2003 Honda Accord EX V6

I've read several of your comments...was hoping someone smart would
have any solutions for this one:

Problem: My brakes squeak

Past history with brakes: My rotors had to be replaced after 2 months
of owning the car. Dec '05 I had my back brake pads replaced since
they had 20% wear left (BEFORE 30K miles!)...since then my brakes have
been squeaking.

History of fixing the problem: I've only dealt with this problem with
the Honda Dealer in Richardson, TX (north dallas). I took the car in
3 times to the dealer and they replaced the goop, etc...said the
brakes were fine, but couldn't find the problem and never heard the
squeak since it was so intermittent. The squeak got worse as time
progressed and, like some other posts, was not only at 40mph, but
started squeaking at higher mph's such as 60mph. I took it in again
in Nov '06 and they said the problem was the front brakes...that the
rotors were warped. They don't know why...said it was either from
sitting in water (we were in a drought in the summer), the lug nuts
being over torqued (only had work done by Honda, not Discount Tires,
etc), or heat, but they couldn't find a heat source. So, they
resurfaced them and buffed the pads. Squeaked on the way home. Took
it back in and they replaced the pads and resurfaced the rotors
again. Still squeak. I took it on a test drive with the shop foreman
and he heard the squeak...at this point the honda tech guys are
involved...so they replace my rotors. It was only a little squeak for
a while, but now the weather was cold, and the squeak was different--
squeak in the morning and other times, but not much and got worse.
The last time I took it in was last Friday (today is Thursday) and
they contored the pads (beveled the corners) so that any dust would
fall down instead of getting trapped (that was my brother's idea and
they didn't even think of it being dust). Didn't solve the problem.
On Monday, President's Day, it was about 80 degrees and I was running
errands all day (not the regular highway commute) and they were
squeaking as at first and all day long.

Any ideas? So frustrating...it's not a performance car and I didn't
have ANY trouble with it my first 2 years of driving....not until they
replaced my back brakes. I do travel about 15 miles through traffic
on my way to and from work every day, but I don't "ride" the brakes.
I am a light braker, but like another woman, I don't feel like I can
slam on my brakes every 10 minutes in order to break up the glaze. I
did try that, and my brakes would start squeaking after about 10-15
minutes of braking hard. The next step is to ride with some district
manager and have him hear the squeak. is there a solution to the
brakes, or a way for Honda to give me a new car? My mileage now is
about 44K.

Thanks,
Heather

 

wrote in @t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:

That won't "break up the glaze". Once glaze forms, the only way to get
rid of it is to machine the rotors.

Glaze surely isn't your problem here anyway.

In all that foofaraw you related above, did the dealer ever bother to
check for TSB 03-069?
This TSB gives the specific part numbers for the exact brake pads to be
used on your vehicle depending on your VIN number.

TSB 00-088 gives guidelines for refinishing the brake rotors so you will
have a proper surface for the pads to key into.

There is a break-in procedure that should be followed whenever new pads
are installed. I can give that separately if you like. Breaking them in
like this can help prevent glaze and noise.

Also, I notice your mileage is fairly low for your car's age. Rust can
build up on little-used brakes, causing noise. Normally it wears off in
the first few stops. However, if the car sits for several days at a
time, especially in a humid/wet climate, the rust can build up to the
point where it cannot be easily scraped off by the pads. This can lead
to glaze, which _may_ (but not necessarily) cause noise.

Finally, is the dealer making sure your anti-squeal shims are present
and installed correctly, and are they using M77 or similar grease on
those shims? Are they cleaning all the dust off the various surfaces and
parts? Are they making sure the caliper pistons are moving freely and
are retracting when you lift off the pedal?

 

Thank you!