I get the same thing. Kind of a squeaky-squealy metallic screech when braking while backing up the vehicle. I also occasionally get a repeatable metallic noise when driving along, somewhat less or more depending on if I'm steering left or right at the time. Yeah, I probably need new brakes. Asked the mechanic where I took it last, he said current brakes were fine, and tried to sell me a set of ceramic pads for $300 if the noises really bothered me.
I'm concerned though, had a problem with half of the calipers on the front disc brakes freezing up, so only half of the brake pads got worn, the other half looked perfect. When that happened before, it started with a small metallic squeek, but eventually degraded quickly into evil grinding, and eventually the rotors had to be replaced. Supposedly, the frozen calipers were fixed, but.. the similarities between what happened then, as a precursor, and what is happening now, are scaring me. But unlike before, I still have most of my braking power, and the metallic noise doesn't get significantly worse during the actual act of braking. So I dunno here.
I don't own a garage nor a hydraulic lift, nor know anyone personally that does, and I didn't really feel like doing a lot of work on my car in the winter in the cold, so I haven't taken a look at the calipers/pads myself. Guess I should now that spring is almost here, it's my male duty to fix my damn car squeeks myself. Computers, I can deal with in my sleep, but I'm still mostly an automotive-repair n00b.
Just a curiousity: on an automotive-repair difficulty scale, making an analogy to cooking, where does replacing disc brakes fit? Closer to cooking toast, or making meatloaf, or omelettes, or what?
I think I need a new exhaust system soon too, MA winters aren't too kind to cars. My driver's side door is rusting out on the bottom a tiny bit now too I noticed. Is something like that fixable, or should I attempt to source a complete replacement door from a junkyard, or is that just a sign that my car is now officially a junker and that I've owned it too long, compared to some of you? It's a '92 Dodge sedan, btw, "new to me" about three years ago. Ran like a beaut, but I'm.. not the greatest at maintenance, apparently.
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