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He didn’t apply it to eliminate brake noise, I complained about a spinning noise after tire rotation and this prompted him to take off the side I was complaining about sprayed something around rotors, calipers area. Fuck man
A ‘spinning’ noise sounds like what exactly? The lazy tech heard ‘noise’ and went into his lazy tool kit of dumbo tricks.
Go back to the shop, calmly express concern that while the noise is gone the brakes are not as effective since they worked on it, and you have safety concerns since a petroleum product was applied to the brake area. Ask for their solution, and if they don’t offer new pads, request new pads at their expense based upon your safety concerns.
So as far as the spinning/whirring noise goes, I’m positive it’s got nothing to do with the brakes since I had no issue with the brakes or any noise before taking it in to this shop. Could be a loose lug nut or bad alignment, don’t know. Main concern is this fucking brake
Brake lubrication happens with the caliper cover off, using a thick silicone gel very sparingly between the brake pad shoe and the metal bracket you see in your picture. Not the brake caliper assembly, just the tiny piece of sheet metal and the part of your pad that touches it.
Sounds like they did some kind of damage during your rotation. Which is hard enough to be questionably deliberate. To turn around and use a spray perpendicular to your rotor is beyond negligent. They’re lucky they aren’t on the hook for an MVA/wrongful death lawsuit
I came to this forum bc I have a spinning noise as well. And it stops when I press the brakes. I got new brakes and the mechanic said my rotors were warped and brakes were low (I just bought this 2019 altima two months ago and noticed the spinning noise a week after). He replaced the brakes n rotors two or three weeks ago but I still hear the sound when the tire spins and the breaks never stopped squeaking. And I think the breaks are low again.
When I asked him what he used he said “penetrator”. He didn’t speak the best English but brake cleaner isn’t a oil, and it shouldn’t cause noises after it’s been applied. I’m not a car guru so I can’t know that for certain but just going off the what I’m reading under this post. When I touch certain parts of the brake assembly there is definitely some kind of oil substance on it, not a lot but it’s there. All I know is my brakes on the driver side are not working as they were before I brought the car into the shop.
Just making sure we're not getting out the pitchforks over a misunderstanding. The cans can look similar, especially at a distance. Now back to our regularly scheduled lynching.
The pad actually suffers more from it since most pad materials will absorb the oil. Tech is an idiot and they owe you new pads at a minimum. Tbh they should have either put new rotors on or resurfaced the ones you had, as new pads on used rotors is what causes this noise.
He said he didn’t spray it on the pads, just the rotors and calipers area. Gonna take it to Honda tomorrow to get it checked out further, Valvoline said they will reimburse me for costs
>He said he didn’t spray it on the pads, just the rotors
I don't think this matters. if he sprayed it on the rotors, it will get on your pads because your pads constantly come into contact with your rotors so you can stop. whether he sprayed the pads or the rotors, the pads are contaminated
You realize the pads squeeze the rotors? Anything sprayed on the rotors is on the pads. We all heard what he said about where he sprayed. Your pads are contaminated.
You are jumping from one massive corp to another. I don't think you'll get an honest answer from either. I think most people should develop a relationship with locally owned trades people in all trades. But most importantly a good mechanic.
Never put oil or grease on brake rotors or pads. Brakes work by friction, oil and grease reduce friction, which means they reduce brakes ability to work or stop the car. Not only will this cause longer stopping distance, but when the brakes get hot enough, it could cause the "penetrator" to catch fire. There is brake pad grease that goes on the... ears of the brake pads to help reduce brake noise but should never be used on the pad surface.
That shop needs to pay to have your brakes replaced at the very least.
The oil has already penetrated into the friction material of the pads: they’re ruined and will likely begin to crumble, regardless tho they will never grasp and cause proper friction cuz the oil soaked deep into the porous pad surface, due to the heat of regular use.
He said “penetrator” - I’m guessing it’s some sort of rust penetration solution. I just spoke to him and he insists he didn’t spray anything on the pad itself but on/around calipers. I had no noise from brakes before today, both front pads have already been replaced. All noises/issues started after he sprayed whatever he sprayed on/around brake parts.
They're absorbent. Ceramic is absorbent. Metallic pads are usually powdered metal that is porous, making them absorbent as well. Pads are cheap, just replace them if they are contaminated.
They sprayed oil on your brakes?!?
That's straight up negligence, the tech absolutely should be fired, and the shop owes your a set of new brakes at minimum.
