Help! Squeaky Corsa!

heartbreak_star

I have a lovely 54 Corsa that's my pride and joy.

However, currently it's feeling my wrath as it's developed a squeak from the passenger wheel. I have has a few opinions on this (discounting the "spray everything on the back of your wheel with WD40 :eek:) and the general consensus is that something is stuck in my brakes or the pads are going. Does anyone else know what it mgiht be?

It's going to the garage in the morning. I'm hoping they'll say they can wash the brakes and all is well. However, just in case, what I'd like to know is how much I can expect to pay for a new set of pads and maybe discs? I'm in Newcastle, and for a guideline to labour costs they replaced both my handbrake cables for £60 same day.

Hope someone can help

HBS x

jaydeeuk1

Does it squeak when braking only, or squeaks all the time? Can't imagine a 54 corsa having disc brakes on the front (unless you have the vxr model), but happy to be told otherwise

bazster

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Does it squeak when braking only, or squeaks all the time? Can't imagine a 54 corsa having disc brakes on the front (unless you have the vxr model), but happy to be told otherwise

Huh? Of course it'll have discs on the front! I'd imagine that Vauxhall last made a car with drums on the front in about 1965!

jaydeeuk1

bazster wrote: »

Huh? Of course it'll have discs on the front! I'd imagine that Vauxhall last made a car with drums on the front in about 1965!

I was being thick, was thinking of rear!

bazster

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Only asking as my toyota IQ 1.33 (59 plate) has drums on the front... And thats a 'premium' small car.

Well my 2000 Corsa 1.0 (about as basic as they get) has discs on the front, as did the Nova (Corsa predecessor) that I had about 20 years ago!

jaydeeuk1

bazster wrote: »

Well my 2000 Corsa 1.0 (about as basic as they get) has discs on the front, as did the Nova (Corsa predecessor) that I had about 20 years ago!

Corrected post - I was being thick, its the other way round on my car too.

bazster

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Corrected post - I was being thick, its the other way round on my car too.

I'd still like to hear the answer to your original question i.e. does the OP's car squeak all the time or only when the brakes are applied?

heartbreak_star

It squeaks...sometimes >.< Bizarrely, it stops when I push the brakes, and sometimes depends on where the steering wheel is sitting *sigh*

HBS x

bazster

I don't see how worn pads or discs could lead to squeaking when the brakes are not being applied. Nor could anything be stuck in your brakes: the pads run very close to the disk (almost touching), there is no way a foreign body could get in there.

More likely to be a wheel bearing or CV joint in my opinion. Applying the brakes changes the loading on the bearing or joint, hence the squeaking stopping.

cardinalbiggles

bazster wrote: »

I don't see how worn pads or discs could lead to squeaking when the brakes are not being applied. Nor could anything be stuck in your brakes: the pads run very close to the disk (almost touching), there is no way a foreign body could get in there.

Contrary to the "advice" above, You can get dirt, small stones in between your pads and discs and they cause squealing. Usually they would get themselves free and it would be a temporary noise.

Additionally, if the calliper is not centring properly you may get squealing when the brakes are not applied. These are all things that a garage should be able to tell you straight away and without cost.

bazster

Stones? Between a pad and disc? Your idea of a stone is clearly different to mine.

How would a caliper not centring be affected by the position of the steering?