About 3 months ago I got new brakes on my car because they needed replacing. Well about a month ago they were squealing really bad so I took them back into the shop, and they looked at them and said everything was fine and it might just be some moisture in there. But now the brakes are squealing so much and so bad evertime I apply the brakes I can no longer stand it. Anybody have a suggestion as to what it could be? If not I'm taking it back in there to have them ride with me and listen, because it just doesn't sound right.

 

Mine have been squealing pretty bad too. I should have just gone to Nissan I think. I got them done at another place for 210 bucks. I got what I thought were good brakes, Raybestos. I took my max back after a couple of months and got the rotors resurfaced. They started sounding bad again though. I had gone to midas first and they said I did not have enough thickness on the rear rotors to turn them. Their total estimate was 412 bucks. Maybe the Raybestos are not good for the Maxima or just too hard a material or something. I don't know. But I am learning to live with the noise as long as they stop me fine. I'm tired of going back, plus I'm out of the six month 6000 mile guarrantee.

 

My first set of brakes was done at a brake shop. After I encountered the same problem, and brought it back, they ground a bevel on the edge of the pads...which significantly reduced, but did not completely eliminate the squeel. I did the second and third set myself (Wagner pads), which were "pre-beveled"...The results were acceptable with only intermittent squeeling. My current brakes (also Wagners) were changed along with the front rotors...All is quiet.

 

So many ppl have the SAME prob i do! I don't understand why mine squeels either. I took a look at the brake pads and i seem to have plenty left... I talked to the previous owner and he told me that the pads he put on were semi-metallic for better grip and when i apply them hard it actually forms a little layer of glass and he thought that may be the prb... but the glass wears off easily after a little while of normal usage. I dunno why these pads squeel sooooo bad... it like hurts my ears now!

 

AHHH YESSS!!! The famous brake squeal! I just want to say that I also hurt my ears when hitting that darn brake pedal. I've heard that the Raybestos Quiet Stop pads were good. Minimalmaxima, were yours the quiet stops???

 

Good to know that im not the only one w/ the squeeling prob. Me and delio changed my pads in the front and they sqeak so bad im about to slash my tires! Jus playin, but for real.....what can i do. I think i need new rotors in the front too

 

my original stock pads were amazing.. i miss them.. i'm thinking about buying genuine nissan pads again..

 

so... what's wrong w/ all our brakepads? I have semi-metallic pads and they squeel like a biatch

 

just get new brakes...nissan ones

 

but i don't understand why aftermarket brakes won't work then... i mean those brakes work fine on other cars.... wattup w/ the maxima

 

so i should stay away from aftermarket brake pads?

cus i was gonna get aftermarket rotors and brakepads once i had the money

 

I heard the crossdrilled rotors and OEM pads were the way to go.

 

I am replacing my front brake OEM pads this weekend. Will let you guys know if they squeek or not.

 

My dealership explained to me about the brake squeal problem with aftermarket parts. According to him, the rotors and the pads (OEM) are made from the same material. Therefore, small particles in the pads don't vibrate out of sync with the small particles in the rotor. Aftermarket pads are made from different materials, and therefore there is a vibration in them that doesn't jive with the rotor. Not an exact quote, but should get the idea behind it across. I will be sticking with OEM pads when it's time for a change. I don't really believe that most aftermarket pads are going to make much of a difference in stopping power. Besides, brakes don't stop cars, tires do. There was a link on here about oversize brake kits and such. If the brakes are good enough to lock the tires, then the tires are the weak link. If I'm out to lunch, some one tell me. But 9 out of the 10 voices in my head say I'm right.


Dave

 

There are no better brake pads. Period. I had the same problem. The Quiet Stops stop better, NEVER squeal, and are lower dusting than stock.

 

I had the same problem and I put a Disc Brake Quiet on my discs and it stopped.

 

Maybe that is what I need to do. Im gonna try that.

 

Holy Dale Earnhardt, Batman!

 

some people just fail to use brake grease on the shims and blame it on the pads.

 

oo... can u exlain please?? Where are the shims exactly... and if they're not greased, it would really squeek that bad?? Thanks

 

What if you have 235 wide sticker tires?

If you believe what that dealer said, I have this nice bridge for sale....

 

installed ceramic brake pads and no more sqeaking or
brake dust(minimal)

 

If the brakes are strong enough to lock the tires, different pads/rotors/calipers will not slow you down any faster. They may dissipate heat better to avoid brake fade for another braking. The idea for great braking is to get the wheels to impending lockup, and no further. That is where the tires (that actually touch the ground) come in to play. I learned this in a police pursuit driving course. Here is a good link that was on the .org to explain why brakes don't stop the car: http://www.tubas.net/~drew/ner/brakebasics.htm As for what the dealer told me, that is assuming putting aftermarket pads with OEM rotors, or vice versa. Running high quality, same material pads and rotors together, along with proper install, should not produce a squeal like in the original post. And no, the dealer was not plugging Nissan parts (actually even recommended an aftermarket oil filter to me). He only provided information so I can make a more informed decision. You can spend money on any brakes you want, but I'll stick with OEM pads/rotors and stop silently.

