Why are my brakes scraping after replacing pads and rotors?
A slight scraping noise within 48 hours of replacement can indicate a deep groove forming on the center edge of one side. This sudden defect leaves drivers rushing to resolve the issue before it is too late and the new parts are permanently damaged.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Doing a pad slap or buying brand new geo-coated rotors from RockAutoDid this help you?
- 2replacing both pads and rotors simultaneouslyDid this help you?
- 3resurfacing the rotors if changing the padsDid this help you?
- 4lubing guide pins and not letting calipers hangDid this help you?
- 5Taking the vehicle back to the shop that did the installationDid this help you?
- 6Checking and bending the splash shield back into positionDid this help you?
- 7Checking if the caliper bracket came looseDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hard to see but there's a deep groove in the center edge, and it's only on that side.”source ↗
“Just got new brake pads and rotors. Not even 48 hours later and all of a sudden I noticed the sound of scraping on the front right side, and I see this.”source ↗
“brakes have been scraping slightly and want to try to resolve this before it’s too late, unless it already is.”source ↗
“brakes have been scraping slightly and want to try to resolve this before it’s too late, unless it already is.”source ↗
“I should have mentioned this was with a pad replacement, I wasn’t using old pads with new rotors”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6Pushed CV axle in while changing brake rotors
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- 3Is severe brake rotor and caliper rust safe to drive on?
- 2Why do electric brake boosters beep and suck fluid backward when bleeding?
- 6Finding individual brake parts for an older car
- 8Why is my brake caliper piston so hard to compress?