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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > Squeaking brake issue finally found and resolved.



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      10-10-2012, 10:15 AM   #89
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Backing plate? Like the dust shield? If so, no you don't need to replace, only the 3 you mentioned above...unless you bend a spring clip for the pads (probably won't) or your rotors are very corroded and you strip the hex retaining screw for the rotor (might want just in case).
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      10-17-2012, 11:30 AM   #90
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I'm also getting brake noise that seems to be coming from the rear passenger corner. It's not a squealing noise but more like a grinding noise such as when the pads touch the rotors slightly.
In an attempt to fix this I replace all 4 corners with new slotted rotors and akebono pads. I still had the noise so I removed my parking brake shoes completely. Still have the noise so I think that narrows it down to a slightly sticky caliper. It's not enough to cause uneven pad wear so I'll just live with it cause I don't want to deal with having to bleed the system after replacing the caliper.
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      10-17-2012, 01:35 PM   #91
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Hi,

I have the issue and it is definitely the front brakes.
To me is looks more like and issue of pad height.
The BMW pads create a ridge on the rotor, at the top and bottom of the brake pad.
I think the ridge is rubbing the edge of the pad after a certain amount of wear on the rotor.

If I apply the lightest pressure the squeak goes away. At my next service visit they will be doing a brake job on my car, because I plan to squeak like the damn brakes.

--Update

Went in for service.
According to my SA, they all do that once you change the pads and do not change the rotor.
The 1mm ridge that shows after the rotor wears is the cause. BMW will not fix or do anything about the squeak.
SA - "They all do or will do that."

Last edited by techwhiz; 12-10-2012 at 04:28 PM.. Reason: Update
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      11-02-2012, 06:40 PM   #92
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I tried this method (my rear passenger brake system squeaks when going up to 10mph, really annoying). Applying the brake quiet to the contact points of the dust shield/parking brake pads solved the issue for a week... and its been back now for about three weeks.

I'm going to take it all apart again one weekend to try and fix it again, maybe I did not let the stuff dry long enough (gave it about 30 minutes - it was late at night, I was rushing).

Has anyone else had the issue come back after some time?
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      11-03-2012, 07:23 AM   #93
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Great thread and fix! I have noticed for some time now that the handbrake affects this noise and used to find that sometimes just lifting the handbrake briefly would sort this out for a while, but not a permanent solution and have not gone investigating like this.

But since my car was serviced at the beginning of the year the brakes have tended to squeal when braking rather than just the normal rear brake squeal when at low speeds off the brake pedal. So a few days ago this brake squeal really got to the point that I had to investigate and see what I could do.

Pulled the pads out only to discover what I had suspected all along, no anti-squeal paste used at all, bone dry and gritty with brake dust etc. Cleaned and applied a thin film of copper grease on the contact areas of the backs of the brake pads. Reassembled and it is definitely quieter overall. Have not heard the rear brake squeal since then also, but am pretty sure it will return and need me to do this thread's fix.
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      11-28-2012, 05:43 PM   #94
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Alright - I've attempted this repair 3 times and my squealing has just gotten worse and worse.

1st time - noise completely disappeared for a week - thought I didn't let the anti-squeak compound dry long enough...

2nd time - noise came back after 1 day (although very light) - this time I hit the contact points with a grinder really quickly and let the compound dry for 4 hours before putting the parking brake assembly back together

3rd time - noise is back and now the worst its been. This time I placed the compound on wax paper and let it dry overnight ( 3-4mm thick pieces). I did not remove the parking brake pads, rather just pryed them up a bit so I could fit the rubbery anti-squeak pieces in between the pads and the contact points.

Unless the noise is all of a sudden coming from the driver side (which I don't believe it is) - then this rules this fix out. Because the noise is still a "rotational" noise, maybe me placing the thick pieces of anti-squeak has shimmed out the parking brake pads enough to where their other edges are now making more contact with the back of the rotor? If so that could explain why the original filing down of the contact points had quieted the noise.

The noise is driving me nuts.
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      11-28-2012, 06:33 PM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by point665 View Post
Alright - I've attempted this repair 3 times and my squealing has just gotten worse and worse.

1st time - noise completely disappeared for a week - thought I didn't let the anti-squeak compound dry long enough...

2nd time - noise came back after 1 day (although very light) - this time I hit the contact points with a grinder really quickly and let the compound dry for 4 hours before putting the parking brake assembly back together

3rd time - noise is back and now the worst its been. This time I placed the compound on wax paper and let it dry overnight ( 3-4mm thick pieces). I did not remove the parking brake pads, rather just pryed them up a bit so I could fit the rubbery anti-squeak pieces in between the pads and the contact points.