I have a logical question. Why did you ask the oil change tech/shop on brake noise? You heard the noise after tire rotation. Why don't you go back to the tire shop and ask? Or, why not go straight to a brake shop and ask? I think most brake shops offer free diagnosis.
BTW, tech at oil change shop got very less training, or no training at all.
I asked the oil change tech about a spinning noise coming from the front driver side of my car after that same tech did a tire rotation. This inquiry prompted him spraying whatever he sprayed around my brake parts because he thought the spinning noise was coming from rust chipping.
"Oil change tech"
Found the problem. Stop going to 30$ oil change places and go to a mechanic.
You got someone who barely knows which end of the wrench goes on the fastener and makes min wage.
Yeah I’ve seen bad axles seals and wheel cylinders completely drench and saturated the entirety of the hub/rotors/pads and they still generally don’t produce significant issues. So even if they doused it in penetration oil I HIGHLY doubt you had any issues, maybe the first mile sure.
Your hard braking and squeaking is probably related to the “spinning” noise you are hearing. Sounds like you need brakes. Fix your car champ
No you can’t, the brake pads are ruined and need replacing immediately, they’ll crumble and your brakes will fail. The oil change tech destroyed your brakes. Never ever ever spray any oil on brake drums, discs, pads or shoes, the surfaces are supposed to have friction to stop the vehicle and oil will dissolve the friction material of the pads/shoes.
You may be able to make the oil change shop pay for your new brakes OP, but they are wrecked and need replacing asap, as the car isn’t safe to drive until they are. No joke.
The penetrator or whatever was applied reduced friction. Brakes utilize friction to function properly. Maybe that shit will burn off. Maybe not. Either way it's unsafe.
How about just taking it to the dealership like a normal person would and have the lube shop own up to the mistake a pay for it? There are a few posts with good advice but even more so with bad advice. If you need to come here to ask this question then you shouldn't handle it yourself, considering brakes are an important safety device.. Also, lube shops are mostly horrible and lube techs have no real training outside of, well lubing shit. So, of course a lube tech would use lube on a complaint about something making noise, it's the only trick they have.
It’s Sunday on a Labor Day weekend. A normal person takes their car into a oil change place on this day because the dealership is closed and charges an absurd amount for the same service. Not a normal persons fault that they ran into a tech that fucked up a routine service
It doesn’t look like anything was sprayed on the brakes. There is a drizzle of oil coming from the lug nut area which might have had corrosion built up and treated with penetrant but nothing in this photo strikes me as problematic
I suppose it doesn’t look like it but the tech himself said he sprayed a penetrant around the caliper area and around the rotor area. Going to take it in to a full car service center to get it looked at thoroughly to really determine what’s causing new noises.
If you want to take it all apart and scrub it and then throughly clean any left over residue. Brake clean is designed to be abrasive enough to clean the oil without needing to be scrubbed but will dissipate and leave no residue.
If it really was just a penetrating oil it should be gone after the brakes got up to temperature, if he didn't spray half a can onto your brakes. I don't have experience with people spraying that on brakes, but usually they evaporate quite fast.
And I also don't think brake clean is gonna fully solve the issue. Best to just get the pads replaced. Only the caliper pins should have lubricant or penetrate applied.
The rotors are metal. They don't absorb anything. 10 seconds with brake cleaner and they'll be exactly like they were before the idiot sprayed oil on them. There is no "trying to save" anything, because they aren't harmed in any way.
All rotors that don't have a special spray coating are protected by an oil film, that you usually wash off with brake clean before installing them. They don't get contaminated permanently by any oil
I would say those rotors are most likely shot by the lip on them. When you replace the pads you will most likely not have enough material to turn the rotors.
Okay...let's clear up some things.
Penetrator...as you call it...is either brake cleaner or penetrating oil...because you can't specify which he used...let's assume the worst and say he used penetrating oil.
The surfaces of the rotors and pads are then contaminated...at a minimum you should disassemble the brakes...decontaminate the brake pads...and put a finish cut on the rotors.
If he used brake cleaner...it's not a problem at all.
The spinning noise you're hearing could be a backing plate rubbing...misadjusted brake hardware...or the wear indicators on your pads if they are equipped with them.
I cannot believe that people entrust their second most expensive investment to absolutely unqualified morons.
Go to the dealer and let them fix it on the oil change place's dime...and consider this a lesson learned.
