Hi all, I recently got ALOT of work done on my 1999 TH magna solara wagon (bill came to $2200!) and included timing belt, front and back breaks, muffler and a whole lot of other smaller stuff. Anyway, since I got it back, I have been getting this high pitch squeaking noise that seemed to get progressively worse. It sounds like brakes squeaking, except that it happens at low speeds when I take my foot OFF the brakes from a stop. It seems to be coming from the back wheels as best as I can tell.

I took it back and they said they blew out the dust from the brakes. It seemed better for about half hour then it started again slightly and has gotten bad again. They said they would have to take the back end off and check the calipers and a few other things (I dont understand any of it!). I am booked in to take the car tomorrow, but wondered if anyone here might have some idea what is causing it before I take it in? Let me know if there is anything else you need to know to try to figure it out.

Thanks,
Glen

From what your saying it sounds like a wheel bearing. They aren't cheap to get replaced, roughly ~$400-500 i'm pretty sure.

But if this just happend as soon as you got it back from the mechanic it may have been there causing so look into that first.

new pads that havent had the leading edge chamfered can do this for a while (200kms or so of stop start traffic) my car did it for a while too, last week. maybe 100kms or so for me.

The handbrake might be dragging just enough to make a noise. To rule it out, you can try and apply the handbrake as the noise occurs and if it the noise stops it's the shoes rubbing on the drum - all it needs is adjusting. Otherwise, you can test for wheel bearing play by jacking the vehicle up and rocking the wheel with your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock, and if there's play you may need a new rear hub. Otherwise, take the car for a spin around the block, and if the rear wheels seem warm after a small trip, then the rear brakes may be dragging which could mean the calipers are sticking after the new pads were put in.

You can try glueing the pad to the piston either with RTV silicone or the thick goop you can buy in tubes to stop this problem. But first I'd try what andrewts says above which sounds like good advice. Good Luck.

Sounds to me like the common handbrake squeak, when it makes the noise lift the handbrake up and down a tiny bit and see if it goes away, can just mean that the handbrake needs adjusting...

+ 1 to having the handbrake looked at.