At 77k my rear brakes are squeaking louder everyday (only in reverse). Got to replace it soon, so anybody got any recommendations for the rear pads? I'm not changing the rotors they are still within spec. I got this from Amazon (TRW)



Or should I settle with the brake pad kit from Toyota dealer?

 

Have you measured the pad thickness? Disk brake pads on a hybrid should last a long time, perhaps the life of the vehicle. I would not change them to eliminate squeal. New pads are as likely as old ones to squeal. And if anything the new compounds (ceramic) tend to be worse.

I have had good success with a product called Permatex Disk Brake Quiet. Assuming your pads are OK for thickness, I would remove them, clean them up, then scuff the surface to remove any glazing. Then when you put them together put a coat of the Disk Brake Quiet compound on the back of the pads and let it dry to tacky before you assemble. Also make sure you lubricate the slide points to ensure the pads do not hang up.

 

C'mon, Ron. This one I know better than you do.
It's not the brakes, it's the rotors. They do squeak. Something in metal they are made out of. Mo son's Scion has same issue.
I bet if you look at rotors, you'll find them quite glazed. That's what causes squeak. I had mine de-glazed, and it took care of it. How? Metal brush and power tool. Wear mask. Dust is nasty!

 

That TSB admits that rear brakes on some Toyota/Lexus built on some factories do have premature wear on them and requires replacement of new (redesigned) brake pads and anti-squeal shims. So if the rear brakes on TCH do wear faster it's not because of the regen braking on the front wheels, it's just a bad part just like the water pump. It still has some pads left on it and will probably last until 100k. Just that the sound is annoying when backing out (since the rear brake is doing all the braking instead of the front)

 

If it makes you feel better my 2012 with only a few thousand miles on it squeaks a bit when I back out of the garage. I suspect part of the reason is that the disks are rarely used and they rust up a bit when sitting. Most of my vehicles squeak or groan when I back up. I don't worry about it. Squeaking on a forward normal stop is what I can't stand.

It is possible that Toyota has changed the regenerative braking on the hybrids. The earliest Prius models used some disk braking every time you touched the brake, and that may have favoured the rear brake. However, the newer Prius models and I had assumed the Camry uses regen braking first and only uses the disk brakes when regeneration is not enough. See page 16 of this document. It graphically shows how the regenerative braking system was improved. With the improved system it is hard to see how the brakes could get used very much at all.

In any case the thickness of the pads will tell the true story of how much they have been used. On my first inspection they looked brand new and the disks still showed the criss-cross honing marks. I've also given them the finger touch test after a city driving test, and at very worst they are just detectably warm, with no difference between the front and the back.

I used ATE ceramic replacements on my Mazda 3 and had real grief with a squeal that just wouldn't go away. They would start out good, but slowly developed a squeak. Brake real hard and they were OK, but a moderate brake was bad. Tried everything and was almost ready to return them, but tried the Permatex Brake Quiet and it solved the problem. The original pads were ATE and I could have bought them from Mazda but the price was double for the same thing. Perhaps the compound was slightly different -- don't know.

 

Let me repeat myself.
1. Brake pads have none to do with regenerative braking. Brake pedal has no direct influence onto brake pads and rotors. Braking is done via ECM and dedicated control unit, that actually moderates hydraulic pressure via actuators. Regenerative braking is done inside PSD and is simple momentum and electrical adhesion process. Please, stop pointing at brake pads in congruence with regenerative braking. The only effect is that brake pads wear off less, as PSD takes some of the braking requirment onto its shoulders.
2. Like I said before. If you are baking and have squeal - it's glaze on your rotors, going against the hair of your brake pads. I'll try bold caps, maybe I'll be understood better: I HAD IT FIXED BY SIMPLE ROTORS DEGLAZING, DONE WITH METAL BRUSH ATTACHED TO AN AIR TOOL.

 

I've worked on cars since I was a teenager, and that is nearly 50 years ago. Your experience and advice does not agree with anything I have ever seen or done. As I have offered before, I'm willing to help you understand how a hybrid works. Just ask.

 

Definitely not the rotors, you sound so stupid if you keep on emphasizing the rotors. I know how a glazed rotor looks like and if I have one, I'll just replace it, not worth the effort of turning it and it's cheap. Ron is right about the Permatex Disc Brake Quiet, I'm planning on using that one first or the CRC. It's only pronounced on cold weather, this morning where it's warmer the sound is not that bad. I think the toyota tech that handled this issue before just greased it instead of replacing it with new pads. Over time the grease wears off and causes the noise. If these pads were OK it will outlast the front ones (and my front ones have a long life to go)

 

FWIW... That stuff works great! I have used it on mine and it stopped my "squealing while backing" problem.

The stuff provides a barrier between the backs of the pads and caliper pistons to quell the high frequency vibration. It is pretty gooey though. Have some hand cleaner handy!

 

Another great Permatex product to consider on brakes is their green caliper grease. Great stuff for pins and any sliding parts that need a high temp lube. By the way, you can quiet the brake squeal by deglazing the rotor ONLY if you put it back together and remove the glaze on the pads (if any) and put anti-squeal compound on the back of the pads. Quite a few dealers have been known to use that dodge to create more "customer pay" time for their techs by claim they need to pull the rotor to complete the job.