Squealing brakes got me pulled over on I-84 last Tuesday

I was driving home from a client session near Portland when my front brakes started screaming like a banshee around exit 12. It was that high pitched metal on metal noise that makes everyone stare at your car. I pulled into a rest stop and popped the hood, but it was obviously the pads themselves. Turns out I let them go too long and wore through the wear indicator down to the backing plate. Had to call a buddy to tow me to his garage, and he showed me the pad was down to literally nothing left. Cost me $180 for new pads and rotors plus his time because I waited too long. Anyone else ever had a brake noise that got way too loud way too fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorb943d ago

Man, I had almost the exact same thing happen on my old Civic near the Tacoma Dome exit. That screeching noise just hit out of nowhere after I had been ignoring a slight squeak for weeks. When I finally looked, the pad was metal on metal and had gouged a groove into the rotor. Ended up costing me $200 at a local shop because I had to replace everything, not just the pads. Now I just check my brakes every oil change so I never get caught off guard again.

quinnmitchell3d ago

Bruh the Tacoma Dome exit has claimed another innocent rotor. That spot is cursed for cars I swear. $200 is actually not terrible though, I've seen shops try to upsell people on full brake lines and calipers too when all they really needed was pads and a rotor resurface. Silver lining from the L, at least now you're basically a certified brake inspector every time you pop the hood.