I really need help with this brake issue

[SalvadorP]

I'm in over my head. My car is making so much noise it is basically undriveable.
Link to a video of the noise at the end of the post.
It brakes very well and if I apply the brakes suddenly, it doesn't or barely produces any noise, until the car is going very slow. So it's mostly a low speed/soft brake thing.

I have disassembled the brakes 3 times now, greased the parts again and it's the same if not worse.

This noise started after I changed the front rotors, pads and assembly accessories. Then I changed the back pads reassembled the front parts to try to solv ethe front noise issue. Now it's worse than ever as the rear brakes are also making noise, I believe.

Front disc brakes and pads and back pads are all ferodo brand. The accessory kits are all new, front and rear, but they are aftermarket cheapo.

My intuition tells me it must be either the ferodo pads or the assembly kit parts, because if it was the ferodo rotors, there would be no reason for the rear to be noisy too.
I'm at the brink of buying all pads and rotors and assembly kit from Volvo just to solve this nightmare. But I didn't buy ferodo because it was cheaper than oem, I bought them because they are a reputable brand.

Please help me.

https://youtu.be/9dYXajnGBNI

[SalvadorP]

I forgot a very important detail. The ferodo pads did not come with anti squeal shims, those plates glued to the back of the pads. I know the pads I took off did have shims.

I just watched a great video on the tube and kinda confirmed what I was thinking, that this is related to vibration, because it is WAY worse at low speed and low brake pressure (more room to vibrate). The video explains that the brake shims does dampen the vibration, which nulifies the noise. But it says that pads either come with attachable shims, or shims already glued to the back of the pad.

The ferodo ones don't.
Is this the isse? And if it is, how do I solve it? Can I just buy the shims or are these pads garbage?

[J liddy]

Can you first swop just say the front pads for the old ones if they are not to close to the metal th
en try the rear pads .
This job is a case of elimination you could even try one side at a time first you need to find which side is failing so 1 in 4 chance then its either discs or a caliper problem .

[J liddy]

Just watched video it's very hard near on impossible to replicate that it's frustrating we know hopefully someone here will have a better view I will ask my 900 friends

[Familyman 90]

It's going to be an incompatibility between discs and pads. A different brand of pads may or may not cure it. That's why I stick to OE Volvo parts for brakes.

[john.wigley]

I'm afraid that I can't assess the vid at present on the ancient tablet I'm using just now Salvador, so an responding without the benefit of hearing it.

If you have stripped, checked, cleaned, greased and reassembled your brakes several times, I would think it unlikely that the problem lies there.

Like you, I have always considered Ferodo to be a reputable and reliable brand.

One possibility that does occur to me. When you disassembled the rears, how was the hand (aka parking or emergency) brake? As you are probably aware, it is not unknown for the shoes to delaminate with age and break up causing problems, especially on automatics where it may not be so frequently used.

OTOH, as you say, I would not rule out the shims. The difficulty with NVH issues is that sound travels and may not necessarily be emanating from the point at which it may first seem!

Hope you can quickly get to the bottom of this. Good hunting!

Regards, John.

[SalvadorP]

Originally Posted by J liddy

Can you first swop just say the front pads for the old ones if they are not to close to the metal then try the rear pads .
This job is a case of elimination you could even try one side at a time first you need to find which side is failing so 1 in 4 chance then its either discs or a caliper problem .

Can't. I was in the process of moving from Barcelona to Portugal and I did the front brakes before the big trip, so I threw them away. If it was discs, why would it start on the rear too where I did not change the rotors? Also how would both front and rear calipers fail at the exact time I changed pads?
The only common culprits between front and rear are the Ferodo pads, the aftermarket fittings and the no anti squeal shims on the pads.

Originally Posted by Familyman 90

It's going to be an incompatibility between discs and pads. A different brand of pads may or may not cure it. That's why I stick to OE Volvo parts for brakes.

I hear you. But both discs and pads on the front are ferodo, not only from the same brand but also the same line of products.
Also the pads would have to not only be imcompetible with the ferodo rotors but also the volvo rotors, since I did not change discs on the rear.

Originally Posted by john.wigley

I'm afraid that I can't assess the vid at present on the ancient tablet I'm using just now Salvador, so an responding without the benefit of hearing it.

Thanks John. Watch it when you can. It's laughable and depressing at the same time. It's not just some brake squeal, it's the mother of all squeals.

Nah, the handbrake is fine. Also it started in the front when I did the front brakes before the trip to portugal, then I went to my mechanic friend to jack up the car and change the rear pads and review the noise situation and then the real cacophony started, when all of a sudden I didn't have just 2 noisy wheels, but 4. Like I said above, the only common culprits between front and rear are the ferodo pads, the no shim situation and the aftermarket assembly parts.

I cannot for the life of me find shims for our car. Seems like they are just a part that comes with the pads and have no part number. I have seen that there is a sort of material, like a sticky tape that you can glue to the back of the pads that does the same, but i couldn't find it locally or on auto-doc types of sites. I have however noticed that even cheapo ridex pads come with shims. Brembo front pads cost 29 and come with shims. If I am not able to find the culprit other way, that's the first load on the parts cannon.

[SalvadorP]

Just had an idea. I know the shims for the rear pad type are sold separately. I can just get a set of them and install them and see if it fixes the issue on the rear side. Then see what's the best solution for the front.

[kiloran]

If you can't find shims, try using Copaslip on the backs of the pads. That can help. Or maybe make your own with some tin snips. A drinks can is probably flexible enough and easily cuttable.

https://www.google.com/search?q=copaslip

Also check that it's not your brake shields vibrating - in our wetter/saltier climate they corrode and start to break up. I've also had small stones/gravel stuck between the shield and the disc which makes a hell of a noise - interestingly not all the time, only with the steering in certain positions and under braking.

[SalvadorP]

Originally Posted by kiloran

If you can't find shims, try using Copaslip on the backs of the pads. That can help. Or maybe make your own with some tin snips. A drinks can is probably flexible enough and easily cuttable.

https://www.google.com/search?q=copaslip

Also check that it's not your brake shields vibrating - in our wetter/saltier climate they corrode and start to break up. I've also had small stones/gravel stuck between the shield and the disc which makes a hell of a noise - interestingly not all the time, only with the steering in certain positions and under braking.

Nah. It's not the brake shields. They are just fine.

I am a bit disappointed with ferodo. They sell the pads without shims and they don't sell the shims separately. I am considering ordering a set of Brembo pads.

Some pads come with a glued material instead of a steel shim. That material is made of polyurethane. There is a Polyurethane tape made specifically to protect friction areas between metal. It is use mostly in space and aircrafts. But a roll of that would set me back just as much as a new set of pads. Sets of the same material are also sold and marketed specifically for brake pads.