18' M3 w/ 25000 miles - brakes squeaking badly out of nowhere

[talkingevs]

I parked my car at work for 2 days and just now went out to drive it and when the brakes are pressed, they squeek extremely loud. It hasn't rained and they seemed fine before I parked it. I tried smart summon just prior and that's when I first noticed it. I can't imagine needing new brakes or it squeeking that loudly out of nowhere. Anyone else have this issue? You can hear it across the lot and sounds horrible

 

[JulienW]

Go out and drive about 50MPH and hit the brakes reasonable HARD and come to a full stop (like in less that 130'). If they still squeak after that then in all likelihood the pads need replacing.

 

[SlimJim]

I thought the brakes would last longer than that. I do one pedal driving 99% of the time.

OP do you do one pedal driving?

 

[Adam3]

There might be a rock or other debris stuck between rotor and brake pad/caliper. This can cause bad noise out of nowhere.

 

[badiban]

Could be a pebble or rock got stuck there. I’ve also read that if you constantly use one pedal driving, rust can form around the breaks, causing the squeaking. It’s recommended to use the breaks every once in a while to prevent the rust.

 

[S&B's M3]

Mine always squeals if I let it set for any length of time over 3 days. The suggestion was made to me was to turn the regen braking all the way down and drive around the block. It worked then for me and afterwards. More noticeable since I've been on covid lockdown where I could go a week or so without driving it.

 

[TheWhiteEGG]

Go out and drive about 50MPH and hit the brakes reasonable HARD and come to a full stop (like in less that 130'). If they still squeak after that then in all likelihood the pads need replacing.

Why would you do this? Bring more stress and friction on pads and rotors with 2 tons of weight? If its a rock, your going to cause more damage to your rotors.
Take off your tire and inspect the brake pad through the outlet that is provided.

It is relatively that simple.

 

[vogz]

Why would you do this? Bring more stress and friction on pads and rotors with 2 tons of weight? If its a rock, your going to cause more damage to your rotors.
Take off your tire and inspect the brake pad through the outlet that is provided.

It is relatively that simple.

He would do it to clean off the rotor surface. The brake rotor surface is bare cast iron and as such flash rusts really quickly with any significant moisture in the air. Especially if the cars sits outside over a few nights. This can cause all sorts of noise. Getting some speed and hitting the brake decently hard will clean the corrosion off the face of the rotor and quiet things down most of them time but it might take more than one stop.

Now, if it's a pebble that's stuck in his brakes, it's not going to get between the pads and the rotor since the pads sit right up against the rotor surface (not actively pressing on it) when they brakes are not applied. There is no room for a pebble to get in there. When I've seen pebbles get into brakes, they typically get wedged between the medal splash shield on the back side of the brake rotor and the rotor itself. Applying the brakes won't do anything to a pebble that is stuck in there. It also won't "damage" the rotor in any significant manner, it will just make a bunch of noise until you either remove it, or the rotor wears it down and it falls out. You might see a small scoring on the back of the rotor if you looked at it, but that will quickly wear away as the brakes are used. Remember, it's not just the pads that wear with then brakes are applied, the rotor wears too (at a far slower rate).

OP should definitely get a couple higher speed stops under his belt to see if the noise goes away. Corrosion is most likely the issue since the car sat outside for multiple nights.

 

[talkingevs]

I thought the brakes would last longer than that. I do one pedal driving 99% of the time.

OP do you do one pedal driving?

Yes, almost all one pedal driving.

 

[talkingevs]

It went away after some driving last night but seems to come back after sitting overnight again.

 

[JulienW]

It went away after some driving last night but seems to come back after sitting overnight again.

Probably weather related. You live in Las Vegas and I bet the temperature difference between the daily high and low are LARGE and happen quickly after the sun sets. When the air cools fast the rotors stay warm and condense moisture and then get a layer oxidization.

Also one pedal driving makes it take longer to remove the oxidation layer and they will squeal longer. To immediately quiet them do a semi hard stop on your first stoping using the friction brakes and then use one pedal.

