What does your shop do when a brake complaint due to noise enters the service bays? Is it a mark of shame for the technician that hurts their productivity for the rest of the day by randomly applying lubes, pastes and sprays to the brake system in hopes that the problem is at least temporarily solved?

Brake systems are complex and require an understanding of what is the root cause in generating the noise. Noisy brakes are not squeaking door hinges waiting to be lubed. You cannot simply apply a magic substance to make them quiet. It is not that using lubricants, pastes and sprays are not effective, it is simply intuitive that minimizing friction (without consideration of braking performance) using the most expedient available application is cost effective with respect to service labor.

The key to stopping brake noise is to do the brake job right the first time. If a customer does come back due to noise, a shop must have a diagnostic process to resolve the problem the first time.

The Interview
The first part of the brake noise diagnostic process is to interview the driver about the noise. Use the following questions and record the answers on the repair order:

Recreate the noise as best as possible. (If it is not clear what type of sound they are making, ask them if the noise is a groan, growl, chatter or squeal.)
How often does the noise occur? What speed(s)? What length of time?
What level of...