A grinding noise when braking is your car asking for help. It usually means the brake pads are worn out. The friction material is gone, and the metal backing of the pad is rubbing on the rotor.
Squealing comes first. Most brake pads have small wear indicators that squeal when the pad gets thin. Grinding is the next stage, and it does damage every time you stop.
Here’s what the noise costs you. Worn pads chew up the rotors and can damage the calipers too. One Canadian parts retailer says waiting turns a $150 pad job into a $400 pad and rotor job.
It also isn’t safe. Worn brakes need more road to stop, and wet Vancouver streets make that worse.
So what should you do? Stop driving the car more than you need to, and book a brake inspection right away. Ask the shop to measure the pads and the rotors on each axle.
Want to know what the repair should cost? Read our guide to brake pad replacement cost in Vancouver.
Service desk The full guide
Brake pad replacement cost in Vancouver: the published prices, what a quote covers and how to compare quotes.