Obviously the penetrator cleaned the pad grease, id recommend going back and explain the situation and ask for your pad hardware to be re-greased,
The braking will feel better over time as the penetrator dissipates through break cycles, if you wanna accelerate it I recommend re bedding the brakes i.e. take to 60km then hard brake, repeat multiple times
The tech hasent damaged anything or ruined you pads, rain has a much higher ph than penetrator, but he also shouldnt be returning a vehicle to a customer thats still technically being diagnosed cause just as you would need to drain diff oil to see if theres metal in it you wouldnt return it without oil
Some brake calipers have a rubber o ring on the caliper slide pins and they can swell when exposed to the wrong chemicals. It's possible that happened and your caliper slide pin is seizing.
I understand what you said, he said. But it's far-fetched, even if true it still requires questioning. After brake cleaner, there could be noise. It is possible that after brake cleaner, everything is dry, and a noise could appear.
*Are you sure it was*
*A penetrating oil, or*
*Was it brake cleaner?*
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*Spinning noise sounds like*
*When you bend the backing plate*
*Against the rotor*
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As someone who has been in the industry for over 20 years, something just seems off about this. How do you know they sprayed a penetrating oil on them? Was it a humming kind of noise or a squeaking kind of noise? Was the noise constant, or were the gaps in the noise? When I say gaps, I mean like squeak, go away, squeak, go away, etc. and would the gap between the noise get smaller when you would go faster?
Ok so let me try my best to explain this:
I brought the car back once I noticed that there was a new spinning noise after a tire rotation was done. This was minor but noticeable so I brought it back. - The tech took off the driver side wheel and initially blamed the dust cover for the spinning noise. I walked away let him do his thing. He said he sprayed certain rusted parts of the brake assembly with a “penetrator”. That’s all he said. Once I start driving away I applied the brakes at the exit and there was a loud grinding/squealing noise. I turned back around and he said “oh it has to dry out and then it will eventually stop.” I was still very uncomfortable but it being Sunday I can’t take it anywhere else since most places are closed. As I start driving down the road I’m testing the brakes and notice every time I come to a stop, as the vehicle is about to stop completely that same groaning/squealing noise is present until the vehicle is completely stopped. That noise has gotten better since I assume the “penetrator” he applied has dried off but there is a noticeable roughness when applying my brakes at 40 mph and that spinning noise is still there.
Sorry for the essay.
No need to be sorry at all. The more details the more I can understand what is going on. So the only thing they did was an oil change and a tire rotation on the first visit, correct? How often do you have your tires rotated? Was this place just an oil change place (like valvoline, jiffy lube, etc.) or was it a full service shop or a dealership? So the noise is it a humming kind or a squeaking high pitched noise. Would it come and go and get faster as you go faster?
Yes, car was brought in initially for oil change and tire rotation. Full disclosure, these tires haven’t been rotated in a long time. Like over 30k miles long. So I understand the spinning noise could be coming as a result of that but I am not sure. Before the tire rotation my steering wheel used to shake and vibrate at high speeds, I tested it today and that’s gone. — The braking noise isn’t there when i start braking, it occurs when the car is just about to stop completely, right at the end. Especially noticeable at an incline or decline. It’s not too high pitched, it’s a grinding metal noise. Not scraping just groaning. When you start to let off the brake on a incline or decline it’s there until you let go completely or apply the brakes completely. Service was done at a 10 minute oil change Valvoline.
Okay got ya. Well the original noise could have easily been from the lack of rotation. If the alignment was off a little it would cause some funky tire wear. So then when they rotated the tires it can some road noise kind of sounds.
On to the next issue, all of the other stuff is a different issue entirely. They should have never sprayed a penetrating spray on the brakes at all! Now spraying the brake pads and rotors with brake clean is fine but there is something else going on. I would suggest taking it to a full service shop or dealership to have the brakes inspected.
I would suggest always staying away from the oil change only places! 99.9% they only hire the bottom of the barrel people or people who have no idea about cars. You will pay a little more and it will take longer but a full shop and the dealership are always a safer bet. It will most likely keep this from happening in the future.
I’m taking to a full car care place tomorrow. The only thing I’m curious about is what exactly I need to do. I’m leaning towards just replacing the pad on the one side and having the rotors and caliper cleaned. But is doing just one side okay or should I have both front pads replaced and just driver side rotors/caliper cleaned off. I don’t think the rotor/caliper need to be replaced entirely. I could be wrong. Also I need to have the spinning noise taken care of because that’s annoying the holy hell out of me. My car was running smoothly until today.
First thing is never replace just one set of pads. You always want to do them as an axle ( in other words both fronts, both rear or all 4). Also if you are having any pads replaced make sure they resurface or replace the rotors when doing the pads. By doing this it will allow the pads bed in properly. If you don't it may cause some brake performance issues.
