scraping sound

Yo, whenever I'm driving my camry 99 4 cylinder I sometimes hear this scratching sound. It comes and goes, I can't figure out exactly what it is. It sometimes starts when I'm driving straight sometimes when I'm turning and it usually (stops) when I'm applying the brakes. Any ideas?

Also how often should I replace the brake pads. And I have no head for auto stuff so any suggestions for finding a good honest mechanic online around the so cal area?

Reply to
Ace
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That might be your brake wear indicator making that noise. If you don't want to look at it yourself ask your neighbors where they get their cars fixed.

Reply to
badgolferman

This sound is characteristic of brake pad issues. It doesnt always mean that the pad is worn down to the "tattletail", but it does mean you should check what is going on. Do you have a shudder when you apply the brakes? That can mean that the rotor is warped, and it can also lead to pads being displaced from the rotor, and unusual sounds can occur.

Some people replace the pads only, and dont do anything to the calipers when pad problems are encountered. And you can usually get away with this for a while. Over the last several years, I have noticed that at some point the caliper piston is likely to seize, and this can cause damage to the rotors, pads, etc. Sometimes it is cheapest to replace the caliper with a new or rebuilt. They come with pads. You CAN rebuild the calipers, and we did so often in the old days when calipers and rotors were very expensive. That is not necessarily true now.

If you dont know what you are doing, go to a friendly and competent independent mechanic, or if you cant find one, try your luck with a dealership.

You can ask locals who is friendly and competent. And there is a database of approved mechanics on the AAA website. You have to look for it, but last time I checked, it WAS there.

Reply to
hls

I had a similar problem with my 2000 Camry LE last year. Turns out it was a warped rotor on the drivers side. I took it to the dealer and paid for it. Take it to a mechanic you trust and pay probably half I did. They needed to replace left and right rotors and pads. good luck!

Reply to
camryguy

That is a really good point. Never replace pads on one side only, replace them both. And never machine one rotor and not the other.

You can probably replace one rotor so long as you machine or prep BOTH rotors.

Reply to
hls

your brake pads have a little tab on them to alert the driver that the pads need to be replaced and when they wear down, you will hear a scraping sound yet from what you described, it sounds like one of your wheel bearings is running dry, (no or very little grease)jack the car up and see if you have any looseness in the tire by grabbing the bottom and top of the tire and also do the same on the sides of the tire.

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Reply to
greg

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