Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all. Just before lockdown I had new callipers and pads fitted at the front of my van. Drove it away and all was good but a few days later they started squealing whenever I applied light pressure on the brake pedal. Firm pressure and they were okay. Garage had another look (didn’t really say what they did) and I drove it away again. Seemed okay when I drove it home.

Since then it’s sat outside for a most of lockdown. Took it out the other day and they were squealing again whenever I applied light pressure. Seems to kick in once the brakes have warmed up a bit.

Took it to a different garage today and the mechanic checked everything over and said it all looked good, including the condition of the discs. He changed the pads for some that were a different material and checked everything thoroughly. Taken it for a drive to warm up the brakes and whilst it’s not as whincingly loud or regular, they’re still squeaky in the same way. The mechanics been great and hasn’t charged me yet, wanting me to drive it around a bit and see how it goes.

Any advice or guidance I could take back to him would be much appreciated as we’re at a bit of loss as to what it could be. Never been a problem before. Do I maybe need new discs to go with the pads and callipers, even though the discs have got miles left in them?

In the old days it used to be that you put copper grease on the back of the pads, doesn’t need much though just a light ‘smeer’.
See if that helps

The pads probably need to bed into the (existing?) discs, try giving them a few more hundred miles. The last set of pads I fitted were made by Brembo and have been noise free.