I've got an '04 Chevy Colorado z71, 3.5L, ext cab.

The stock brakes on it were noisy as hell. I had my mechanic check them every few months, we both looked at them and they looked fine. he tried cleaning them, etc, but they continued to squeak.

In the last 3 months, I felt a little roughness in braking maybe 3 or 4 times, but it never sustained. Well, I took my truck in today for some maintenance, and I'll be damned. Mechanic says my rotors are shot. I really trust this guy, from my own experience, other's experience, and recommendations.

It's a pain to keep an eye out on my pads (I don't really have time to remove the wheels and check, not to mention, it's a pain when doing it by hand).

What gives?
Any other ways to watch out for this again? (I'm hoping new rotors/pads won't be so noisy)

12/16/2008 9:21:18 AM

not to completely hijack your thread, but i think i'm having the same trouble...i got the pads replaced about 2 years (20k) ago, and now when i brake, i can feel/hear the roughness...stopping doesn't really seem affected, but still sounds bad...new rotor time? or maybe just have them turned? damnation, it's not the money, it's the TIME

12/16/2008 9:27:55 AM

you drive it like nascar?

12/16/2008 9:34:06 AM

i don't know who you're asking, or if asking both, but i drive my car pretty roughly...also, they've been doing construction around where i work, and it's muddy as can be

also, the pads are ceramic, if it matters

12/16/2008 9:38:01 AM

well.... aggressive driving can cause warped rotors..... and dirt/mud/shit can also get in the pads and drums and do some scarring



rule of thumb, dont drive a civic like a corvette at VIR

12/16/2008 9:45:47 AM

lol. I don't typically drive like NASCAR, but I won't say that I never do

I do tow a boat occasionally, which can cause some extra stress

12/16/2008 9:49:27 AM

^^ the thing is, the worst way i drive my saturn is by gunning it and quick shifting to get up to speed...there's really not a lot of slamming down on brakes

maybe just the dirt/mud, though

*shrug*

12/16/2008 10:39:28 AM

I have the same brake squeaking problem when I back my car down a hill. Maybe it's time to change the pads.

12/16/2008 11:35:21 AM

Quote :

"you drive it like nascar?"

or with both feet?

12/16/2008 11:40:23 AM

lol. not with both feet.

I'm hardly ever on the brakes hard.

Any reason why brakes would be noisy all the time? Just crappy stock brakes? I doubt they'd use anything that hard for stock pads.

[Edited on December 16, 2008 at 11:47 AM. Reason : .]

12/16/2008 11:47:12 AM

are you on dirt or rocky roads alot

12/16/2008 11:48:22 AM

nope. mainly city driving

12/16/2008 11:50:32 AM

shit just happens

there is no reason

12/16/2008 11:54:04 AM

yeh, that's a possibility.

12/16/2008 11:59:12 AM

Quote :

"rule of thumb, dont drive a civic like a corvette at VIR"

12/16/2008 2:21:02 PM

12/16/2008 2:31:05 PM

ceramic pads will squeal and wear out the rotors no matter what

unless you do a lot of heavy towing/hauling, or high speed driving (neither of which apply to your colorado) then stick with semi metallics

more expensive isn't always better

12/16/2008 2:40:26 PM

my car calls for ceramics...next time i have them done, should i just have them put on asbestos pads (do they still make those)?

12/16/2008 3:22:44 PM

man every time it mo-fuckin rains or there's a lot of humidity in the air my front breaks on my durango squeal something fierce. then after a lil bit of squealin they'll be super sensitive, where just a lil bit of pressure on the break pedal will cause the thing to come to an abrupt halt (like I would if I were to hit a brick wall).


what's up with that?

12/25/2008 11:58:46 AM