my family has all ford vehicles, 1 2004 ford f150, 1 2002 explorer, 1 2005 f250 mine, and 1 2002 ford focus, the focus which is my sisters is a 2002 4 door sedan. it has been having brake problems these past 6mon. the problem is they always squeek, squeel when comming to a stoplite or redlite, and sometimes make a grinding noise comming from the rear of the drums in the back, it has been to the meineke dealer 3x in 3mon, (its under warrenty from 6mon ago) they supposidly fixed there 3 times, the guy there says they squeak like this sometimes, i say otherwise, none of the other vehicles in the family have this weird queeeling/screeching problem. should i stick motorcraft brakes/pads/drums all around myself and be done with it or go with a high performance aftermarket set of rotors/pads for the front and a premium set for the rear drums and pads? please help, my sister is fedup with meineke and their stupid brakes !!!

 

I read a recent post stating that the superduty drum brakes are pretty durable and last well over 100k. Also, the 05 and up rotors are pretty good as well. Not sure about the benefit of premium pads. Some seem to prefer them. I do know that if you ever do need rotors, ART are fantastic!

The grinding noise is very concerning.

What work did Meineke do?

 

IMO, Meineke, Just Brakes, Ted Weins Firestone, Purfect Auto Care, etc.... all are rip offs. I have had no luck with most of them. I would take it to the dealer or do it yourself. Like I said it's just my opinion.

 

the work meineke performed originally last june 07 was changing front pads/rotors then 1 month later changed back drums/pads. my sister had the ford oem stock brakes from the local ford dealer on for roughly 4 yrs with no problems, the original brakes were all changed out before the car was sold to her by the dealer in june 2004, they never once squeaked or squealed at all until end of may 07 then she went to the local meineke thinking to get a good deal on a brake job and had the meineke brakes installed, and they have been nothing but problems ever since. the meineke brakes did not squeal for about 2-3 weeks then out of the blue they would start squeling and the back drums would start grinding, it is and was driving my sister mad at the sound of it. she took the car back and since the brakes are covered under a limited lifetime warranty had them replaced 3x already in under a year time pd. even thought the warranty was for the brakes labor was extra, and you had to pay this after the "new" brakes were installed on the car. so what should i do? install ford brakes and pads all around or go with a better than stock aftermarket brake kit?

 

Can you have someone pimpoint where the squeel is coming from? In the past, I have had my wife stand in the driveway as I pull in listening when I brake. Do it in forward and reverse. I have always heard that some types of brake pads (disc brakes) will squeek when the least bit of dust/dirt builds up. One way to tell is to take each whell off and wash the rotors and drums off real good and see if that temporarily stops the noise.

If the squeek is from only one wheel, you may have an issue with installation. If it is from both front wheels, both back wheels, or all four wheels, it probably is a "part" issue. It may very well be that you would have to change pads / shoes to eliminate the noise. Squeeks can come also from poorly lubricated parts as well. The local auto parts stores sell the brake lubricant if you want to tackle that yourself.

 

Before you do anything, go to the local auto parts store and get some anti-squeal in a tube. I like the orange stuff. I don't remember the name at this moment.

If the squeal is coming from the front brakes, remove the tires from the car. If you know how to remove the pads, do so. Now put the anti-squeal stuff on the back on the pads. Follow the instructions! Now replace the pads. As long as you didn't open the brake lines, you won't have to worry about bleeding the brakes.

The rear brakes rarely, if ever, squeal. If there's any noise, jack up the rear end of the car and wiggle the tire up and down. If there's any play, your axle bearings need to be replaced. Often, when these go, the brake shoes will drag on the drum. However, they usually make noises all the time, not only when the brakes are applied.

If there's no wiggle in the rear axle, remove the brake drums and gently remove the rubber dust cover from the brake cylinder. See if there's any rust or fluid. If you can see any, the brake cylinders need to be replaced. Leaking fluid on the shoes can case rubbing or grinding sounds from the brakes when you apply the brakes.

Hope this helps

 

I have had good luck with the premium pads from Autozone. I just put a set of their ceramic pads on the wifes Lexus and boy did they make a difference over the factory stock pads. The wife is oblivious to anything mechanical on a car and she noticed it.

 

When I put rotors on my son's 7.3, the ART representative recommended Autozone pads also!

 

don't know if this helps any, but in april or so my last dealer put a set of pads on the back of my 04 and they didn't squeak before but have slightly since then. not bad, and they seem to work just fine. it's just kinda annoying with the windows down.

 

Also, the AutoZone pads carry a lifetime warranty. Just bring the worn out pads in and they give you a new set free.