I bought a 2nd hand Passat in November (20,000 miles, S reg). I got it from a VW dealer and thus have a year's warranty. Since I bought it the front nearside brake has been making a terrible grinding noise. Sounds like metal on metal. Despite the dealer changing the discs twice and the pads three times the noise still persists. They have even sent it to an independent garage who simply changed the pads and cleaned up some excess grease. The latest advice I have is 'they make that noise'. This I cannot believe.
Anyone got any ideas about what can be casuing this noise? The dealership obviously have not.
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I take it it is not a squeak which should be prevented by anti-vibration spring metal and copper grease on back plate? Very odd on one side only.
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No, not a squeak. Definitley the same sort of noise you get when the pads have worn away to nothing and metal is touching metal. I think my local VW dealer has given up.
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V:A:G have a terrible problem here in Germany with discs and pads
I think everybody I know who has a Golf ,Passat variant has some problem with pads .There are softer materials available .I think mods are available also. But I would not own a VAG if it was the last option on earth.
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Since they got rid of asbestos from brake pads, I think they are harder and tend to wear the discs out faster.
I had a bike which had bits of copper deliberately embedded in the brakepad by the manufacturer, which did make a noise as the pad wore. No idea why.
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It sounds like it is not the pads. Something must be in contact with the disc unless it is something rubbing on the wheel. They are the only bits that turn. Why not have a look yourself. If there is rubbing, it must leave a mark. Try turning the hub with a friend gently pressing the brake. If it is not fast enough jack it up on BOTH sides, and run the engine with 4/5th gear engaged and get your friend to brake gently. You should hear/see something. (don't do this with only one wheel jacked up as when you brake it could send power to the unjacked wheel and lurch off the jack. One should really use axle stands for safety.) Post a result if you find out the cause. Sounds interesting. Do the pads on tthe nearside wear out more quickly than the off side. If so, could be a sticking brake. Caliper problem?
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Has a suspension bush failed? Rubber bushes help prevent the transmission of unwanted normal vibrations, the cause of all noise. Another possibility is glazed discs due to constant light braking, a bit of moderate to heavy braking from a high speed might help, the brakes are designed with this in mind.
Back in the 90's I worked as a mechanic for a company with a large fleet of Fords. When they introduced the facelifted and lightened Escorts in about 1990 we were flooded with complaints about noise, especially front brake noise, they sounded like metal on metal when braking firmly at low speed. Although still under warranty, we used to fit good quality pattern pads. One problem sorted. Another problem was the rapid wear of the N/S pads. Uneven wear is a common problem with disc brakes even when nothing is wrong with them. The N/S brake picks up more road dirt than the O/S and turns it into an abrasive sludge. I think the Ford brakes must have been over exposed. Some Peugeot pads used to be boxed as a set, each pad being identical except for a dab of coloured paint on the back, one colour for the O/S, one for the N/S outer and one for the N/S inner. Different hardness's to compensate for the uneven wear.
Finally, I currently work for a company who have several VW caddy vans. In spite of everything being tried, back brake noise is horrendous until they warm up.
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