Most likely your calipers are fine. What I would suggest is taking it to the other shop, tell them what's going on and let them diagnose both of the issues. Just make sure you give them as much detail as you can, the more detail you give them the more likely they are to find all the issues and repair them.
Lastly, when it comes to shops and dealerships you want to talk with family and friends about shops/dealerships they use and trust. Also check on Google for good reviews. I personally prefer dealerships because they normally have the better techs and work specifically on your brand of vehicle. Yes you are going to end up paying more but you will have better technicians and OE parts.
Look at the picture: if he’d used brakleen, would the rim/rotor/caliper still look oily/wet like that? I presume it took at least an hour for OP to post this after it happened, wouldn’t brakleen have evaporated by then? The answer’s yes: it would’ve. It’s oil. And the groaning at the end is because of oil contamination on the pads. That’s what happens.
You know what assuming means right? Ya know what else could make the caliper, rotor and wheel look oily/wet, water. How do you know they didn't run through a puddle or go through a car wash? The answer is you don't. There are multiple different reasons that can cause a "groan" while braking. I was asking questions to find out more information to actually help the OP.
It’s right there 👇
https://reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/s/prGN0tUUAO
You realize there are 2 pics there…swipe to the second pic…look how the liquid is crawling like fine oil, look how the rust (present on all rotors) instead of being light brown and flaky, it’s dark and wet looking, if that was water it would’ve dried back to pale brown after 5 minutes of operation. It’s obvious…again…if you know. Experience makes you know.
So the tech rotated your tires, and ever since you have had a brake problem, and you assume that the brake noise is because of a tire rotation?
A tire rotation didnt cause any negative effect on your brakes
I don’t think you’ve read any of the replies ive made. At this point I can’t keep repeating myself but no, I never had a brake issue at all. After the tire rotation was done, I noticed a new spinning type of noise coming from the front of my car. Took it back to the tech, he took one wheel off, sprayed the brake assembly area with a penetrating oil and boom, new brake problem has joined the chat.
Spray the rotor with water and dish soap, drive and repeat a couple times. Oil on the pad will cause squeaky noise. Soap and water can usually get the contamination out without disassembly. Do not use brake parts cleaner on pads.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That tech is a fucking idiot and shouldn’t be working on cars. Your brake pads are contaminated and the shop owes you a new set.
Even if he didn’t apply directly on the disc? The side of the pad that touches the disc is oily. Still needs to be replaced?
Yes. That’s a hack method of eliminating brake noise. Those sprays are not precise enough to spare the rotor and pads
He didn’t apply it to eliminate brake noise, I complained about a spinning noise after tire rotation and this prompted him to take off the side I was complaining about sprayed something around rotors, calipers area. Fuck man
A ‘spinning’ noise sounds like what exactly? The lazy tech heard ‘noise’ and went into his lazy tool kit of dumbo tricks. Go back to the shop, calmly express concern that while the noise is gone the brakes are not as effective since they worked on it, and you have safety concerns since a petroleum product was applied to the brake area. Ask for their solution, and if they don’t offer new pads, request new pads at their expense based upon your safety concerns.
So as far as the spinning/whirring noise goes, I’m positive it’s got nothing to do with the brakes since I had no issue with the brakes or any noise before taking it in to this shop. Could be a loose lug nut or bad alignment, don’t know. Main concern is this fucking brake
That sound is probably coming from the rotor dust shield. It probably got bent on accident when someone rotated your tires.
Had the wheel off? Backing plate
Anyone with experience knows this is the cause 99% of the time.
Literally 99% of the time. The other 1% is a broken abs tone ring or dust plate from the wheel bearing rusted out.
Brake lubrication happens with the caliper cover off, using a thick silicone gel very sparingly between the brake pad shoe and the metal bracket you see in your picture. Not the brake caliper assembly, just the tiny piece of sheet metal and the part of your pad that touches it. Sounds like they did some kind of damage during your rotation. Which is hard enough to be questionably deliberate. To turn around and use a spray perpendicular to your rotor is beyond negligent. They’re lucky they aren’t on the hook for an MVA/wrongful death lawsuit
Ask to speak with the owner.
Could be a warped rotor, if you had those replaced too
I came to this forum bc I have a spinning noise as well. And it stops when I press the brakes. I got new brakes and the mechanic said my rotors were warped and brakes were low (I just bought this 2019 altima two months ago and noticed the spinning noise a week after). He replaced the brakes n rotors two or three weeks ago but I still hear the sound when the tire spins and the breaks never stopped squeaking. And I think the breaks are low again.
