Hi I own a 2004 Mazda 6 s Wagon, recently I have been experiencing a squeaky (left front) brake phenomena that seems, at least according to two brake technicians, to be non-existent. It is intermittent often caused by driving over a bump, a pothole (Le rallye de Tacoma) and turning left around a corner. But doing that all at once makes no sound. On some warm days (there aren’t many in Tacoma) there are no sounds and on cold days a lot of sound, that I can control by tapping my breaks lightly. Which stops it until I run over a bump or turn left. Now the first tech told me the pads were at 25% and the second said they were at 80%, could they both be right? Both looked at the calipers and found nothing wrong. The later mentioned that the brake caliper piston bushings might need to be lubricated. Because the car had been driven in an area where it rains 200 days out of the year.
So I need to ask you guys, do I find the brake caliper piston bushing lubricant in the same aisle as flasher grease and next to the left handed screwdrivers? Or is this a real thing and not a joke.
thanks for the help.
What brand of brake pad are you using? I’m assuming you’ve had a brake job done already, since this is a 6 year old wagon. I’ve had some aftermarket pads be noisy and react weird on me before. To prevent these problems, use OEM pads and shoes from the dealer. Otherwise, plan on trying out other aftermarket brands until you find one you like. After a couple of weird brake pad issues, I’ll never use Autozone ‘Duralast’ brake pads again.
Also, the mechanic could have been talking about the grease for the caliper slides. I use Permatex Synthetic brake grease on these slides on every brake job. This is important to grease these up to keep the brake pads on both sides of the caliper wearing evenly. If the slides gum up or get frozen, the outboard pad will wear faster, and the brakes will last half as long as they should.