Said It Here

Grinding noise after installing new brake pads and rotors

A deep, concrete-rubbing grinding noise can develop after a brake job because a slow-releasing caliper takes too long to unfreeze from the pads. This delay causes mysterious grooves to form on the new rotors and pads, creating abnormal friction every time you brake.

Overview
People affected34 accounts across 2 forums
Workarounds found65 items attempted
Community agreement69 total upvotes

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

  • People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
  • This comes up 9.0× more often in r/MechanicAdvice than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

65 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    rechecking installation
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    inspecting components manually
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    checking for trapped rocks or gravel
    Did this help you?
  4. 4
    trying to give it a once over
    Did this help you?
  5. 5
    checking the dust shield on the rotors
    Did this help you?
  6. 6
    checking and replacing worn control arm bushings
    Did this help you?
  7. 7
    inspecting for a loose sway bar link
    Did this help you?
  8. 8
    checking motor mounts
    Did this help you?
  9. 9
    removing and reinstalling brake pads
    Did this help you?
  10. 10
    cleaning hardware and components
    Did this help you?
  11. 11
    cleaning and re-greasing caliper slide pins
    Did this help you?
  12. 12
    only lubing the caliper pins and avoiding greasing the pads and clips to prevent attracting dirt
    Did this help you?
  13. 13
    Checking if the dust shield behind the rotor was bent during repair
    Did this help you?
  14. 14
    Securing the rotor with wheel studs when testing spin noise
    Did this help you?
  15. 15
    Replacing parts repeatedly like the CV axle, caliper, caliper bracket, and pads
    Did this help you?
  16. 16
    Buying new parts from local auto parts stores to try and fix the alignment issue
    Did this help you?
  17. 17
    Replacing pads and rotors simultaneously
    Did this help you?
  18. 18
    Returning to the repair shop to have them checked again.
    Did this help you?
  19. 19
    Disassembling the brake components, cleaning them, and applying copper paste or brake sliding pin paste.
    Did this help you?
  20. 20
    Considering replacing the sliding pins, changing the pads, or checking pad fitment in the caliper bracket.
    Did this help you?
  21. 21
    Bedding in the pads by driving 50mph and stepping on the brakes multiple times
    Did this help you?
  22. 22
    Putting the wheel on to clamp the rotor
    Did this help you?
  23. 23
    Driving or slowly rolling the car forward to wear in the new pads
    Did this help you?
  24. 24
    Removing, cleaning, and greasing caliper slide pins
    Did this help you?
  25. 25
    Testing with and without the backing plate
    Did this help you?
  26. 26
    asking if a spacer would help
    Did this help you?
  27. 27
    Greasing sliding parts
    Did this help you?
  28. 28
    Ensuring bolts are tightened securely
    Did this help you?
  29. 29
    Replacing rotors along with pads
    Did this help you?
  30. 30
    Checking for rust accumulation
    Did this help you?
  31. 31
    Taking the car to a shop for a brake inspection
    Did this help you?
  32. 32
    Cleaning rust behind the rotor and on the wheel hub
    Did this help you?
  33. 33
    Scuffing the rotor face with sandpaper or an abrasive pad in a cross-hatch pattern
    Did this help you?
  34. 34
    Checking suspension components like tie rods, ball joints, and wheel bearings
    Did this help you?
  35. 35
    Bleeding the brake system to remove air bubbles
    Did this help you?
  36. 36
    Checking the dust shield
    Did this help you?
  37. 37
    Inspecting pad installation orientation
    Did this help you?
  38. 38
    Consulting friends or online advice for potential issues like tight calipers
    Did this help you?
  39. 39
    Checking or adjusting the brake pad clips/brackets
    Did this help you?
  40. 40
    Ensuring clips are not installed backwards
    Did this help you?
  41. 41
    jack up the vehicle, pull the front wheels off, and double-check all components
    Did this help you?
  42. 42
    confirm that caliper bracket bolts and pins are tight
    Did this help you?
  43. 43
    verify rotors are flat against the hub and lug nuts are tight
    Did this help you?
  44. 44
    taking the brakes off to check the pad thickness
    Did this help you?
  45. 45
    inspecting the caliper and other hardware for uneven wear
    Did this help you?
  46. 46
    Re-installing or checking the brake pad clips
    Did this help you?
  47. 47
    Inspecting sway bar end links and struts
    Did this help you?
  48. 48
    Re-checking all brake work and components
    Did this help you?
  49. 49
    keeping driving so the coating wears off
    Did this help you?
  50. 50
    removing and inspecting the brakes
    Did this help you?
  51. 51
    Taking the wheel back off to check for a bent rotor splash shield or dislodged anti-shim clip
    Did this help you?
  52. 52
    Pushing the backing plate or dust shield back away from the rotor with a screwdriver
    Did this help you?
  53. 53
    Breaking in or seating the new pads and rotors properly
    Did this help you?
  54. 54
    Driving it for a week to see if it settles as the rust wears off
    Did this help you?
  55. 55
    waiting weeks for the pads to bed in
    Did this help you?
  56. 56
    Will probably inspect myself further in a couple of days.
    Did this help you?
  57. 57
    Checking for a stuck slide pin or a caliper that wasn't properly cleaned during installation.
    Did this help you?
  58. 58
    Checking for mismatched caliper bolts that might be touching the rotor
    Did this help you?
  59. 59
    Spraying off the coating on the braking surface with brake parts cleaner
    Did this help you?
  60. 60
    Greasing the slide pins and hardware
    Did this help you?
  61. 61
    Bedding the pads by doing a proper seat-in process (repeated medium braking from 40 to 2 mph)
    Did this help you?
  62. 62
    taking wheels off to inspect dust shields for interference
    Did this help you?
  63. 63
    compressing caliper pistons to ensure they retract fully
    Did this help you?
  64. 64
    checking that brake pads move freely in the greased slides
    Did this help you?
  65. 65
    checking rotors for scratch marks or lines to pinpoint the noise source
    Did this help you?
Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/MechanicAdvice21 people · September 2026 – November 2026