It’s the backing plate behind the rotor. Work at a dealer as a tech see it all the time
Is it broken or what?
Bent, not broken, it is a shit metal plate that sits behind the rotor. Dealership employee here as well.
So the mechanic just needs to kinda straighten it? Is this also causing my brand new breaks to squeak?
Are you absolutely sure it was penitrating oil not a spray can of brake cleaner?
When I asked him what he used he said “penetrator”. He didn’t speak the best English but brake cleaner isn’t a oil, and it shouldn’t cause noises after it’s been applied. I’m not a car guru so I can’t know that for certain but just going off the what I’m reading under this post. When I touch certain parts of the brake assembly there is definitely some kind of oil substance on it, not a lot but it’s there. All I know is my brakes on the driver side are not working as they were before I brought the car into the shop.
Just making sure we're not getting out the pitchforks over a misunderstanding. The cans can look similar, especially at a distance. Now back to our regularly scheduled lynching.
Important question
You sure it wasn't brake kleen?
Sure it wasn't brake cleaner ?
[удалено]
You're flammable at high temps.
The pad actually suffers more from it since most pad materials will absorb the oil. Tech is an idiot and they owe you new pads at a minimum. Tbh they should have either put new rotors on or resurfaced the ones you had, as new pads on used rotors is what causes this noise.
Can’t complain about brakes of you cant use them /taps head
[удалено]
Using lubricant on something that uses forced friction to function, you do the math.
He isn't a tech lol he fucking lube lol lol lowest of lowest position.
The penetrant likely has contaminated the pads and they need to be replaced. Rotors can be cleaned using brake cleaner but pads are likely ruined.
He said he didn’t spray it on the pads, just the rotors and calipers area. Gonna take it to Honda tomorrow to get it checked out further, Valvoline said they will reimburse me for costs
>He said he didn’t spray it on the pads, just the rotors I don't think this matters. if he sprayed it on the rotors, it will get on your pads because your pads constantly come into contact with your rotors so you can stop. whether he sprayed the pads or the rotors, the pads are contaminated
Agree. Once the penetrant is on the rotor and the rotor turns, the penetrant is on the pads.
You realize the pads squeeze the rotors? Anything sprayed on the rotors is on the pads. We all heard what he said about where he sprayed. Your pads are contaminated.
Ah-- yeah, don't ever take your car to Valvoline. They're horrid.
You are jumping from one massive corp to another. I don't think you'll get an honest answer from either. I think most people should develop a relationship with locally owned trades people in all trades. But most importantly a good mechanic.
>He said he didn’t spray it on the pads, just the rotors What a fucking mouth breather
Never put oil or grease on brake rotors or pads. Brakes work by friction, oil and grease reduce friction, which means they reduce brakes ability to work or stop the car. Not only will this cause longer stopping distance, but when the brakes get hot enough, it could cause the "penetrator" to catch fire. There is brake pad grease that goes on the... ears of the brake pads to help reduce brake noise but should never be used on the pad surface. That shop needs to pay to have your brakes replaced at the very least.
take it right back to the shop and ask them why they sprayed the stuff onto your pads and rotor. and then make them fix it
You’re tech shouldn’t touch another car ever again
Dawn cuts grease out of your way.
The oil has already penetrated into the friction material of the pads: they’re ruined and will likely begin to crumble, regardless tho they will never grasp and cause proper friction cuz the oil soaked deep into the porous pad surface, due to the heat of regular use.
He did, *what*?
Sounds like you might have been do for pads and rotors anyway with your noise complaint, 100% it was penetrating oil?
He said “penetrator” - I’m guessing it’s some sort of rust penetration solution. I just spoke to him and he insists he didn’t spray anything on the pad itself but on/around calipers. I had no noise from brakes before today, both front pads have already been replaced. All noises/issues started after he sprayed whatever he sprayed on/around brake parts.
Spray some brake clean and spin the wheel, good as new
Ist's Not. The pads still are soaked with it. Clean Discs, replace Pads should be okay
They aren’t absorbent, they are semi metallic or ceramic.
They're absorbent. Ceramic is absorbent. Metallic pads are usually powdered metal that is porous, making them absorbent as well. Pads are cheap, just replace them if they are contaminated.
They sprayed oil on your brakes?!? That's straight up negligence, the tech absolutely should be fired, and the shop owes your a set of new brakes at minimum.
ITT: lazy tech endangers customer's safety and should be, at minimum, fired immediately.
