Brakes are squeeking bad

[bigdog76]

What can I do about my squeeky breaks. They were changed about 2 years ago. The pads are still good last I checked 2 months ago or so.

Might need to check them again. Is that a sign the are getting low.

They are OEM Brakes.

[qsiguy]

I assume you know there is a little metal arm on the pads that is supposed to make a terrible squeaking noise when the pad gets under a certain thickness. You are probably hitting that on at least one of the pads. Probably time for a change.

[bigdog76]

I will have to get under the car this weekend and take a look

You might be right

[Kiven422]

Yes your pads are wearing out. I have the same issue even though I have a good amount of pad left. You CAN try bending those little metal brackets to hold the pads in place a little better. That will work temporarily.

[bigdog76]

Is it typically the fronts that go bad first?

Or do most on here just replace all 4 at once.

I have a friend that does the whole job for me for $40 bucks

I give him the parts he slaps them on I dont get dirty worth the $40 for me.

He did them 2 years ago and the brakes were the best they ever were.

[oldmako]

The fronts wear much faster than the rears. I only replace bad brakes so if the fronts are shot and the rears fine no sense in tossing out good pads. I recently just changed out my fronts only. 60ish bucks for parts (pads, grease and new shim kit) and 20 bucks to get the rotors turned. The rears ought to go another year at least.

As far as the 40 dollar neighbor job....that's difficult to say. If he knows what he's doing then you're getting off easy. However, If he doesn't and screws up a caliper piston or manages to mangle something else than you end up mo' behinder and will have the additional hassle of getting the job done right. This isn't really rocket science, but it's not a 73 corolla either.

[qship96]

In my experience, the Q wears its rear brake pads quicker than the front pads. Over the last 200+ thousand miles I have averaged 50K rear pad life and 70k front pad life using genuine Infiniti pads- your results may vary depending on your pad choice, type of driving and overall condition of your braking systm.

[oldmako]

In my experience, the Q wears its rear brake pads quicker than the front pads. Over the last 200+ thousand miles I have averaged 50K rear pad life and 70k front pad life using genuine Infiniti pads- your results may vary depending on your pad choice, type of driving and overall condition of your braking systm.

qship96...

Whoa! I've never had a car where the rear pads wore faster than the front. I've only had this thing since Nov so I will take your word on it. Learn sumpin' everyday.....

I tossed OEM pads on the fronts and will decrease my expectation for the life span on the rear.

[maxnix]

Pad tossers who don't true the rotors will have extremely short vibration free brake llife.

[Q45tech]

The oem pads first used on 90 Q lasted 16-20k to match the tire life..........modern owners are so lucky as Nissan has gone to a longer lasting pad material to better match modern tires 30-40k.

I'm still amazed that anyone can drive so sedately to get 50k out of current rear oem pads.

In order to make a 4300 pounder stop in 130 feet from 60, the Q design uses more than the standard 37% rear brake bias, unfortunately later model [92-96] used less agressive pads and lengthed the stops.

[qship96]

Having a hard time wearing out the Exaltos also, 51K on them and still at 4/32 tread depth-maybe I will be able to keep their replacements in the garage til september and enjoy a fresh soft set next snowfall?

[unknown007]

Talking about brakes.Mine had no brakes at all in the rear.They weren't even squeaking ethier.



Hope the disk isn't messed up.
Modified by unknown007 at 11:15 PM 5/31/2008

[Haitian_King]

I'm beginning to have a similar issue. I haven't noticed any braking issues, but the noise is wreaking havoc on my sense of vanity. How can I be expected to impress with my brakes squealing like stuck pigs? It seems to only be coming from the front left at the moment, but I think I'll do all 4 just to be sure.

Is Meineke a bad choice for a place to get my brakes done? I'm having trouble finding the time to get to Keith's and have my car back in a timely manner, so if there's one less task I drop on him and get done reliably somewhere else, I'd welcome it gladly.

Anyone with experience with them? Bad? Good?

[maxnix]

Is Meineke a bad choice for a place to get my brakes done?

One of the worst of the chain hack shops.

Find a good independent ASE with a good lathe with sharp new bits and someone who knows how to operate it.

[Haitian_King]

One of the worst of the chain hack shops.

Find a good independent ASE with a good lathe with sharp new bits and someone who knows how to operate it.

You pointed me in the direction of Keith. Would you happen to know of any good brake places in South NJ? All I see are Meineke locations and other I guess hack places.

[oldmako]

Look in the yellow pages for a shop that specializes in Asian imports or something like that. Then give them a call and ask if they know anything about Qs. Chances are they will tell you yes just to get your bidness, but they may surprise you with some info that indicates they really do know Qs.

If you can, pay the shop a visit before you drop off the car. Are there any other high dollar rides up on lifts or in the lot? Is the place a dump or clean? Are the techs 18?

I do 95 percent of my own wrenching, but when something ugly shows up I have a local shop that I trust and I used the above technique. They did very nice work, treated me like an adult who actually knew something about the car, and the car was done on time. I now rec them to friends.

