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I own a Toyota Soarer SC300 (1994), 2JZ motor non-turbo 3 litre engine. The engine is probably irrelevant, but provided for posterity. Anyway, the front rotors were machined and are within the legal limit and my rear rotors were replaced, as well as 4 sets of brand new Bendix brake pads.

This was all done about 3 months ago. I am not a heavy driver, nor am I a heavy braker either. However, recently, my brakes have started squealing really badly, a high pitched squeal which hurts your ears. It doesn't happen all of the time, surprisingly, just a lot of the time.

A friend told me that it could be brake dust or even dirt causing it as his does the same thing sometimes. Should I be concerned about this and what can I do about it? Surely my front rotors haven't worn down or brake pads worn away already.

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  • I would love to, but the money situation at the moment isn't permitting anything of the sort at present :( saving up for a house drains your pockets dry.
    – Dwayne Charrington
    Mar 9, 2011 at 4:22

6 Answers 6

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You're going to have to bed the brakes in properly. Be very careful.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm follow these instructions (at your own risk). A friend had a similar car as yours (IS300) and had the same problem. Once I bedded the rotors in, noise was minimized.

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  • Wow, I didn't know about the whole bedding thing. I'm guessing my mechanic forgot that (by the looks of it) important step to make your brakes last longer and function correctly.
    – Dwayne Charrington
    Mar 9, 2011 at 4:24
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It's probably that the pads need bedding in as NoCarrier says. However, my sister-in-law once had her brakes start squealing even though there was plenty of pad left, and the problem ended up being a small stone that got stuck between the pad backing plate and the rotor, in front of the edge of the pad.

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  • Ah, yes. I've heard stones can get wedged in there, and brake dust can build up causing it as well. Might not hurt to flush some degreaser onto my pads to clean out anything that might be on them.
    – Dwayne Charrington
    Mar 9, 2011 at 12:24
  • Just following up on this one even though I don't have the Soarer anymore. It was a case of there being a stone wedged in there causing the squealing.
    – Dwayne Charrington
    Jul 23, 2017 at 2:39
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You could try applying anti-seize lubricant to the backs of the brake pads. Also consider lubricating other places where the brake pad backing plate could rub against the caliper. Just make sure to keep it off the braking surfaces.

This has the side benefit of preventing the pads from rusting onto the caliper, making future maintenance easier.

I typically use this:

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/lubricants/specialty_lubricants/Permatex_Anti-Seize_Lubricant_a.htm

Someone already mentioned this in passing, but I thought it worth describing in more detail.

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  • Very good to know, I might get some and see if it makes a difference. I've set to clean out any dust or objects yet, but will try everything suggested. Thank you for answering.
    – Dwayne Charrington
    Mar 9, 2011 at 23:47
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I had this same thing happen with a 98 Ford Escort. I also tried all the anti-chatter/noise goo they sell at the parts stores. Nothing worked, until I replaced the pads with ceramics. Be warned though, that they may accelerate the wear of your rotors. For me this wasn't a deal breaker as the brake screech was intolerable.

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I had this happen in my 2003 Acura TL after getting cheap brakes at Midas. I believe it's because the pads were not the same material as it should have been, such as ceramic vs semi-metallic.

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Bedding is of course necessary but on our SLK350 it took both new pads concurrent with new rotors to solve the horrible screeching on the back. Rotors were good when new pads with greased backing plates were installed but the screeching was too much. Screeching persisted for over 15000 miles. Installed more new pads, this time with new rotors and no more dirty looks. IMHO the old rotor surface may have adapted to a certain kind of pad material and remained incompatible with new pads.

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