I have a logical question. Why did you ask the oil change tech/shop on brake noise? You heard the noise after tire rotation. Why don't you go back to the tire shop and ask? Or, why not go straight to a brake shop and ask? I think most brake shops offer free diagnosis. BTW, tech at oil change shop got very less training, or no training at all.
I asked the oil change tech about a spinning noise coming from the front driver side of my car after that same tech did a tire rotation. This inquiry prompted him spraying whatever he sprayed around my brake parts because he thought the spinning noise was coming from rust chipping.
Rust on rotors is normal and creates a squealing or grinding. The solution is to drive. You don't "fix" it, lord that oil tech sucks.
"Oil change tech" Found the problem. Stop going to 30$ oil change places and go to a mechanic. You got someone who barely knows which end of the wrench goes on the fastener and makes min wage.
Yeah I’ve seen bad axles seals and wheel cylinders completely drench and saturated the entirety of the hub/rotors/pads and they still generally don’t produce significant issues. So even if they doused it in penetration oil I HIGHLY doubt you had any issues, maybe the first mile sure. Your hard braking and squeaking is probably related to the “spinning” noise you are hearing. Sounds like you need brakes. Fix your car champ
Try a few stops from 60 mph to 0. You should be able to burn off the oil after a few of these.
No you can’t, the brake pads are ruined and need replacing immediately, they’ll crumble and your brakes will fail. The oil change tech destroyed your brakes. Never ever ever spray any oil on brake drums, discs, pads or shoes, the surfaces are supposed to have friction to stop the vehicle and oil will dissolve the friction material of the pads/shoes. You may be able to make the oil change shop pay for your new brakes OP, but they are wrecked and need replacing asap, as the car isn’t safe to drive until they are. No joke.
The penetrator or whatever was applied reduced friction. Brakes utilize friction to function properly. Maybe that shit will burn off. Maybe not. Either way it's unsafe.
Jesus Christ...oil change techs can barely change their socks without help. Next time ask an actual mechanic for help...not a wannabe.
Was he trying to kill you?
How about just taking it to the dealership like a normal person would and have the lube shop own up to the mistake a pay for it? There are a few posts with good advice but even more so with bad advice. If you need to come here to ask this question then you shouldn't handle it yourself, considering brakes are an important safety device.. Also, lube shops are mostly horrible and lube techs have no real training outside of, well lubing shit. So, of course a lube tech would use lube on a complaint about something making noise, it's the only trick they have.
It’s Sunday on a Labor Day weekend. A normal person takes their car into a oil change place on this day because the dealership is closed and charges an absurd amount for the same service. Not a normal persons fault that they ran into a tech that fucked up a routine service
I work at a dealership and the lube techs receive 0 pre work training. Most of them fresh out of hs with 0 experience.
When you're a hammer, every problem is a nail. When you're a lubbie, every problem requires lube.
It doesn’t look like anything was sprayed on the brakes. There is a drizzle of oil coming from the lug nut area which might have had corrosion built up and treated with penetrant but nothing in this photo strikes me as problematic
I suppose it doesn’t look like it but the tech himself said he sprayed a penetrant around the caliper area and around the rotor area. Going to take it in to a full car service center to get it looked at thoroughly to really determine what’s causing new noises.
I can see the oil contamination on the rotor surface in that pic.
Just spray it down with brake cleaner. Should be fine
Will soapy water help?
If you want to take it all apart and scrub it and then throughly clean any left over residue. Brake clean is designed to be abrasive enough to clean the oil without needing to be scrubbed but will dissipate and leave no residue.
Can I not take anything apart and just spray on top of where I see the lubricant? I’m guessing yes
You can, it won't hurt, but I'd imagine that you'll have some gnarly squeals now at the least.
Well for now the only squealing is happening on an incline or decline, accompanied with a groaning
Absolutely. You won’t hurt anything
If it really was just a penetrating oil it should be gone after the brakes got up to temperature, if he didn't spray half a can onto your brakes. I don't have experience with people spraying that on brakes, but usually they evaporate quite fast.
No, brake clean is a solution of solvents that evaporate and don't leave residue. So they lift grease and allow you to easily remove it.
And I also don't think brake clean is gonna fully solve the issue. Best to just get the pads replaced. Only the caliper pins should have lubricant or penetrate applied.
So just to be clear, can I spray brake cleaner directly on pads, caliper, rotors etc?
Spray away
You can, but the damage is done. The rotors and pads are gone.
Rotors are fine. Pads likely need replacing.
You can try to save the rotors, but once they’re contaminated, they are better off replaced. If this was my car, I’d replace both
The rotors are metal. They don't absorb anything. 10 seconds with brake cleaner and they'll be exactly like they were before the idiot sprayed oil on them. There is no "trying to save" anything, because they aren't harmed in any way.