Unless the noise is all of a sudden coming from the driver side (which I don't believe it is) - then this rules this fix out. Because the noise is still a "rotational" noise, maybe me placing the thick pieces of anti-squeak has shimmed out the parking brake pads enough to where their other edges are now making more contact with the back of the rotor? If so that could explain why the original filing down of the contact points had quieted the noise.

The noise is driving me nuts.
Really weird stuff. The noise still did not come back on my car and it's been about a year now.
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      11-29-2012, 09:33 AM   #96
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onebadmofo View Post
Really weird stuff. The noise still did not come back on my car and it's been about a year now.
Yeah it is weird... I consider myself pretty well skilled when it comes to tinkering with cars (growing up my father was a prototype driver for Saab and raced various FIA classes professionally), I was rebuilding and restoring Mopars of my own before my friends even had drivers licenses.

The car is still under CPO warranty but I just hate dealing with the SA's negative attitude.

I'm wondering if the noise will go away as the parking brakes sink into the pieces of anti-squeak compound I made (if they are infact making contact with the back face of the rotor - which, if they are, should be noticeable by contact marks the next time I pull apart the brakes... I've got it down to getting the car into the garage, up and brakes apart in under 10 minutes now).

I'll keep this post updated with any info I come across.
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      12-01-2012, 12:01 AM   #97
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Mine started doing this today.

Slow take offs and turns im getting a god awful squeaking sound that sounds rotational. I bought the car used about 2 weeks ago and the dealer supplied the paperwork showing that the breaks had recently been replaced. Im assuming that they didnt use any anti squeal on the pads.

Since day 1 of owning the car, the breaks have been flawless and VERY touchy, so touchy that it almost seems as if the "slow stop" feature isn't working.

Has anyone confirmed whether adjusted the e-brake was the fix or if applying the anti-squeal to the back of the pads was the fix, or both???

Also I havent seen anyone confirm which way they turned the adjustment knob to fix the squeal.

PLEASE HELP, lol. This squeal is EMBARRISSING!!!!

-Nick
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      12-10-2012, 02:24 PM   #98
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Squeak

I've had the passenger side rear brake squeal for about 6-8 months now. Replaced both front and rear pads and discs. Still have the squeak.

Taking the car in for unrelated service this week and will show the dealer this post.
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      12-10-2012, 07:47 PM   #99
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After doing everything step by step I have noticed clinking when going over small bumps or minor potholes which I never noticed before. I also had to turn the adjustment wheel inside total of 30 clicks in order to be able to get the hand brake work with 8-10 clicks.
Any ideas what would cause the noise when going over minor bumps?
I'm sure I've tightened and connected everything properly. Checked twice.

Last edited by jvxbimmer; 12-10-2012 at 07:48 PM.. Reason: Spelling
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      02-06-2013, 09:58 AM   #100
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So my friend and I both have a 335's (his is i, mine is XI). His has squealed for as long as I know from the passenger side, rear (60K). I just noticed on my today (31k).

I started researching and came accross this post. Since its a rotational squeal, i would think that the noise would come from the brake shoe to rotor side. The slight contact would cause the shoe to vibrate and therefore contact and wear down the dust shield as seen. Did you guys notice any noticeable contact of the e-brake pad (side) to the inside of the rotor (parallel to the dust shield)? As the rotor heats up with use, the ID of the drum (parking brake) will expand, not get smaller as someone has said. However the rotor will get will get thicker, maybe just enough to contact the side of the e-brake shoe.

Maybe when they replace the pads or rotors in some causes, the tolerances changes or corrision/dust is knocked out and thats why a temporary fix is observed. Time and corrision/dust accumulate and the problem arises.

Why would they design a brake system with an extra drum parking brake when you could just add a mechanical tensioner to the caliper as others have done?
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      02-06-2013, 12:05 PM   #101
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Quote:
Originally Posted by critical05 View Post
Why would they design a brake system with an extra drum parking brake when you could just add a mechanical tensioner to the caliper as others have done?
Because first of all it's an emergency brake in case primary brakes fail.
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      02-06-2013, 05:39 PM   #102
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The parking brake I was referring to is a mechanical system built into the caliper, no hydraulic fluid needed for the parking brake. A simple cable, a lever arm on the caliper, I suppose an internal cam, tell me how that isn't fail safe?

Its been done, look at domestic parking brakes of the 90's for example.
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      04-03-2013, 07:59 PM   #103
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the noise you i heard in the video is straight forward brake pad noise. if it were the points you showed in the pic, you would hear a rotating sound all the time and it would increase when you are accelerating.

you probably shifted something when taking the brakes apart and made the squeak go away. usually lube and chamfer will fix the squeak issue or replacement of the pads when the brake sensor is making the noise.
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      04-22-2013, 06:08 AM   #104
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Nice job on the find, Ill have to try this I think I have this issue.
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      04-24-2013, 09:03 PM   #105
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I bent the dust shields in the back when I replaced my pads and noise has completely gone away.

