I tried doing a search, but didn't see anything that was realative to my concern.
Onto the problem. I'm not sure if everyone has this problem or maybe I should just get brakes replaced or something... but when I "creep" on a red light or stop sign, my brakes do this really loud screeching sound. When I say creep, I mean very slowly release brake pressure to where the car moves slowly, but brake power is still enforced. I'm not sure what the problem is; it's done this for about 2 years off and on(no certain patterns either) now and it's just started to bug me enough to really care.
I believe the brakes were completely replaced in 2008 for doing the same thing, but i'm not 100% sure on that.

If anyone needs a sound clip, I can get 1 on here 20-24 hours from now(unless I end up going somewhere tonight).I'm just trying to understand what is causing the problem, whether it's the rotor, pad, and maybe it just needs to be cleaned.

Thanks in advance.

 

I had similar issue some a few months ago. In my case it seems that it was caused by uneven wear of rotors and pads. Example: the previous owner replaced pads but the rotors were bad (had uneven wear on them), so uneven surface of the rotor damaged the flat surface of the new pad. This say the pads are still thick and OK to drive, but the car makes this screeching sound on light brake application.

Long story short... I didn't want to replace rotors and pads, so I switched the pads: take the wheel off, take out the pads and put the inner pad out, and outer pad in. So it is the same pads as you had before, but the pad that was on the outside of the rotor is now on the inner side, and the other way around. When the pads will wear off I will replace both the pads and the rotors.

The smarter men will give you a proper advice, but this bandaid solution works for me.

 

I had a similar problem with a Toyota several years ago. It was a warped rotor. Suggest you take your wheels off and have a look. You'll probably see uneven wear on the pads and that'll tell you what you need to know

 

What they are saying is a small explanation, but let me expand and explain in detail.

When you get new brakes installed, depending on the mechanic, they should clean the surfaces where the disc sits (the hub behind the disc) to a polished metal clean. Afterwards, they need to clean the brake pad carrier at the location where the pads sit to, once again, a polished metal clean (any respectable shop will have a sandblaster for this, but a similar result can be achieved by using a die grinder with wire brush tip)
Afterwards, depending on the brake carrier and caliper setup, there is some more cleaning and lubricating to do. This varies greatly depending on the car, model, and caliper type. This is why DIY amateur-hour brake jobs usually are unsuccessful in long term results (noise, pad life, vibration, etc)

Now, it is normal wear on a disc that a rust ridge will start to form over time at the outmost point of where the pad touches the disc, and the innermost point. Because of this rust ridge, the pad gets eaten away ever so lightly at the outermost edge and the inner most edge.
As the pad is getting eaten away, this causes some tiny vibrations which eventually lead to a screeching sound. This sound is very similar to the sound you hear when your pads are actually almost finished, but its not the same.

Now, if the installation was properly done, this kind of build-up would take a long time to appear, so if you havent touched your brakes in a while, it is possible that you need a brake SERVICE, or new pads and discs all together, depending on the wear of the parts.

FYI, brakes should be serviced at every 12-18k KM (someone convert that to miles for me) in order to minimize the rust ridge and keep the calipers, sliders, and pads clean and free to move

Also, if the carrier was not cleaned, luber, antiseized, etc. properly, the pads themselves may wear out in a diagonal way, instead of wearing out straight. This will also cause vibrations at unusual speeds in the pad, and create a high pitched sound.

So long story short:
Get your brakes checked out by a professional, I wouldnt take my car to the backyard mechanic for this because Ive often seen guys who have no idea why brakes squeak in the first place yet have been working in shops for 10+ years.

Also, if you have a bad wheel bearing it WILL warp your brake rotor(disc) and will cause vibrations when you brake.

I hope that was clear, good luck

 

madmdx
Very well put! Thank you for expanding and for explaining everything in details!!!

 

Thank you for the very, very helpful post. I just asked my parents and they said that they had the brakes replaced(rotors and all) in late 2007, the same timeframe they got new rims and tires. I don't know where they were installed, but my guess would be a local shop that does great everything(I know the tires+rims were discount tire)
Like I said in the OP, they have been doing this in random non-existing pattersn on and off. For example, yesterday was cold and rainy and they did it. Today was cold and rainy but it never happened.
12-18000KM would be about 8-12000 miles, and that is about a perfect estimate of how many miles have been put on the car since the new tires/rims/brakes.

Thanks again for the explanation+suggestions. I appriciate it a lot, and i'm sure people in the future will too.

 

My brakes made the same sound when the car was brand new .

All my previous cars brakes have done the same.

I put the noise down to when a particular (light) pedal pressure is applied when the the wheels are turning slowly ( the car will be on a slope).It is the vibration of the pads in the carrier under these load conditions.

I have never been concerned in 49 years of motoring.

Thanks Madmdx. I have learnt from your post .

JC

 

You replaced the brakes in 2007 and youve done 12k miles in 5-6 years? Sounds to me like you must have some rust built up somewhere, definitely lol

 

haha, yea. It's been my moms since 2004(bought used with 30k miles on it) and it was given to me as my own in mid 2011(57.8k miles now). Considering I wash my car basically every 2 weeks... rust seems to be a reasonable cause. I'll get them checked out soon.