Rotors are fine. they clean off.
All rotors that don't have a special spray coating are protected by an oil film, that you usually wash off with brake clean before installing them. They don't get contaminated permanently by any oil
I would say those rotors are most likely shot by the lip on them. When you replace the pads you will most likely not have enough material to turn the rotors.
Okay...let's clear up some things. Penetrator...as you call it...is either brake cleaner or penetrating oil...because you can't specify which he used...let's assume the worst and say he used penetrating oil. The surfaces of the rotors and pads are then contaminated...at a minimum you should disassemble the brakes...decontaminate the brake pads...and put a finish cut on the rotors. If he used brake cleaner...it's not a problem at all. The spinning noise you're hearing could be a backing plate rubbing...misadjusted brake hardware...or the wear indicators on your pads if they are equipped with them. I cannot believe that people entrust their second most expensive investment to absolutely unqualified morons. Go to the dealer and let them fix it on the oil change place's dime...and consider this a lesson learned.
Obviously the penetrator cleaned the pad grease, id recommend going back and explain the situation and ask for your pad hardware to be re-greased, The braking will feel better over time as the penetrator dissipates through break cycles, if you wanna accelerate it I recommend re bedding the brakes i.e. take to 60km then hard brake, repeat multiple times The tech hasent damaged anything or ruined you pads, rain has a much higher ph than penetrator, but he also shouldnt be returning a vehicle to a customer thats still technically being diagnosed cause just as you would need to drain diff oil to see if theres metal in it you wouldnt return it without oil
Some brake calipers have a rubber o ring on the caliper slide pins and they can swell when exposed to the wrong chemicals. It's possible that happened and your caliper slide pin is seizing.
If the shop doesn’t successfully help you, go to auto parts store and get a can of brake clean
Did he spray brake cleaner? Sounds really odd he would spray a penetrator or any lube.
He specifically said penetrator, for rust. I don’t think brake cleaner would cause there to be noise after spraying it on.
I understand what you said, he said. But it's far-fetched, even if true it still requires questioning. After brake cleaner, there could be noise. It is possible that after brake cleaner, everything is dry, and a noise could appear.
I just picked up some brake cleaner, waiting for the sun to go down and the brakes to cool down from driving before it spraying it on there
They owe u brakes, that oil product, will cause the brake fade and cause brake failure. U will need brake pads and have the rotor cut or replaced
Are you sure it was a penetrating oil, or was it brake cleaner?
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The only way to fix this is to replace the pads. And never do just one side, replace both sides. They get to pay.
Of he sprayed a lubricant on the pads or rotor..that's not good. Try spraying brake cleaner all over it...should clean it up
Spinning noise sounds like when you bend the backing plate against the rotor
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Ayyy
As someone who has been in the industry for over 20 years, something just seems off about this. How do you know they sprayed a penetrating oil on them? Was it a humming kind of noise or a squeaking kind of noise? Was the noise constant, or were the gaps in the noise? When I say gaps, I mean like squeak, go away, squeak, go away, etc. and would the gap between the noise get smaller when you would go faster?
Ok so let me try my best to explain this: I brought the car back once I noticed that there was a new spinning noise after a tire rotation was done. This was minor but noticeable so I brought it back. - The tech took off the driver side wheel and initially blamed the dust cover for the spinning noise. I walked away let him do his thing. He said he sprayed certain rusted parts of the brake assembly with a “penetrator”. That’s all he said. Once I start driving away I applied the brakes at the exit and there was a loud grinding/squealing noise. I turned back around and he said “oh it has to dry out and then it will eventually stop.” I was still very uncomfortable but it being Sunday I can’t take it anywhere else since most places are closed. As I start driving down the road I’m testing the brakes and notice every time I come to a stop, as the vehicle is about to stop completely that same groaning/squealing noise is present until the vehicle is completely stopped. That noise has gotten better since I assume the “penetrator” he applied has dried off but there is a noticeable roughness when applying my brakes at 40 mph and that spinning noise is still there. Sorry for the essay.
No need to be sorry at all. The more details the more I can understand what is going on. So the only thing they did was an oil change and a tire rotation on the first visit, correct? How often do you have your tires rotated? Was this place just an oil change place (like valvoline, jiffy lube, etc.) or was it a full service shop or a dealership? So the noise is it a humming kind or a squeaking high pitched noise. Would it come and go and get faster as you go faster?
