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Gosh Darn Brake Noise. Help!

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Old 02-12-2011, 01:34 PM
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When I am braking at traffic speed, all is well, but then when I pull in a parking lot and am creeping along and lightly brake, I hear a noise coming from the right-side rear everytime I [lightly] apply the brakes. It's been happening for a couple of months. It doesn't happen all the time either. Usually if I go to park soon after a 45mph drive. If I wait awhile to park, it usually doesn't happen.

How can I trace what is causing the noise? Its gotta be either the brakes, calipers or rotors, right?

Oh, at first it used to sound like a cow moaning but now its like a grinding type low humming noise. Help!
Old 02-13-2011, 07:06 PM
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how many miles on this pads? when brake sensor makes contact (metal) to rotor it will make quiet grinding noise, you can hear it slowly driving with foot baraly pressing brake...on my '08 Idrive showed 16 000miles to go with sensor already wearing out.
Old 02-13-2011, 10:33 PM
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I have the same issue. It only does it when the brakes are warm/hot. When it's cold such as just leaving for work in the morning and pulling out of my driveway it's quiet. By the time I get to work and navigating around the parking structure it squeals. Not a low humming sound though.
Old 02-14-2011, 09:18 AM
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just pull the brakes off and take a look. If they are ok, coat all contact surfaces except the friction material with a brake silencer or moly-coat.
Old 02-14-2011, 09:36 AM
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I had the same noise at 38000 miles. Replacing the brake pads and sensor solved the problem. There are great DIY posted.
Old 02-14-2011, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by padre
how many miles on this pads? when brake sensor makes contact (metal) to rotor it will make quiet grinding noise, you can hear it slowly driving with foot baraly pressing brake...on my '08 Idrive showed 16 000miles to go with sensor already wearing out.
Same exact thing happened to me. I got new front pads and rotors as a result.

Originally Posted by sevenup_guy
I had the same noise at 38000 miles. Replacing the brake pads and sensor solved the problem. There are great DIY posted.
+1

There are metal tabs on the brake pads that when new are about one third to one half the length of the pad thickness. As the pads wear down, eventually the tabs will start to hit the rotors - thus causing the high pitched squeal/scratching sound. The reason why this sound is not prevelant when first starting the car is because the brakes are cold. As everything heats up it expands.


Replacing the pads and sensors would be a good idea at this point, but an alternative method would be to just simply bend back or break the metal tab and then wait for the sensor to tell you when the pads need to be replaced
Old 02-14-2011, 03:48 PM
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Last May all the brakes and rotors were replaced brand new by the dealer. For free. So please don't say it might be rotors. Noooooooooooooo.
Old 02-14-2011, 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by donpb
Last May all the brakes and rotors were replaced brand new by the dealer. For free. So please don't say it might be rotors. Noooooooooooooo.
If that is the case, try taking apart the brake pads and applying anti squeaking compound to reduce the squeeling sound that can be caused from vibration. The BMW dealer are known to not use any anti squeaking compound at all. Here's a link for a DIY for an e46, the e60 should be similar http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=AqcIKRO3sjM
Old 02-14-2011, 06:19 PM
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BG Stop Squeal. Remove both pads from the caliper and coat with BG. It should quiet the squeak/squeal. If you're hearing a grinding noise you're metal to metal, and more than likely have chewed threw a rotor(depending how many miles you've been hearing the grinding and how loud the grinding is).
Old 02-14-2011, 06:31 PM
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I had a similar issue. It wasn't squealing but more like a grinding noise. I had the brakes checked and everything checked out fine. The sound also comes and goes.


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