Golf mk6 Creaking brakes

[F3L1X]

Hey guys,

So i'm having some problems with the front and rear brakes on recently purchased second hand golf mk6. 2011 ~70,000km's

To keep a long story short, when cold the front and rear brakes make a creak/squeak when coming to a slow stop, the second before being stationary and just as you release the pedal. The problem is worse on a hill, when most of the weight is on either the front or rear brakes.

Generally the problem is worst when the brakes are cold, and after some driving it goes away mostly however can appear again on a steep hill.

To give some history, i've taken it back to the dealer twice and both times they have said they found nothing mechanically wrong with the brakes, machined the rotors and sent me on my way. It would help the problem a little, but then after about a week or so back to its usual tricks. I got tired of them just machining the rotors and assuming that it could just be the combination of pads and rotors on the car i replaced both the front and rear rotors with DBA OE rotors and Remsa pads, made sure to give everything a good clean up and grease that you normally would when replacing rotors and pads.

Since doing it the problem went away initially, but again after a few days it came back. The only benefit at least is that it is definitely not as bad as in the video after replacing.

Here's a short video of it happening. Keep in mind this is before replacing the rotors and pads, it's a little quieter now (inside a parking garage so sounds very loud)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffA0eoej12c&feature=youtu.be

So i'm now lost on what it could be since the dealer didn't find mechanical problems and it wasn't the pads or rotors being the problem. It just makes the car feel not exactly premium and can be kind of embarrassing with people in the car.

Has anyone experience this or can give me an idea on where to go from here?

TL: DR; Front and rear brakes creak just before slow stop, gets better when warm and front and rear rotor replacement didn't remedy.

[F3L1X]

Just to clarify it may sound like suspension in the video, but up close it's definitely coming from the brakes

[Has]

It has to be the rotor and pads, just fyi VW rotors are too soft and machining is not recommended. Also I believe remsa pads are abit noisy. Did you get new pads with disc?

[F3L1X]

It has to be the rotor and pads, just fyi VW rotors are too soft and machining is not recommended. Also I believe remsa pads are abit noisy. Did you get new pads with disc?

The first step was the dealer replacing pads (unsure on brand) and machining rotors and problem came back, second time they did the same this time with genuine VW pads and the problem came back, so then i replaced the rotors completely and put Remsa pads on which has made the problem a bit quieter but it's still there.

The only thing i can think from here is do i need to replace the caliper hardware? Guide pins etc. It's just odd that it happes on all four corners instead of just one if it was bad brake hardware.

It's not a huge drama but it's definitely not a noise they should make and is a little embarrassing at traffic lights haha. I'm at the point now where i'm wondering whether or not to even just replace all the calipers . Unfortunately i don't know enough about brakes to diagnose it and the dealer has been useless enough to think that no one is going to be able to properly diagnose it for me.

If anyone has recommendations in Brisbane for someone to diagnose that'd be amazing

[Lucas_R]

It has to be the rotor and pads, just fyi VW rotors are too soft and machining is not recommended. Also I believe remsa pads are abit noisy. Did you get new pads with disc?

FYI i had Remsa pads on my old Golf R for 4 years and now have them on my Mk6 GTI for 2 years and they are silent.

[Lucas_R]

That noise in your video is very similar to a noise i get in my Mk6 GTi (and in my old Golf R too) when parked and i get in the car so the car moves a little on the handbrake. But it only ever makes that noise when the handbrake is engaged - not when driving normally.

I wonder if adjusting your handbrake (in case its too tight and engaged a little even when off) might be worth a try. You can use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the handbrake cover (there is a tab on the bottom you need to lift with the screwdriver) and then its a 10mm deep socket to adjust the handbrake cable. Worth a try anyway, only takes 5 mins.

[F3L1X]

That noise in your video is very similar to a noise i get in my Mk6 GTi (and in my old Golf R too) when parked and i get in the car so the car moves a little on the handbrake. But it only ever makes that noise when the handbrake is engaged - not when driving normally.

I wonder if adjusting your handbrake (in case its too tight and engaged a little even when off) might be worth a try. You can use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the handbrake cover (there is a tab on the bottom you need to lift with the screwdriver) and then its a 10mm deep socket to adjust the handbrake cable. Worth a try anyway, only takes 5 mins.

You're right it does happen as well when i'm getting in and out the car on a hill so it could be the hand brake so i'll give that a go

However it wouldn't explain the noise coming from the front brakes right?

[Lucas_R]

You're right it does happen as well when i'm getting in and out the car on a hill so it could be the hand brake so i'll give that a go

However it wouldn't explain the noise coming from the front brakes right?

No it wouldn't explain the noise on the front wheels as the handbrake is only on the rear brakes.

[F3L1X]

I'm wondering whether it's possibly a bit of movement in the caliper in that last moment allowing the pad to shift a little on the rotor making the noise?

I've seen caliper stiffening kits to replace the guide pins and boots, has anyone had experience with these? I'm wondering whether it's worth a try.



My only other option is taking it to a good volkswagen/euro car specific mechanic but i was quoted about $240 for a diagnosis which i'd hopefully like to avoid

[F3L1X]

Wondering if also it's worth just trying to bleed the brakes/replace fluid just in case for whatever reason it's a case of the calipers not having enough pressure to grab without letting the pad slip a little making the noise?

I'm not sure if that makes sense, don't know enough about brakes, can someone provide a sanity check on that?

[Idle]

Not very likely. One possibility is that the pads are slightly misaligned and chattering on the leading edge — do they tend to grab on a light application? I had a Mk6 for a while and it did that.

[F3L1X]

It would be strange to be misaligned, seeing as it has been serviced twice and then when also when i was installing the new rotors and pads i checked everything over and didn't notice anything. I could take a pad out and check if there's uneven wear to check for that?

Aside from that, i keep leaning towards it maybe being that the calipers simply aren't grabbing hard enough when stopping and it just slips a little in that last second making the noise. The only reason i can think of for this is that either i need to bleed the brakes or maybe something to do with the master cylinder and there not being enough pressure? The braking doesn't feel bad aside from this noise, you could possibly say it's a little spongey but doesn't seem to be a problem area

Anyone with experience on that?

[Lucas_R]

Have you thought of trying some brake grease on the outside of the pads to see if that helps with the noise?

[F3L1X]

Have you thought of trying some brake grease on the outside of the pads to see if that helps with the noise?

I read to do that when i installed the new pads, i put copper anti-seize on the backside of the pads and on the guides where the pad slides back and forth

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

jesus.. don't ever take a car out of warranty to a dealer.. they will jsut fist you.. take it to a good well known mechanic daring enough to use aftermarket parts which are most likely better than OEM parts.. in this case a set of DBA T3 4000 rotors would be light years ahead of the OEM stuff.. as well as going for aftermarket brake pads... oem stuff never stacks up, they make it work for x requirement and y budget.