We had the brake pads replaced on our 2001 Honda Odyssey and now the brakes squeal like crazy! Our mechanic wants to first replace the pads with ceramic brake pads, then if that doesn’t stop the squealing, then replace the rotors. Does this sound like a normal process? Or should we bypass the ceramic pads and just have the new rotors put on?
Mileage?
Anti-squeal on the backing of the pads should have been used. And the pins should have been regreased. If your mechanic is a novice, a cheapskate, or in a hurry he/she could have missed these items.
Not turning rotors during a brake job can lead to squeaking. There’s alot of hubbub about not turning rotors anymore because the expense of replacement rotors has dropped so much, while the cost of turning rotors increases because labor prices continue to become higher. And turned rotors become more prone to warping, and less effective at shedding heat, because they become thinner with each turn. But at the very least, the glaze on the old rotors should be broken with a peice of very fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth.
Find out what your mechanic did and didn’t do. If he failed to follow through with these basic minimums that I mentioned, or if he missed something else like a shim or an anti-rattle clip, the brake squeal is of his fault and he should rectify it for no charge. But if the rotors are bad, that’s not his fault, and my reccomendation would be to just replace them.
-Matt
-Matt
In reality, the problem is likely to be that the mechanic used after-market pads rather than Honda-manufactured pads. As Ray & Tom have noted many times on their show, for reasons unknown, the brakes on Japanese vehicles tend to become very noisy if after-market pads are used. Insist that the mechanic use only the genuine Honda replacement pads and your problems will likely end.