Hi all,

My 23 V8’s brakes squeak when applying light pedal pressure. It goes away with heavier pressure.

as of today, it seems there is a slight squeak even when I’m just driving along at a low speed.

Any thoughts on what is wrong before I go to the dealer?

 

First, verify the torque on your lug nuts. After that, sometimes a glazing or dirt can get in there between pads & rotor. Before taking the trouble of a dealer/shop, try three or four very hard stops from 30-35 mph. Not skids or lockups, but very hard stops. It re-seats the pads to the rotors and often takes care of nuisance squeaking like what you describe. After that, it could be a pad not seated well to the caliper & piston, which takes mechanical intervention.

 

I've had this exact same issue for quite a while and I'm not sure why I haven't had it looked at. I think it's just one of the four brakes and there are no other issues, but it's finally starting to annoy me. I plan on getting it checked in a month as my service is due, and also have the fix installed for the key fob not being detected well when I'm at the drivers door.

 

I’m with you on this advice, as sometimes the rotors become a little glazed, or polished over time. Only thing I would add to that method is to
replicate the same action by finding an empty parking lot or similar venue and perform the same procedure while reversing. Even though to the naked eye the surfaces appear smooth, under magnification one would see ridges and grooves which become ‘set’ into the rotor and pad surfaces and having the brakes applied in reverse may wear and erase these imperfections. At the least, it’s easy, costs nothing and may resolve the issue without touching a tool or wasting a trip to the dealer.

 

Ok, it is apparent nobody here has had VW Beetles before. They squealed like a soon to be murdered pig. Eventually you learned there is a paste you put between the pad and the piston. It keeps the pad from developing that tiny, tiny space between the pad and the piston. This tiny space allows the pad to resonate and make that pig calling noise. You can get it at most autoparts or mail-order parts places. It usually has a name like "anti-squeal" something or other. Many quality brake pads come with a little sachet of the goo to spread on the pad on installation.

The other cause, a pre-corroded pin that the pads slide on. If they have resistance, they don't let the pad back off the rotor enough when not engaged fully.

 

I have noticed a weird chirping noise coming from my brakes as well, recently. The difference with mine though is that I notice it when I release the brake pedal after I have been stopped at a red light for a little bit. I have no idea what it is.