

Does it even happen with the manufacture and the whole metallic thing he was telling me?

My thing is I don't want to have paid for new rotors and actually have the same old rotors still on my car, but just resurfaced.

Is there a way to tell that I still have the old rotors on the car?

I feel like because I don't know much about cars and because I am young that this place could be taking advantage of me.

So the ultimate question is should new brake pads and new rotors squeak after getting put on a car?

Answer 1

New rotors come with a coating that is meant to prevent rust from forming on them while they are sitting on the shelf. It needs to be cleaned off with brake cleaner before they are installed. If they forgot to do that, your pads could be contaminated, and will never work quite right. Turning the rotors won't stop squealing.



But more often than that, the people doing the work neglect to replace the brake hardware. Some of these parts keep the pad from vibrating, which is the root cause of all brake squeal. The only problem with most so-called "cheap pads" is that they don't come with hardware, and would need to be acquired separately.



Your best bet at this point is to find a mechanic who knows what he's doing, and cares about his reputation. Ask your friends, relatives and neighbors if they know anyone they like. Usually an independent shop in an old gas station. You can tell they're good, when their parking lot is full of cars waiting to be worked on, so it may take a little while to get in.



Have them check to make sure that any anti-rattle clips and shims are properly installed, and not too old. The "blue goo" really shouldn't be needed if the job is done right, even with high metallic content pads. Ceramic pads are quieter, but if your car isn't designed for them, won't work very well.

Answer 2

Most auto tech can tell if the rotors are new by looking at the hub and outside edge of the rotor for amount of rust buildup, should be little or none for new rotors.

It is not common for new brakes to squeak, but it does happen. Bad pad material and slight rotor out of round will cause it. The squeak that you hear is actually a vibration much like you striking a tuning fork, and they sell compounds to put on the pads to stop the vibration.

If the shop gave you new parts and didn't mind correcting the problem, than please don't be upset with them. They didn't make the parts and they lost time because of it too, nobody wins with faulty parts.

Hope this help you understand and feel better.

ps. they recently sell ceramic brake pads to help with the squeak problem, and of course more money.

Answer 3

Sounds like you got ripped off. Don't go there again, the bastards! There is a product the can be applied to the back side of the brakes pads, between the pad and the brake caliper. This helps the pad seat better against the caliper and prevent squealing. However you may need a mechanic to do this for you if you can't do it yourself. Have a look at your rotors for rust and pitting. If they were new or resurfaced they should be clean and shiny.

Answer 4

You go to a cheap joint to have brake work done you get cheap brake pads. The more expensive pads won't make noise. Now that the idiots have machined your new rotors, the rotors are thinner and more likely to warp. I've had to completely redo cheap brake jobs at the dealer just weeks after the customer had the work done else where. You should have at least gone to a Midas or Car-X where they care about their reputation and don't feed the customer any BS like you're getting. Turn the radio up or get ear plugs!

Answer 5

I always apply anti-squeal compound to the back of the brake pads and they never squeak after installation. Without it the new brakes may squeak. CV joints will not squeak or make the brakes squeak.

Answer 6

they often squeak for a little while. They do sell some stuff at auto zone that you can put on the pads to prevent them from squeaking. Not sure how to tell if you have the old rotors or not. You should always ask(in advance) for the old parts when you have work like that done.

Answer 7

I agree with Timothy P.