Front brake groaning/squeak noise when braking at very low speeds or coming to a stop?

Hello SURGEIMPULSE,

Brake noise is very common and one of the most common issues is the inferior brake pads. If you normally use cheap brake pads this might be the issue.

Some cheaper pads will have metal flakes in them and will cause noise when they contact the rotor.

Another issue could be pad vibration. The pad will vibrate due to bad shims or clips and cause the pad to vibrate.

Does this groan sound like a creaking noise or more like a scraping, rotational noise?

A common cause of groaning brakes at slow speeds is usually a caliper issue, doesn't mean it is in your case especially because you said everything checked out, but it is still a possibility.

Also, what kind of grease did you use? Was it a high temp brake grease?

I use Permatex myself I will add a picture of it for you. The grease that comes with the pads is usually not that great and can break down with heat if it isn't made to the right specs.

If too much is used on the slide pins, the caliper may not compress fully since grease isn't compressible. If one pin has more than another, it could cause the caliper to tweak and cause noise.

What pads did you purchase? Would you mind sending me the part number if you, have it? I would like to look and see what they are made of so that I can help you better.

Here are a couple of articles with a lot of good information about noise and there causes:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/guide-to-fixing-automotive-brake-grinding-causes-and-solutions

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/ultimate-guide-to-diagnosing-and-fixing-automotive-brake-squeak-causes-and-solutions

These articles may not to pertain to your exact issue but include a lot of great information to aid in diagnosis and communication which me or a service station.

If you could look things over and answer these questions for me, we can start to eliminate possible issues and see if we can narrow it down for you.

Thank you,
Brendon

Good morning, SURGEIMPULSE,

CRC is good stuff too. Just about everything in my cabinet in my garage is CRC. Also, Power Stop are good pads. I have used them on my own vehicles and customers for years. So those shouldn't have an issue. They are ceramic so they would have to be bedded otherwise they would not perform correctly and make noise. But even if that wasn't done, it doesn't change the fact there was noise before. Since you replaced the pads and rotors, the noise remains, it is more likely the caliper like you suggested in my opinion.

If it is the caliper, it should do it if you're parked too. You could try jacking it up and removing the wheel and have an assistant apply the brakes off and on so you can try to pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

If you do take it to a service center, I would ask them to check the front end like ball joints, tie-rods, bushings, etc. Just to make sure it isn't something suspension related to making the noise.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you with any other information.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SURGEIMPULSE,

Absolutely. That sounds like the best course of action.

You're very welcome. Happy to help any way I can.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Brendon