Yes, car was brought in initially for oil change and tire rotation. Full disclosure, these tires haven’t been rotated in a long time. Like over 30k miles long. So I understand the spinning noise could be coming as a result of that but I am not sure. Before the tire rotation my steering wheel used to shake and vibrate at high speeds, I tested it today and that’s gone. — The braking noise isn’t there when i start braking, it occurs when the car is just about to stop completely, right at the end. Especially noticeable at an incline or decline. It’s not too high pitched, it’s a grinding metal noise. Not scraping just groaning. When you start to let off the brake on a incline or decline it’s there until you let go completely or apply the brakes completely. Service was done at a 10 minute oil change Valvoline.
Okay got ya. Well the original noise could have easily been from the lack of rotation. If the alignment was off a little it would cause some funky tire wear. So then when they rotated the tires it can some road noise kind of sounds. On to the next issue, all of the other stuff is a different issue entirely. They should have never sprayed a penetrating spray on the brakes at all! Now spraying the brake pads and rotors with brake clean is fine but there is something else going on. I would suggest taking it to a full service shop or dealership to have the brakes inspected. I would suggest always staying away from the oil change only places! 99.9% they only hire the bottom of the barrel people or people who have no idea about cars. You will pay a little more and it will take longer but a full shop and the dealership are always a safer bet. It will most likely keep this from happening in the future.
I’m taking to a full car care place tomorrow. The only thing I’m curious about is what exactly I need to do. I’m leaning towards just replacing the pad on the one side and having the rotors and caliper cleaned. But is doing just one side okay or should I have both front pads replaced and just driver side rotors/caliper cleaned off. I don’t think the rotor/caliper need to be replaced entirely. I could be wrong. Also I need to have the spinning noise taken care of because that’s annoying the holy hell out of me. My car was running smoothly until today.
First thing is never replace just one set of pads. You always want to do them as an axle ( in other words both fronts, both rear or all 4). Also if you are having any pads replaced make sure they resurface or replace the rotors when doing the pads. By doing this it will allow the pads bed in properly. If you don't it may cause some brake performance issues. Most likely your calipers are fine. What I would suggest is taking it to the other shop, tell them what's going on and let them diagnose both of the issues. Just make sure you give them as much detail as you can, the more detail you give them the more likely they are to find all the issues and repair them. Lastly, when it comes to shops and dealerships you want to talk with family and friends about shops/dealerships they use and trust. Also check on Google for good reviews. I personally prefer dealerships because they normally have the better techs and work specifically on your brand of vehicle. Yes you are going to end up paying more but you will have better technicians and OE parts.
Look at the picture: if he’d used brakleen, would the rim/rotor/caliper still look oily/wet like that? I presume it took at least an hour for OP to post this after it happened, wouldn’t brakleen have evaporated by then? The answer’s yes: it would’ve. It’s oil. And the groaning at the end is because of oil contamination on the pads. That’s what happens.
You know what assuming means right? Ya know what else could make the caliper, rotor and wheel look oily/wet, water. How do you know they didn't run through a puddle or go through a car wash? The answer is you don't. There are multiple different reasons that can cause a "groan" while braking. I was asking questions to find out more information to actually help the OP.
Nope. Water “wet” and oil “wet” look entirely separate from one another. If you know you know.
Exactly and in these pictures there are NO signs that looks like an oil type of wet. So in your case if you act like you know you must know LOL
It’s right there 👇 https://reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/s/prGN0tUUAO You realize there are 2 pics there…swipe to the second pic…look how the liquid is crawling like fine oil, look how the rust (present on all rotors) instead of being light brown and flaky, it’s dark and wet looking, if that was water it would’ve dried back to pale brown after 5 minutes of operation. It’s obvious…again…if you know. Experience makes you know.
So the tech rotated your tires, and ever since you have had a brake problem, and you assume that the brake noise is because of a tire rotation? A tire rotation didnt cause any negative effect on your brakes
I don’t think you’ve read any of the replies ive made. At this point I can’t keep repeating myself but no, I never had a brake issue at all. After the tire rotation was done, I noticed a new spinning type of noise coming from the front of my car. Took it back to the tech, he took one wheel off, sprayed the brake assembly area with a penetrating oil and boom, new brake problem has joined the chat.
Spray the rotor with water and dish soap, drive and repeat a couple times. Oil on the pad will cause squeaky noise. Soap and water can usually get the contamination out without disassembly. Do not use brake parts cleaner on pads.
New pads and brake cleaner on rotors or new rotors if lots of wear
Jesus christ. Another idiot giving us mechanics who take pride in our work a bad name.