My girlfriend has a 2002 subaru with 80k miles. She had aftermarket brakes and noticed a chirp when she drove. She could eliminate the chirp when she stepped on the brakes. She took it to her mechanic and he said that she had 30% of her pad left and it was a wear marker in the brake that was chirping. He said she should replace them when they hit 35%. while i don’t care if she replaces the brakes, I told her I doubted that it was a wear marker that was chirping but rather a sticky caliper or warped disk. She said her brother also thought it was a wear marker. She is convinced that I am wrong and her mechanic (and brother) are right. Any second opinions?
A sticky caliper would cause the rim or axle to heat up hotter than others,feel rims after driving awhile to see if any difference…just be aware not burn your hand,and if a warped caliper,it should cause brake pedal to pulse as brakes are applied.and if indicator was hiting caliper,end that hits rotor will be clean and shiny from wear…just my opinion
Thanks, i will check the axle and rims. Would you replace breaks @ 30% and would they have a wear marker that would make them chirp? Would the heat from a sticky caliper cause any greased fittings to dry out?
This is a classic wear marker sound. The wear marker is a brass piece that sticks out to rub against the rotor when the pads wear down. It makes a high pitched screech or chirping noise. When you apply the brakes the brass piece gets pressed harder against the rotor and the noise goes away.
I’m a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology. Visit my blog for cool articles and TSB’s: Rick’s Blog
Thanks, Rick. I will let it go at this point. I appreciate the clarity and I will visit your blog.