The Brake Noise That Won't Away
An all too common complaint is that of noisy brakes, and it’s something that everyone hates. The good news is that for the most part, noisy brakes are a sign that you need to see a mechanic and get your disc pads changed. It’s a warning sign that aims to prevent you damaging your brakes severely as ignoring it can lead to disaster.
Unfortunately, there are also cars that seem to be ‘born’ with squeaking brakes. For many high performance braking systems, it can also be a normal albeit annoying ‘feature’ of the vehicle.
If you have noisy brakes the first thing you should always do is get them checked out by a pro. A budget brakes check is inexpensive and it’s a great way to ensure that the noise is by ‘design’.
Once you know that your noisy brakes are by ‘design’ i.e. there’s nothing wrong, then you have a few options. The first is to replace the pads and have them recoated with a noise suppressing compound which is pretty inexpensive at any budget brakes store. If your car is under warranty and you complain enough, you might be able to get them fixed for free at your car’s service center.
Finally, the second option is to consider swapping out the pads with something aftermarket. One such example is to choose either ceramic or Kevlar brakes which tend to be remarkably quiet. While this option tends to be slightly more expensive than just trying new pads with suppressant, it really does work.
Ultimately however, quiet pads come with a bit of a caveat in that they don’t always last as long. Generally speaking, quiet brake pads use softer materials which tend to erode quicker which as a result means those budget brakes might all of a sudden start getting more expensive.
Unfortunately, there are also cars that seem to be ‘born’ with squeaking brakes. For many high performance braking systems, it can also be a normal albeit annoying ‘feature’ of the vehicle.
If you have noisy brakes the first thing you should always do is get them checked out by a pro. A budget brakes check is inexpensive and it’s a great way to ensure that the noise is by ‘design’.
Once you know that your noisy brakes are by ‘design’ i.e. there’s nothing wrong, then you have a few options. The first is to replace the pads and have them recoated with a noise suppressing compound which is pretty inexpensive at any budget brakes store. If your car is under warranty and you complain enough, you might be able to get them fixed for free at your car’s service center.
Finally, the second option is to consider swapping out the pads with something aftermarket. One such example is to choose either ceramic or Kevlar brakes which tend to be remarkably quiet. While this option tends to be slightly more expensive than just trying new pads with suppressant, it really does work.
Ultimately however, quiet pads come with a bit of a caveat in that they don’t always last as long. Generally speaking, quiet brake pads use softer materials which tend to erode quicker which as a result means those budget brakes might all of a sudden start getting more expensive.