We have a 2007 Impreza Outback Sport that only has 8k miles on it. For the last couple months, the breaks have been making a grinding noise, so we took it into the dealer. They said they couldn't hear it, and that it was normal for a Subaru. They said if the car isn't driven much, it will get some rust on the disks and then make some noise in the beginning, but this should go away over time. We drove the car all weekend and it consistently makes this noise. Any recommendations about what I should do? Thanks!

brakes, not breaks

anyhow an 07 with only 8k miles yeah, its not driven enough to keep the rust build off away from the rotors. need to drive it more, and eventually it will rub the rotors clean. I assume its noisy when applying slight brake pressure, or after applying the brakes.

recommend driving it more often.

Edited March 23, 200917 yr by bheinen74

Did the dealer inspect the brakes (pads, rotors, etc.)? If not, they should do so before dismissing a grinding noise as ''normal''.

 

If the dealer did inspect the brakes, then they're probably right about rust. Rotors rust readily, and driving a short distance won't eliminate the noise. Rotor surface rust can mostly be removed by braking, but there will be some pitting left behind, and some of the rust will imbed in the pads. Unless the car is driven enough to wear the rotors relatively smooth again, there will be some noise.

 

Is the noise more noticable below a certain speed? Does it change during turns? Is it different when braking versus not braking?

When i had crap on my old cars pads/discs, my tyre/brake guy told me to travel at about 80k/h and firm/hard brake down to about 40k/h. But don't come to a complete stop and do this for a total of about 3 times.

 

He said this cleans the surface of the pads/disc when they get a build up of stuff on them. But mine was due to fine dust getting embedded on the pads and making a squealing sounds when i was braking. But it probably won't hurt to give it a try.