As far as replacing brakes, they're easy. Invest in some tools, read the FSM and schedule an afternoon to knock them out. Line up a shop with a lathe in advance so you can take the rotors in, or if you need them buy new ones. Just do the fronts first if you're overwhelmed. Ask a buddy who is familiar with mechanics to help you if necessary.

Brakes are not rocket science, but they do require that you take your time, be somewhat deliberate and clean. Save some ching, learn something and take some pride in fixing your ride.

How many of you guys (besides Qtech) check your rotor run out? And how many of you just get the rotors turned and slap them back together? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'm a no runout loser and my brakes are silky smoooooth. I did use OEM and new shims though.

[maxnix]

You pointed me in the direction of Keith. Would you happen to know of any good brake places in South NJ? All I see are Meineke locations and other I guess hack places.

Wish I could help, HK. I think there is a directory of ASE Certified technicians.

http://locator.ase.com/blue/

Might try

http://plattsplus.com/

Or

http://www.bgfindashop.com

and ask if they have the brake fluid vacuum machine and a lathe. You always want to true the rotors and extract the brake fluid. A good DOT4 like Syntec is good.

[Haitian_King]

Thanks for all the help!

[StarPD]

Three important points:1. Use OEM pads2. Have the rotors cleaned up with a light pass. Don't let the brake shop cut too much off the rotors unless they really need it.3. Flush the entire brake system. Old brake fluid WILL not only cause poor braking from absorbed moisture (brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture, believe it or not, right through the rubber brake lines), but it will corrode the master cylinder and calipers. A brake flush is MUCH cheaper than rebuilding or replacing those components. Do it while you're having the brake job done, and have the system bled completely and properly.

Also, be sure your wear sensors are connected and operating correctly.

And finally, be sure to bed your new pads into your refinished rotors correctly. There are several different techniques, the simplest being careful to use only light pedal pressure for the first 200-300 miles before using them hard. Not bedding them properly will cause the new pads to become glazed, with poor braking and noise/shudder. Glazed pads require a teardown and grinding the glazed surface off the pads, losing some of the life of the pads. There is another method that requires hard braking repeatedly, but it's usually best left to those who know how to do it properly with adequate cooldown between brake applications.

Note especially my comments about pad glazing. If you have plenty of pad left but they are noisy, that may be your problem. In that case, a proper complete brake job is in order, including new pads and rotor reface and system flush. Do it correctly once and be done with it, and be sure to bed the new brakes in correctly to avoid a repeat of the problem..

The only thing as important on your car as brakes is the tires. Both are critical. Cutting corners on either can be dangerous.

[Q45tech]

What most skip is the removal dissassembly. internal cleaning of bores and pistons and replacement o rings in calipers every 7 years or 100k.

Your brakes will never perform as new unless everything is clean as new.

This process adds an hour $85 + parts [$20- $100] per wheel over a pad slap and rotor trueing. Replacing flex lines and pad shims are important also.

[Haitian_King]

Three important points:1. Use OEM pads2. Have the rotors cleaned up with a light pass. Don't let the brake shop cut too much off the rotors unless they really need it.3. Flush the entire brake system. Old brake fluid WILL not only cause poor braking from absorbed moisture (brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture, believe it or not, right through the rubber brake lines), but it will corrode the master cylinder and calipers. A brake flush is MUCH cheaper than rebuilding or replacing those components. Do it while you're having the brake job done, and have the system bled completely and properly.

Also, be sure your wear sensors are connected and operating correctly.

And finally, be sure to bed your new pads into your refinished rotors correctly. There are several different techniques, the simplest being careful to use only light pedal pressure for the first 200-300 miles before using them hard. Not bedding them properly will cause the new pads to become glazed, with poor braking and noise/shudder. Glazed pads require a teardown and grinding the glazed surface off the pads, losing some of the life of the pads. There is another method that requires hard braking repeatedly, but it's usually best left to those who know how to do it properly with adequate cooldown between brake applications.

Note especially my comments about pad glazing. If you have plenty of pad left but they are noisy, that may be your problem. In that case, a proper complete brake job is in order, including new pads and rotor reface and system flush. Do it correctly once and be done with it, and be sure to bed the new brakes in correctly to avoid a repeat of the problem..

The only thing as important on your car as brakes is the tires. Both are critical. Cutting corners on either can be dangerous.

Wow. That post was amazing. Thank you! I'd never heard of the brake bedding before. Good to know.

[oldmako]

Take a peek at your FSM. It's in there in detail. They refer to it as burnishing if I am not mistaken.

[maxnix]

I'd never heard of the brake bedding before. Good to know.

Brembo specifies initial bedding sequence with instructions in each rotor's box.

[Haitian_King]

Take a peek at your FSM. It's in there in detail. They refer to it as burnishing if I am not mistaken.

You know, now that you mention it, the term "burnishing" seems to ring a bell. A small one, but it's been run nonetheless. Thanks. I'll go bone up on it.