“During the drive, I noticed that while it did minimize the shake, I still feel a slight bit around the 25-30mph mark, and then it stops after it drops below 20mph.”source ↗

“My question is, is this unevenness normal during bed-in? I only drove it about 10 miles yesterday doing the usual process of going from 50 mph —> 20mph a few times, do I just need to drive it regularly a bit more for it to fully bed in?”source ↗

realMikeUK · r/MechanicAdvice · 19 upvotes

“Originally I needed a bearing done, got that knocked out and put it all back together and then my front passenger side wouldn’t move. I had to really give a lot of gas to get the damn car to move. Then comes to a grinding halt. I replaced cv axle, caliper, caliper bracket and pads and still doing it. Only to find out last night that my rotor is GRINDING against my caliper bracket (see pic). It screwed my new rotor up.”source ↗

“I just need some advice because I am so stumped if these new parts don’t work that I’m going to get from autozone today.”source ↗

Manhag · r/MechanicAdvice · 4 upvotes

“On the way home after the alignment, I heard a faint grinding from the brakes.”source ↗

vikiboii · r/MechanicAdvice · 3 upvotes

“After replacing the front brake pads myself, I started experiencing brake squealing at low speeds (~10-15mph) before coming to a complete stop.”source ↗

DapperBodybuilder637 · r/MechanicAdvice · 3 upvotes

“I just replaced my rotors and break pads today. Taking it for a test drive, and I’m getting a very annoying/bad squeaking,rubbing, whirring noise.”source ↗

blake1770 · r/MechanicAdvice · 3 upvotes

“Then today, completely out of nowhere, a loud squealing/grinding noise started from the rear on one side. Wasn't gradual, it just appeared suddenly mid-drive.”source ↗

Feeling-Tie-8413 · r/MechanicAdvice · 2 upvotes

“The rim makes a grinding noise every time the wheel is fully turned to the left. Used to have no issues, but this happened after I got an alignment.”source ↗

Equivalent_Elk_3903 · r/MechanicAdvice · 2 upvotes

“Everything else feels fine, driving straight is mostly fine (occasional chug), but when I make left turns, I get this chugging sound.”source ↗

Improvised_Lobotomy · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“when I hard break I get hard knock sound almost as the momentum of the suv is push foward and is hitting something. Any idea what could it be , no noice when turning , no squeaking im lost”source ↗

AFC_Yaa_Gunner_Yaa · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“the front brakes started making an extremely loud screech under light braking, usually while slowing from around 20 mph to a stop.”source ↗

“the screech still eventually comes back.”source ↗

“I’m trying to figure out whether I’m dealing with the pads/hardware causing severe brake squeal or whether I should be looking at something like a sticking caliper.”source ↗

Vanilla-Vulture · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“My front left brake is creaking whenever i brake with low to medium force at speeds under ~35mph/60kmh.”source ↗

“Shortly after, the creaking started. So i disassembled everything, greased the sliding surfaces with copper paste, cleaned and regreased the sliding pins. Creaking went away for a few weeks but came back.”source ↗

Timeudeus · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“I did have the wheel on and was driving it and it was still making that sound”source ↗

JacksonVM · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“My dad replaced my wheel bearing hub and it’s making a screeching/ rubbing noise.”source ↗

Best-Difficulty1054 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“I changed the front brake pads not long ago and have been hearing squealing on easy braking and grinding on hard braking.”source ↗

MetazoanCanine · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“My buddy and I just changed the front brakes on my girlfriends 2013 Nissan Altima (2.5L) last weekend and it’s been making this grinding sound, a lot louder in person.”source ↗

“Checked again and ensured the dust shield on both sides wasn’t touching the back of the rotor, the pads were installed the correct way, there doesn’t seem to be anything visible interfering with the rotor but still can’t figure out why it’s sounding this way.”source ↗

