Jetta brake issue: pushback from dealership

[NetWareHead]

2009 VW Jetta TDI, about 33K miles on odometer. My rear brakes have been squeaking terribly when starting the car in the morning. After braking a few times there is no more squeaking. But for the first few miles of my commute, when freshly starting the car and most often after having sat overnight, the rear brakes squeak.

Since I have a few more thousand miles left on the factory warranty, I took it back to the dealer and asked them to inspect the rear brakes.

The report from the dealer is that the rear brakes have more than 5 mm left on the brake pads. They do not need replacement from a wear perspective. When I asked why do they squeak, the service tech launched into a spiel about VW using brake pads that are more noisy but cut down on brake dust, blah blah blah. Long story short, the dealer does not want to change the brake pads or fix the problem. My response to this was that if the brakes still have life left in them and they are squeaking loudly, then it is a mechanical or some other sort of issue and something the dealership needs to fix. (I understand that brake pads are a wearable item and not covered by warranty.) The service tech pushed back and that is when I said that I would like for his manager to call em back to discuss this further.

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced an issue like this. Why would a dealership push back on something like this, when it seems to me that it would be their responsibility? Thanks....

 

[Christobevii3]

Warranty doesn't usually cover wear items I'd imagine unless the calipers hung eating up the pads.

If the noise bothers you that much go to oreillys and buy the midgrade pads for $40 and put them on yourself in an hour or two.

 

[guyver01]

LOL what warranty covers breaks?

None.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

I don't consider this a real issue. My brakes squeal for the first stop or two of the drive as well.

 

[BUTCH1]

LOL what warranty covers breaks?

None.

Only if something unusual caused unexpected wear (stuck caliper). OP just has to get used to ceramic pads, I can tolerate the squeaks for decent braking and little dust..

 

[Meghan54]

OP just has to get used to ceramic pads, I can tolerate the squeaks for decent braking and little dust..

You might be surprised to find out ceramics usually aren't any better than good semi-metallic pads and typically are worse at braking power.

Ceramics were created to produce less dust and wear longer (saves the mfgr. warranty costs), but do have a drop in braking effectiveness compared to semi-mets. This is why in tow vehicles, semi-met. pads are the upgrade from ceramics....better stopping power at the cost of being noisier and worse dusting.

 

[Doppel]

I think the question is how loud is squeaking? A little bit can occur on even new cars. If it's waking the neighbors it should be addressed.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

VW pads squeak when cold, that's nothing out of the ordinary

 

[thescreensavers]

My dealer used Anti Seize as lubricant instead of the proper brake stuff. I did some things which heated the brakes up and now they squeak when they are cool.

Check what lubricant they used.

 

[Doppel]

My dealer used Anti Seize as lubricant instead of the proper brake stuff. I did some things which heated the brakes up and now they squeak when they are cool.

Check what lubricant they used.

Do people still use lubricant on pads? I haven't in many brake jobs on my own cars; don't the shims on the back of the pads really make it superfluous?

 

[thescreensavers]

I am pretty sure you put the grease on the shims, that is what I am talking about.

I dont know that much about brakes yet, I had a friend help me with the front end when I had shaking under braking, When we took the pads off he said there was anti seize on them.

 

[BUTCH1]

You might be surprised to find out ceramics usually aren't any better than good semi-metallic pads and typically are worse at braking power.

Ceramics were created to produce less dust and wear longer (saves the mfgr. warranty costs), but do have a drop in braking effectiveness compared to semi-mets. This is why in tow vehicles, semi-met. pads are the upgrade from ceramics....better stopping power at the cost of being noisier and worse dusting.

From Tire rack, "Ceramic pads meet or exceed all original equipment standards for durability, stopping distance and noise. According to durability tests, ceramic compounds extend brake life compared to most other semi-metallic and organic materials and outlast other premium pad materials by a significant margin - with no sacrifice in noise control, pad life or braking performance."
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=88

 

[amicold]

They're probably ceramic pads man, this IS normal.

 

[yottabit]

Yeah this is pretty typical. There's 3 different sounds I associate with break pads:

"Mousey" squeak or mild roar- the sound you hear a couple times after letting your car sit, or it rains, etc... this is perfectly fine if it goes away after a few stops

Ear-piercing squeal- Time to replace your brake pads, you are on the wear bars

Harsh throbbing metallic grinding - Oops. You waited to long, and it's metal on metal. Now you need new rotors too

Clearly you are suffering from the mousey squeak, which is perfectly fine

 

[Gibson486]

This your first car with 4 wheel disc (if your car does have 4 wheel disc)?

This is normal. It is annoying, but it is normal.

 

[Demo24]

LOL what warranty covers breaks?

None.

That would be a pretty shitty warranty if it didn't cover 'breaks', 'brake pads' on the other hand somewhat less so. Unless you have a free maintenance program and that a number of companies have started. I remember Subaru actually covered me on the first time replacement of wear items..brakes and even wiper blades. 🙂

 

[Howard]

Maybe your rotors just rust super-fast and the pads are just grinding off the rust in the mornings?