[warren126]

My 2600 mile old Fusion has an anoying brake squeal just before the car stops.
It's just the right front brake. Took it to the dealer and he said it was because of glazing of the rotor and pads, caused by the stop and go driving I do each day. He said they de-glazed the rotor and pads and problem solved. WRONG. Brakes squealed on the way out of dealers driveway.
It squeals worse now. I called the dealer and had to make another appointment for them to "look at it" again. I can just hear them telling me to deal with it . I have driven 6 other cars over the years, the same traffic, the same route, the same way,,, NO squeal ever. One of the cars was a 1984 Escort I just got rid of 7 months ago,,, and it still ran. NO SQUEALS on it ever.
Anyone else have this problem????


V6 SE   Titanium Green

 

[xcr440sp]

Is it worse on Humid days? Is it worse when the brakes are cold (first few stops of the day)? If so then yes it is normal. Unfortunately since Asbestos has gone away in brakes, manufacturers have gone to a metalic brake lining which has more squeeking, especially when its humid. I've found some pads are better than others for reducing noise (Wagner MX series seems pretty good), and many of the Ceramics advertise no noise, but I tried them on our Focus and they squeek worse than the factory pads.

 

[ito]

Stupid question for you....
Is it like a high pitched squeal, or more of a low pitched hum?

I had a low pitched hum on a Lincoln Mark VII, and was told it was due to slight rotor warp. My mechanic told me that "I brake too lightly".

 

[waldo]

The best solution I've found for brake squeel is to bed in the brakes properly when new. Take the car out, do a few 60-5mph stops to really heat them up, then let them cool overnight. There are more detailed procedures out there on the internet, but basically this puts a layer of the pad material on the rotor and prevents them from glazing.

Unfortunatly squeel is often one of the trade-offs you have to take for improved performance, less dusting and/or pedal feel. As xcr440sp said, asbestos is the only real engineering solution to this compromise.

 

[Cross Bolt]

Most pad manufactures would like you to take it easy for the first 600 miles to give the pad a chance to graze over the porosity. New pads are very hard on the discs. I have had the chance to work on a lot of disc brakes since the mid sixties and asbestos was really good. There are a lot of tricks that one learns over the years, on the various disc brake designs.
Let me give you my biggest trick. Buy a set of Bendix Friction King (Semi Metallic Pads). They will not squeak or squeal and I have put them on some pretty badly surfaced discs. They will wear out a little faster and you will have some dust but they will be quiet.
Another one that I have not tried is the Ford Extreme Duty (made for Taxi Cabs and Police Cars). You might want to give them a try.

 

[waldo]

Here's a good link for bedding in brakes:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedinstock.shtml

 

[warren126]

Thanks for the replies. It is a high pitched squeal that only happens happens with light braking and just before the car stops.
I take it back to the dealer friday. We'll see what he has to say. If I get no satisfaction from him, I may try some of the proceedure mentioned here,,, and thanks for all your input. I appreciate it.

 

[stewsco]

warren126, If you are still monitoring this thread did you ever get any resolve with the squealing issue.  I am having a similar problem.  Thanks.