I took my car in about three months ago when brake indicator started squeaking in the rear. Shop told me that the drums, shoes and wheel cylinders needed replacing. After spending a few hundred replacing all those parts, the squeaking began. It’s a kind of rhythmic squeak that starts towards the end of braking. the rate varies with the speed of the car, so it definitely seems to be coming from the brakes. I took it in not long after. They said they only heard a clicking noise, and that was because the brakes were mis-adjusted. They re-adjusted it. I drove it home. The squeaking is still there. This also happens a lot more when it’s heated up so maybe that’s why they didn’t hear it in the first place.
I take the car back. They said the drum has been warped. They replace the drums. I take it home. Still squeaking a few days later, and I feel the brake pedal pulsating now. I take it back in. They say the issue is from the front brake rotors being warped. I get these replaced elsewhere with ceramic pads. Squeaking is still there.
I take it back in to the original shop because I’m certain it’s from the rear. They look at it again and say the drums are warped, again, and that they’d never seen anything like it. They turn the drums. (and receipt says there will be no more warranty on the rear drums… what?)
Unsurprisingly, squeaking did not stop, not even the day after. I took it to a different shop. They spent all day on it and drove it around with me and their final word is that the reason for the squeaking is cheap parts. They recommended I call the original shop and ask for factory parts and offer to pay the difference for the parts.
I just did that, and the shop agreed to do it, but the difference for factory parts would be about $240. Do you guys have any opinions on this? Will factory parts solve my problem? Any other options? I’ll spend the money if I have to, but I spent nearly $500 replacing everything in the rear, and really don’t want to spend that much more. It’s been such a headache dealing with this for the past three months, and I don’t know where to go from here. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
I would talk with the owner of the shop about the added expense of original parts. Explain that they should take care of the change out because their parts did not do the job correctly and see what he or she has to say.
I had that issue for a number of years, really good break guys, but not evidently bearing specialists, then a wheel bearing failed, life was good after replacing the wheel bearing. Now of course it manifested itself in the middle of a 500 mile road trip, made it the other 250 miles and up in the North Woods got a rather good deal on a wheel bearing assembly replacement. I called NAPA to see who would be good for that work.
Drum brakes don’t have wear indicators. Maybe the sound you heard before you ever touched the brakes was the beginning of the squeaking…
“I took my car in about three months ago when brake indicator started squeaking in the rear. Shop told me that the drums, shoes and wheel cylinders needed replacing.”
Im with Barkydog, I think its a bearing problem.
A new brake drum that got warped that fast means that there was uneven heating of the drum because it wasn`t turning true,probably because the bearings are worn out.
Been there, done that. Cheap parts are often the root of such problems. Brakes are best done using higher quality, OEM equivalent parts including replacing all of the shims and anti-rattle hardware that came with them when new. I used to go cheap and spent an inordinate amount of time revisiting the job to add anti-squeal compounds and so on. Now I spend a bit more but it’s done once and lasts for years before anything crops up.
The drums could just be junk. I bought at least one set of the cheapest rotors you could get at the box store and they caused problems from day one. The killer was when an inclusion in the cast metal wore at a different rate than the rest of the rotor and gouged out the pad. It squealed almost from week 1 until I finally threw them out and bought the mid-range parts. Never bought the cheap ones again after that…
While it’s extremely rare, I have run across several instances of drum brake squeal or squeak being caused by distorted hub faces of the wheel rims themselves.
Once the lugs are tightened the drum distorts to fit the hub faces rather than the other way around.
Maybe rotation of the front wheels to the back as a test method would reveal if this is the cause of the problem on this particular car.
It may be a good idea, to not use cheapest brake parts - especially so, that brakes are the most critical part of your car’s basic safety (well, after your own judgement). If you have to go to a shop, specify either OEM parts from dealers’s supply (simplest reliable way), or mid- to -high quality range aftermarket parts (research may be required). Saving maybe a hundred (and sometimes as little as 20) bucks on a brake job isn’t worth following aggravation, and possibly worse. Parts that I use on my 2003 CR-V allow me at least 100K between brake changes, and so I am happy with this approach…
Look for shiny spots within the drum. Obviously something is rubbing.
Temporarily back off the parking brakes.
Keep in mind that Honda drums are unlike any other. There is no spring and star wheel adjustment mechanism. Parking brake adjustment (once coarse adjustment is done) is made by pulling up firmly on the hand brake lever while standing still and not by applying the brakes while backing up.
There is only one main return spring (unlike the conventional two) and that spring is a b**** to spread between the two shoes without a tool that is available only from Honda.