Its been 4 months and no sign of a noise. Still on original rotors

Thank you OP!
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      06-03-2013, 02:04 AM   #106
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I would just like to give my problem and solution to this issue as well.

I had a 2 different sets of brake squeals. One was what most on this thread say happens. From a stop or just after applying brakes at low speeds I would accelerate and hear high pitch squealing up to 25mph. The other squeal being deeper in tone and coming from the front and when braking from 25mph down to 0 but only after a 35-45min drive.


I tried everything from getting the dealer to replace rotors and pads (still OEM Jurid semi-metallic) to then seeing this thread and then sanding any rust off the dust shields. Also, tried setting the parking brake to where it needed to be raised higher to engage. Then finally switched brake pads and it solved the high pitch squeal that most of you have. So for the high pitch squeal the OEM brake pads were the issue. I switched to ceramics, also organics work as well.

For the low pitch squeal I tried sanding down my rotors with 120 grit sandpaper. I used a lot of brake cleaner on the rotors as I was doing this. It fixed the issue after I rebedded the pads in. Apparently at some point in time after I got a regular pad change at the dealer, they decided to test drive the car (possibly for another issue) and ended up burning in the pads into the rotor from braking hard down to a stop on the new pads. Again, for low pitch squeal I sanded the rotors with 120 grit sandpaper and brake cleaner and rebedded the brake pads in. Also, check this thread out and read the 13th post down for a better method of doing this.

Hopefully this helps someone else having similar problems plague them as after a year and a half of squeals I am finally free of them thank Jesus.
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      06-13-2013, 01:12 PM   #107
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I have this issue too. When i wash my car, wash the wheels it goes away.

Once the wheel/brake gets all dusty it comes back, and of course has to hot (15-20min of driving +)


You guys think the anti squeal with cure my issues?? 08 - 328i, brakes have never been done yet (42k).
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      06-25-2013, 02:51 AM   #108
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Just tried this fix, it worked for about a day. The squeal is slowly getting louder again -_-. This thing is driving me crazy! I may just try the ceramics on the rear and see how that works.
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      06-25-2013, 03:39 PM   #109
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I would advise against using those orange CRC break quiet compounds on the contact points of the dust shield for the E-break shoes.
My other car, and old Corolla has drum breaks on the rear and I had worked on them. On the service manual, these contact points were clearly indicated to be lubricated with a break lubricant. They provide guidance to the shoes as they move towards the drum when brake is applied, and so need to be lubricated for easy movement. The CRC break quiet as far as I remember dries to become like rubber. It maybe good on the back surface of break pads where this rubber damps and isolates the vibration on the pads, but it may hinder the movement of the break shoe when used on the contact points on the dust shield. Granted on these cars E-break is not used for breaking but holding on park, still not a good usage.
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      07-23-2013, 09:20 AM   #110
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk23 View Post
I would just like to give my problem and solution to this issue as well.

I had a 2 different sets of brake squeals. One was what most on this thread say happens. From a stop or just after applying brakes at low speeds I would accelerate and hear high pitch squealing up to 25mph. The other squeal being deeper in tone and coming from the front and when braking from 25mph down to 0 but only after a 35-45min drive.


I tried everything from getting the dealer to replace rotors and pads (still OEM Jurid semi-metallic) to then seeing this thread and then sanding any rust off the dust shields. Also, tried setting the parking brake to where it needed to be raised higher to engage. Then finally switched brake pads and it solved the high pitch squeal that most of you have. So for the high pitch squeal the OEM brake pads were the issue. I switched to ceramics, also organics work as well.

For the low pitch squeal I tried sanding down my rotors with 120 grit sandpaper. I used a lot of brake cleaner on the rotors as I was doing this. It fixed the issue after I rebedded the pads in. Apparently at some point in time after I got a regular pad change at the dealer, they decided to test drive the car (possibly for another issue) and ended up burning in the pads into the rotor from braking hard down to a stop on the new pads. Again, for low pitch squeal I sanded the rotors with 120 grit sandpaper and brake cleaner and rebedded the brake pads in. Also, check this thread out and read the 13th post down for a better method of doing this.

Hopefully this helps someone else having similar problems plague them as after a year and a half of squeals I am finally free of them thank Jesus.
Hi Mk23, I couldn't have described the high pitch brake squealing better than you did!
I own an F20 116i model and, recently, I have noticed this high pitch squeal in the front brakes. So, the solution is to go for ceramic brake pads? The car is still under warranty (7 months old). Can I demand something from my dealer (the full or half the cost of the ceramics maybe)? Is there a way I could take advantage of the existing warranty and fit better parts? Which is the best way to handle this issue, in your opinion?
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