Northwesthighland · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“Just did a lower control arm replacement on my 2000 corolla, and im pretty sure my pad bracket is eating my rotor. Sounds like “shing shing shing shing shing” and speeds up as the rotor does. Any advice?”source ↗

IcyPlatypus5117 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“I just replaced my front brakes and rotors on my 2020 Toyota Corolla SE and now there is a repetitive knock/thud that seems to be about every rotation.”source ↗

“Not sure what to do, anyone have any ideas?”source ↗

General-Nose994 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“Ok thanks, only did a small drive. Im new to this.”source ↗

Feeling-Tie-8413 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“I started noticing a squealing noise while driving and a spring-like sound when braking.”source ↗

“the mechanic said it was just the pads bedding in and that it should disappear in a week or less, but two weeks have already passed and the problem persists”source ↗

itsjuoum · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“Im just commenting cause I need to know the answer.”source ↗

donkstonk69 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“Had a similar situation when I recently replaced pads/rotors on my 2011 Kia Soul. Turns out, I'd mismatched the caliper bolts. The bolt on one side was *ever so slightly* longer than the bolt on the other, so it was just enough to actually touch the rotor.”source ↗

Cool_Dark_Place · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“A few months back I replaced the rear brake pads and rotors as well as greasing all the usual spots and everything seemed fine. A week or so ago I had the window down and was going about 20mph in a parking lot a noticed a sound similar to that; I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the rear.”source ↗

“I’m at a loss now, I’ve checked everything and never had an issue like this where I can’t figure out where the sound is coming from; I have worked on all of my cars and figured everything out until now lol”source ↗

phil_mycock_69 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

“Now the pads are riding directly on the rotors even when I’m not applying the brakes.”source ↗

JacksonVM · r/MechanicAdvice

“Just changed the pads and disks on my vw polo. Whats happening here after my first drive?”source ↗

“There is also a burning smell coming. Is this normal?”source ↗

Feeling-Tie-8413 · r/MechanicAdvice
r/AskMechanics13 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“Noticed the other day a grinding noise coming from my brakes (or so I think). Any time I’m braking it sounds as though it is metal on metal. I just replaced my brakes not too long ago 6-8 months and I’m concerned something is not right. On my right rear disk there is a thick line, looking for some advice on what could be causing it.”source ↗

“Can hear it the most 10 under, especially when coming to a complete stop and my braking has been affected.”source ↗

Agreeable_Ad_8439 · r/AskMechanics · 3 upvotes

“I once forgot to and every bump they rattled.”source ↗

cheesediddler · r/AskMechanics · 3 upvotes

“About 3 weeks ago, I recently installed new rotors and brake pads as the old ones were warped and making vibrations when braking at high speeds.”source ↗

“Everything was fine until today when I started hearing sounds similar to concrete rubbing against concrete, but a deeper sound every time I brake.”source ↗

“And when I start driving again, it happens for a split second and stops, like it's taking the Caliper longer than usual to unqueeeze from the brake pads.”source ↗

EmperorPenguin8769 · r/AskMechanics · 2 upvotes

“Did a brake job today on a 2023 Chevy Silverado, and found mysterious grooves on the rotor earth and pads.”source ↗

Powerhouseleader44 · r/AskMechanics · 2 upvotes

“Vibrating while braking at high speeds even with new pads on front and rear.”source ↗

PuzzledMap7 · r/AskMechanics · 2 upvotes

“It’s probably the brake hardware rubbing on the rotor, had this happen on my accord.”source ↗

vex_42 · r/AskMechanics · 2 upvotes

“A few months ago I replaced my front pads/rotors, and bled all 4 calipers. Now for some reason my brakes are making a rubbery squeek sound.”source ↗

5prcnt · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

“Hello , I got my care breaks fixed at Mr.Lube end of August , after two weeks I can hear then squeaking.”source ↗

“Went back and it’s been a week and still hear the squeaky sound when I break!”source ↗

Fit_Tip9668 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

“I changed all the brakes on my 2020 VW polo and now when driving over bumps at low speed I can hear a ‘clack’ noise coming from the front wheels”source ↗

“The floating caliper has a small amount of play which I can feel by hand, and the ears of the brake pad are tapping against the caliper which is creating the noise I can hear”source ↗

Super-Device-3328 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

“is the sound coming when you go over bumps or just while driving?”source ↗

FISHMYROOSTER · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

“So, last night my rear passenger brake started to grind. Same sound as when you brake and there’s no material between the caliper and the rotor.”source ↗

“Had my pads and rotors changed last January and there’s still plenty of meat on the pads.”source ↗

“The grinding when from when rolling, to only stopping and now it only grinds during the first two seconds after leaving a stop or when I brake in reverse.”source ↗

jaidenalexander7 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

“I noticed a rattling noise when driving over bumps.”source ↗

Choice-Fig3769 · r/AskMechanics

“I have a 2012 and had grinding sounds for a bit after doing pads and rotors.”source ↗

PolentaDogsOut · r/AskMechanics

Where this came up

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