2005 Camry Brake Question - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

BOB7255KHZ · 05-08-2008, 07:05 PM

Hi gang....Bob from Pa. here.
Hey , I just last week picked up a 2005 Camry LE 37 K miles , bought from local Toyota dealer.
OK heres the deal.....When I first drove the car and applied the brakes , there was a grinding noise from the front brakes.....car was sitting on the lot for a few months and both I and the salesman figured it was rust on the calipers.....and it did get better as we got the rust off.
Well after buying the car , a few weeks has gone by and I'd say I put couple hundred miles on it....and I still sense the noise and maybe a little slight shimmy at times of hard braking , like when going down a very very steep hill to stop ( we got some BIG hills in Pa.)
Question is this for you 05 owners....is this normal? Is yours like this , or is it smoooooth on hard braking?
SOooo , should I be concerned or is this a " nature of the beast" sorta thing.
Thanks , BOB

MrSo0h0o · 05-08-2008, 09:14 PM

sounds like your pads are down to the metal and are grinding on the rotors. that is the noise you are hearing most likely.

solution: replace pads and rotors.. @37K, that sounds about right too

danorthface · 05-08-2008, 09:40 PM

new brake pads at 37k? That car must have done all stop and go driving and no highway.

njerald · 05-08-2008, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danorthface

new brake pads at 37k? That car must have done all stop and go driving and no highway.

I'm often behind drivers that ride the brakes at every slight turn in the road, every minor downhill grade and everytime they get above the speed limit.

Tobeit · 05-08-2008, 09:58 PM

Or hard, repetitive braking with a sporty driving style or like when on race tracks?..I don't do that very often but my RX8 brake pads needed to be changed at 30k.

the critic · 05-09-2008, 04:48 AM

It's hard for us to tell over the internet what the problem is, but I would remove the tires and measure the thickness of the brake pads.

If they're less than 2mm, replace the pads and resurface the rotors.

gdanaher · 05-09-2008, 07:04 AM

If this is coming from a Toyota dealer it is hard to believe that they didn't do a little checking prior to sale, but you can't know anything until you pull the front wheels and look at the rotors and pads. Easy job, so have the dealer do it or find a shade tree.

TRD VVTi · 05-09-2008, 09:14 AM

I suspect that the rotors are rust pitted. It's fairly common in the northern states due to all of the salt.

Have the brakes inspected. I'm sure that the rotors either need to be turned/resurfaced or replaced.

Geffen · 05-09-2008, 06:59 PM

I would take it back to the dealer of purchase and have the do a brake inspection, a few weeks ago i purchased a 2006 Camry LE and it was certified, was your 05 Camry LE certified?

BOB7255KHZ · 05-10-2008, 06:36 AM

YEPPP , the car was certified and I'm sure the car was gone over but months before I bought it. It was out in the lot all winter long in the snow belt of NW PA.
Maybe it's just me trying to find something wrong.....some one else may not even notice it , but if it keeps on bug'n me , I'll make an appointment to get it checked.
The dealer is like 40 miles away, kinda time consuming to get there lol.
Wish I could drive another Camry of the same year to see if they felt the same.
Thanks for all the replies.....BOB

BOB7255KHZ · 05-12-2008, 10:24 AM

I just pulled the front wheels....everything looks good...brake pads look new....maybe just a little bit of pitting on on the rotors but they are smooth . The little bit of pitting is probably from the car sitting out all winter and not being driven during that time.....and probably when I apply the brakes, the pads are hitting the pitted area and thats where I feel the little bit of pulsing coming from.
Guess it's not worth fooling with or taking it back to the dealer as they will probably just turn the rotors down making them thinner and weaker.
My brotherinlaw has the same car and says he also has the same pulsing when going down long steep hills.
I dunno......BOB

TRD VVTi · 05-12-2008, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BOB7255KHZ

I just pulled the front wheels....everything looks good...brake pads look new....maybe just a little bit of pitting on on the rotors but they are smooth . The little bit of pitting is probably from the car sitting out all winter and not being driven during that time.....and probably when I apply the brakes, the pads are hitting the pitted area and thats where I feel the little bit of pulsing coming from.
Guess it's not worth fooling with or taking it back to the dealer as they will probably just turn the rotors down making them thinner and weaker.
My brotherinlaw has the same car and says he also has the same pulsing when going down long steep hills.
I dunno......BOB

Told you so.

If you're worried about them getting too thin, measure them. Pitted brake rotors and the pulsation that comes with them actually decrease the brakes effectiveness. Have them resurfaced or replaced.

carlo$ · 05-12-2008, 11:21 AM

still under warr. take it back.

BOB7255KHZ · 05-12-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRD VVTi

Told you so.

If you're worried about them getting too thin, measure them. Pitted brake rotors and the pulsation that comes with them actually decrease the brakes effectiveness. Have them resurfaced or replaced.

Wellllllll , I just called the Toyota dealer and made the appointment to have them checked out / fixed . They were really concerned and polite .....got the appointment for next Friday.
I'll keep ya posted.

Thanks BOB

workerant · 05-12-2008, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BOB7255KHZ

Wellllllll , I just called the Toyota dealer and made the appointment to have them checked out / fixed . They were really concerned and polite .....got the appointment for next Friday.
I'll keep ya posted.

Thanks BOB

Interest to hear Ur result(s).