Brake Repair: Why Squeaking Occurs

When you stop your car at a light and hear loud squeaking, it's only natural to get an uncomfortable feeling. Some experts consider brake repair one of the most important forms of maintenance to keep up with on your vehicle. While there may be other things more essential to keeping your vehicle running and keep a hole from being burned into your wallet, it's hard to argue for anything being more important to your safety and that of others on the road. Of course, squeaking isn't always a sign of something going bad. Here's what you need to know about that sound.

Bad Noise
Squeaking and squealing sometimes occurs when your pads are worn down beyond a certain point. Most pads come with a metallic strip that begins to touch the rotors when they are worn beyond the danger point. This gives the driver an audible warning that it's time to replace the pads. It's not wise to drive for too long with that sound coming out every time you stop the car. Take it in to a good brake repair shop or head to the auto parts store if this is the kind of thing you like to do on your own.

Normal Noise
Not all squeaking is a call for alarm. Wet conditions, whether through a good rainfall or even humidity can cause your braking system to start making unwanted noise. This doesn't necessarily call for brake repair, even though you might prefer not to hear it. Dusty conditions can bring about the same issue. Some newer cars are fitted with semi-metallic pads that will give off a squeaking noise from time to time even when driving conditions are optimal. What causes these squeaks in the first place? It usually comes from the pads squeezing against the rotor, which causing a vibration. There are things you can do to reduce the noise, however.

Prevention
Some brake repair experts advise putting a milk spray or a specific kind of lotion on the backs of the pads, which can reduce some of the squeaking you hear. Others recommend using sandpaper to eliminate some of the surface hardening that can occur on the front of the pads. You may also want to play around with various brands of pads, as each of them has different proclivities as it pertains to squeaking. Unless you know a great deal about brake repair, however, it's advised that you leave any and all noise elimination solutions to a professional mechanic.