 

[jsmay311]

Getting some speed and hitting the brake decently hard will clean the corrosion off the face of the rotor and quiet things down most of them time but it might take more than one stop.

Agreed.

I’ll add one thing tho... The rotors can be cleaned more effectively if done after putting the car into Neutral. That way there’s no regen and all of the braking comes from the brake pads, so you don’t have to be driving as fast or brake as hard to get the same amount of rotor surface cleaning.

 

[vogz]

Agreed.

I’ll add one thing tho... The rotors can be cleaned more effectively if done after putting the car into Neutral. That way there’s no regen and all of the braking comes from the brake pads, so you don’t have to be driving as fast or brake as hard to get the same amount of rotor surface cleaning.

That's a great idea. I usually put my car in track mode and turn regen off to do the same thing. Neutral would be much easier. Thanks!

 

[yerEVan]

OP. Something is wrong with your car. Mine is only 15.4’.

 

[dmurphy]

I parked my car at work for 2 days and just now went out to drive it and when the brakes are pressed, they squeek extremely loud. It hasn't rained and they seemed fine before I parked it. I tried smart summon just prior and that's when I first noticed it. I can't imagine needing new brakes or it squeeking that loudly out of nowhere. Anyone else have this issue? You can hear it across the lot and sounds horrible

Yep, even after sitting for a day or two, mine does it. So did my Cadillac before it.

I finally drove the Model 3 yesterday after a
little over a week. It almost sounded like one of the brake pads was “stuck” to the rotor - it made a popping sound as I rolled out of the driveway. Very common, especially this time of year. No worries!

 

[bonkers818]

I experienced the same issue this winter on a 19 with 17k miles. I drive my car every other day. When it snow or rain, the front break will get stuck on rotor after a day. And grinding noise will appear when backing out of driveway.

I thought this was normal, but after a while both front rotor developed grooves in them. From my search online, it looks like Tesla do not lube the breaks coming out of factory. So I took my breaks apart to discover the pads are breaking apart at the edges. And contact spot had rust and paint falling off. Tesla quoted me 500ish to replace both rotor and pad.

I suggest everyone who have are having this issue go get the breaks lubed at the contact spots.

 

[hcdavis3]

I experienced the same issue this winter on a 19 with 17k miles. I drive my car every other day. When it snow or rain, the front break will get stuck on rotor after a day. And grinding noise will appear when backing out of driveway.

I thought this was normal, but after a while both front rotor developed grooves in them. From my search online, it looks like Tesla do not lube the breaks coming out of factory. So I took my breaks apart to discover the pads are breaking apart at the edges. And contact spot had rust and paint falling off. Tesla quoted me 500ish to replace both rotor and pad.

I suggest everyone who have are having this issue go get the breaks lubed at the contact spots.

Brakes

 

[vogz]

I experienced the same issue this winter on a 19 with 17k miles. I drive my car every other day. When it snow or rain, the front break will get stuck on rotor after a day. And grinding noise will appear when backing out of driveway.

I thought this was normal, but after a while both front rotor developed grooves in them. From my search online, it looks like Tesla do not lube the breaks coming out of factory. So I took my breaks apart to discover the pads are breaking apart at the edges. And contact spot had rust and paint falling off. Tesla quoted me 500ish to replace both rotor and pad.

I suggest everyone who have are having this issue go get the breaks lubed at the contact spots.

The BRAKE calipers/pads on these cars should be removed, cleaned and contact surface lubed every 12 months if driven in an area where salt is applied to the roads in the winter. I'm pretty sure Tesla recommends this exact procedure. I'll be doing mine shortly for the first time.

 

[dmurphy]

The BRAKE calipers/pads on these cars should be removed, cleaned and contact surface lubed every 12 months if driven in an area where salt is applied to the roads in the winter. I'm pretty sure Tesla recommends this exact procedure. I'll be doing mine shortly for the first time.

Yup. Same here - I'm remiss in doing so (coming up on the 2 year mark) and will be doing this as soon as the weather warms up a little.