Annoying brake squeal

[Vertigo//SD]

Only happens at very low speeds when coming to a stop. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it's annoying and embarrassing. I'm at 49,200 miles on my '07 and made an appointment for next Friday before the big 50,000. Will the dealer do anything? Replace pads maybe?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Vertigo//SD

Only happens at very low speeds when coming to a stop. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it's annoying and embarrassing. I'm at 49,200 miles on my '07 and made an appointment for next Friday before the big 50,000. Will the dealer do anything? Replace pads maybe?

they'll only replace pads if the brake indicator comes up or if the pads are under a certain thickness. on a sidenote, given that you're factory warranty is about to expire, i'd make a checklist of every little thing that you've noticed and get it addressed!

[Hawkeye]

That just happens sometimes with brakes and not much you can usually do about it. It does suck, my rear brake on my motocycle does the same thing under very light braking. Good luck getting everything sorted out! I'm only about 3K miles behind you!

[SCHMOUPE]

does it happen when you first start driving the cars in the mornings or at nights?

[mousitch]

Mine do that when they are full of brake dust. I try to get a real good jet of water on the calipers to blow it off and that really helps.

[wildag]

The squeal is he back of the pads rubbing against the calipers in their brackets. This happens for a lot of reasons, but the only you can affect is the brake dust.

You can, or have someone, apply a brake pad lubricant to the back side of the pad. Sometimes this works well, and other times it only lasts for a day.

Often squealing is the result of brake dust and dirt, so be sure to keep the calipers clean. DO NOT spray water on hot brakes. Let the car cool down completely first.

[imz4n]

The 07' only have one sensor IIRC on the drivers front. The ///M might be different. You could try spraying the calipers real good and the bed the brakes in again. Sometimes the squeal is caused by debris getting between the pads and the rotor and creating a hot spot on the pads. To bed brakes, get the car to 50-60 mph and then apply brakes real hard ( do not come to a full stop ) do this 3-4 times. It might help.

[bosstones]

I get this, too, and it is most annoying. For me, though, it really only happens when the the temps are cold during the fall or early spring.

[imom]

I first got my M, it didn't squeak...I took it in for service for brake flush and hand brake adjustment and it squeaked like crazy...I complained and then they said there's TSB about it...nothing for them to do. I put up with it for months... then I took it to another dealer and asked them to adjust the hand brake again because the previous dealer did a bad job and it was out of adjustment again. Once they adjusted the hand brake...the squeak went again 98% of the time when I slow brake now.

Previously, I tried to bed the pads and do what others recommended...but didn't help me. I suggest if your hand brake doesn't feel right... have them adjust it and maybe your squeak will go away too.

[mike87]

i get brake squeal under light braking when going slow as well - it's because my pads are low and my sensor is hitting the rotor. my light is not on - i suspect that the dealer placed the sensor on backwards or the sensor is shot. i will be replacing my pads soon but until then, i'm going to pull the sensor so the squeak goes away

[thekurgan]

I had a rear brake squeal the first 5k miles, it went away when I started using them harder.

[SHEEDI]

i recently got brake pads and rotors replaced and i hear squeals too.

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by Soomro

i recently got brake pads and rotors replaced and i hear squeals too.

OEM pads and/or rotors? Or aftermarket?

[SHEEDI]

aftermarket

[M_Six]

My X5 does it after driving on dusty roads. Doo-doo happens.

[bdejong11129]

Originally Posted by mike87

i get brake squeal under light braking when going slow as well - it's because my pads are low and my sensor is hitting the rotor. my light is not on - i suspect that the dealer placed the sensor on backwards or the sensor is shot. i will be replacing my pads soon but until then, i'm going to pull the sensor so the squeak goes away

I am not sure that the sensor would cause that much squealing. It is simply a plastic molded wire that when the pads are low it breaks the wire which in turn causes the dash light to come on. It is very small, about 5-8mm in diameter but since it is made of plastic I am not sure it would cause a large amount of squeal. If the sensor wire is broken there is very little pad left. I changed my pads and sensor this weekend and the light went on about 5 days previous and the pads were very very thin.

There have only been two sources of squealing on all of my cars. One is the actual pads themselves and the other, more common, comes from the pads rubbing against the caliper. Specifically the inside pad which rubs against the piston. Either replace the pad, the friction plate or apply some loc-tite brake quiet to the BACK side of the pad. The Brake Quiet works 100% of the time for me and I use it every time I install brakes. All the talk about the product attracting dust to your brakes is crazy talk. there is so much dust already there from the act of braking and the road that is is not going to "attract" anymore of it from external sources. While the stuff will remain tacky for a little while it will not cause any issues with braking since it is applied only the backside of the pad.

This will not correct pads that are squealing because they are either of the type of material that is prone to squealing but it has worked wonders for me and I use it every time.