EK Hatch, brake squeak in reverse.

[tsg88]

I posted last week about the little EK1 I picked up as a runabout (work etc), when I test drove it, it never used to do this, so its developed over the last week. To get roadworthy, the previous owner had to get the rear brakes fixed and a new muffler.

I am wondering if maybe the handbrake is staying on slightly before I back out. The noise isn't happening in drive... only reverse. My dad who used to work on cars a lot, really thinks its the brakes, and it was my gut feeling too.

Its perfect if I drive forward, car goes quite well, even the gearbox and clutch feel nice. But reversing out of the driveway or a parking spot... the squeak is rather embarrassing! Especially since my car is being compared my sisters shitty 94 Pulsar since the day I brought it home. (paid similar amounts, same size engine etc)

Can anyone else shed some light on it? Is there a simple home fix or am I going to have to take it into a mechanic... really don't want to take it to a mechanic until next service if possible...

[vinnY]

pads probably not bed in properly?

[tsg88]

hmm maybe, I plan to take the wheels off tomorrow, and checkout the brakes condition for myself. I have been fiddling with the interior and I cleaned pretty much every surface of the engine! Just getting to know the vehicle that will be my trusty station run for the next year or so.

[vinnY]

it'll be fine i reckon, probably needs to wear a bit more

either that or just don't ever reverse :p

[tsg88]

hahaha, can't do that at my place :( we have 4 cars now, and allocated parking that my dad is gonna gravel. As the family grows so does the amount of cars on the lawn haha. When my sister has her bf round there is his ute on the lawn also. Reminds me of the castle.

I'll keep driving it, see what happens and post back later.

A bit off topic, but do you reckon Mitre 10 or someone like that would stock the same colour paint as the hub caps... figure while I have the wheels off I might give them a respray, paint has come off on the inside of the holes from car washes etc. Not gonna get mags for it until this set of tyres is worn enough to consider it.

[vinnY]

could just go do a few hard stops, let the brakes cool and see how it is in the morning

silver paint? probably not exact but pretty close unless you're gonna sand them all down and spray them up

[tsg88]

I'll hard stop a few times tomorrow on my way to Mitre 10! Just up the road which is why I mentioned it.

I might give them a light sand to remove the gutter rash and let the paint stick better. Current goal is to get it looking decent as a stock EK. Gotta find a cap for the rear vision mirror and replace a dodgy drivers side mirror. I talked the previous owner down nearly a grand cause of the obvious damage (fading rear bumper, minor polishable scratches, etc). So I have some money left over from my car buying budget to do small things like that. But a mechanic trip might have blown it out, thanks for the encouraging replies! This is my first car so its a bit scary.

[vinnY]

well, just be careful where you do your hard stops
not really recommended to do it in the middle of the day if you know what i mean hehe
i usually bed in my brakes late at night where i have lots of room to move

cosmetic stuff is easy, just costs money since it's a bit tough to diy(besides hub caps)
get it running fine mechanically first(squealing brakes isn't too bad, as long as they stop fine)
spend some time sanding flat the trouble areas of the hub caps, clean, prime a few coats then hit it with some silver and you'll be right :) just do quick thin layers and you'll be fine
just make sure you're nowhere near anything you can't afford to get little paint specks on(they travel far!)

[tsg88]

I live in a rather remote area and there is a roundabout I can go through at about 50-60 if something slips!

Yeah my dad has some spare cans of black kill rust which I am gonna use to respray the wipers and I might even do a quick coat on the wheels to get rid of the rust visible through the holes. Just small things like that so it looks decent, bought a nice set of floor mats to put over the now relatively clean carpet. Should look pretty decent once I am finished, except for the paint fade on the rear bumper but meh, there is worse cars in my area, an EG gets around with paint peeling off it haha.

[vinnY]

fair enough, just google up how to bed in brakes and follow the instructions :)

this (http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85) guide from tirerack is a good start