 

More power to you for going OEM.

However, I have to get another 2 cents in for the Raybestos.

When I got soooo fed up with the OEM pads squeaking, I thought I had a warped rotor up front. Every time I hit the brakes, not only was there the God awful squeaking, but the brakes would grab unevenly on the rotors. I assumed the problem was a warped rotor. I did not have the rotors checked prior to installing the new pads. I am glad I did not. Because after I put the Quiet Stops, the first thing I noticed was the silence of the brakes. The second thing I noticed was the warped feeling of the brakes was gone. I can only attribute this to the new pads.

I just read an article from North East Racing about brake system myths. Now that I read the article it makes perfect sense to me the problem was not the rotors but the fiction material used on the OEM pads.

Raybestos Quiet Stops are the best brake pads I have ever had on any vehicle. It's the best $110 I have spent on my car yet!

 

the shims and grease are there to eliminate high frequency sound waves from the brakes (which comes out as a squeel). If you don't have them there, you will probably get a squeel.

 

I have the same problem and I had it examined just to make sure. There is nothing wrong with the brakes, semi-metalic brakes make that noise.
Thanks,
Paul

 

So why are my Raybestos brakes squealing? Do you think they're semimetallic? Should we only get ceramic brakes for the maxima?? what is this stuff they are supposed to put on the rotors or on the pads? How is it that whatever it is does not get scraped off the first time you apply your brakes? Is the stuff that strong that it penetrates the rotors or the pads??

 

Originally posted by ericdwong


Suggestion for you, go to the car parts store, and buy brake cleaner, antiseize or brake lube and disc brake quiet. Go home, jack up car, pull the wheels. Use brake cleaner thoroughly. Pull brake pads, make sure they're clean and dry, apply the disc brake quiet on the back of the pads. It will be a sticky gooey stuff that will absorb the vibration (squeel) and silence the brakes then let dry. Use the antiseize/brake lube onn the parts of the brake pad that clip it into place and where it slides. Put back together the car and it shall be squeek free.

Total amount of money, around $10-$15. Time, 30 minutes or so. Tools needed, jack, lug wrench, 14 mm wrench.

 

I had read that article a little while back. Very good article that explains a lot about brakes. I think that any brake pad will transfer material to the rotor given the right conditions. I can't put down the Raybestos Quiet Stops because I have never tried them. I've tried other brands on other vehicles, and have never noticed one brand to shorten my stopping distance over another. I've been very happy with the OEM that I've got, and have never had them squeal. I believe a lot of it is due to the compatibility of the materials and proper installation (Permatex Disc Brake Quiet on shims and pads). I also like the fact that there is not any excessive dust to clean. When it comes down to it, I think it boils down to personal preference.

Dave

 

I replaced my brakes w. oem pads and hardware, no sqeeking.

 

Yeah actually that's what I ended up doing with mine, and the squealing went away. I posted this thread like a month ago, and nobody responded to it at the time. Now it's been brought back again. Weird...

 

Hey, my brakes sqeal and squeak WAY too much. It's ridiculous and makes me cringe every time I touch the dumb brake pedal. Just last week I had my local Firestone turn and machine my rotors. That helped for about two days and then the sqeaking and squealing got WORSE than it was before. So they put some ceramic pads on it, and it STILL squeaks like mad. The guy did not charge me labor for the pads, and he didn't even charge me for the pads, because he is ordering OEM pads from Nissan, which should hopefully be in on Monday. Do you think this should finally solve my problem?

 

when i first got my car back in august of last yr, the brakes squeeked bad!! and so i brought the car in to the dealer and they charged me an arm and a leg...$192 to change the front pads and they still squeak...i bought the car back and said that my brakes still squeek and they said i would have to change my rotors this time..so i said forget it....i think i got hosed big time...i woulda changed the brake pads myself but they didn't look worn..the dealer said that those weren't OEM pads thats why they squeaked....i only had about 27k miles back then

 

I will never put OEM's back on my Max.

 

Well, Firestone said they would keep trying until it stops squeaking. So, if the OEM's aren't good, then I'll have them try the Raybestos pads you were talking about.

 

Why?? I put OEM pad on this weekend no sqeek.

 

Look at my previous posts about why I went with the Raybestos.

 

where did u buy them pads from? r u still on stock rotors?

 

I just had Raybestos Quiet Stop brake pads put on the front. I also had new Brembo cross drilled/slotted rotors installed on the front too. I still noticed some squeaking from the pads. I didn't put any stuff on the shims though to prevent the squeaking. Hopefully it will go away as it wear.

 

hey mike,
where u got the raybestos pads from? and how much?

and i think u should have used the brake quiet thing on the shims...i think they work