For nearly the past year the rear drivers side brake has been squeaking, to start it was when I braked at low speed then transitioned into all the time when not braking. This was reported to Skoda last June when the car was in for a service but they said nothing was wrong and it might just be water on the brakes.

I was looking at changing all the discs and pads anyway as the old ones were looking tatty and I wanted something more sporty looking to match the cars aesthetics.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago I ordered a set from Awesome, these to be exact:

https://www.awesomegti.com/awesome-disc-and-pad-combo-mqb-platform-340mm-f-310mm-r/

Having never changed brakes before I prepared myself with guides and YouTube vids and being pretty handy myself found change them over to not be as bad as I thought, until it came to the right rear!

I couldn't for the life of me get the piston to retract back into the calliper no matter how hard I tried. Thank goodness for this forum as I found @beezera10 had given the suggestion to mount the calliper without the disc to get enough torque on the rewind tool without doing a juggling act. Finally after lots of swearing I got it to go back in cleaned and lubed it thoroughly and I thought that was that.

Now for my current issue, when driving I can hear a slight grinding sound when driving coming from the troublesome right rear. Is it new calliper time or does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong?

Pics are of the fronts

is the disc shield rubbing on the new disc? It might need some slight bending so it isnt rubbing.

6 minutes ago, varaderoguy said:

is the disc shield rubbing on the new disc? It might need some slight bending so it isnt rubbing.

I don't believe so there was enough clearance when I installed them, but I'll double check. The noise is more subtle, it's hard to explain but kind of like sandpaper on a surface.

If the caliper was really tight to wind in then it may be seizing at a certain point. Normally they retract very slightly after braking but if its sticking the pad will still be in contact with the disc. Also the noise may just be the new pads bedding in. Another check is I have had some pads that need a little file down where they slot into carrier as they were a bit tight. Your brakes look a lot cleaner and in much better condition than mine.

Alasdair

On 31/03/2025 at 16:10, Alasdair1 said:

If the caliper was really tight to wind in then it may be seizing at a certain point. Normally they retract very slightly after braking but if its sticking the pad will still be in contact with the disc. Also the noise may just be the new pads bedding in. Another check is I have had some pads that need a little file down where they slot into carrier as they were a bit tight. Your brakes look a lot cleaner and in much better condition than mine.

Alasdair

Even when I got it going and greased up it was stiffer to rewind than the other side but it was fully in. About a third of the calliper rim did show signs of rust but I would be surprised with the age of the car and miles I do if the calliper has had it. The sound is actually more like a when you used to put a card in your bike spokes as a kid, but a lot more subtle, I can only hear it with the window open really. As luck would have it on the way home from work today I couldn't hear it at all, so maybe it is rubbing ever so slightly and will bed in soon? (hopefully)

Doesnt take much to cause a noise. Hopefully its just bedding in. Is there any vibration/wobbling when braking. I had a new disc that was slightly out that caused a noise when driving. I now check they are perfect with a dial guage against disc to make sure they are running true. Similar to this

Alasdair

Squealing is the result of contamination, or a knackered braking system (glazed, worn, etc).

Grinding is the result of, well, something grinding! As other have said, dust shield could be the culprit. Although, given you've already had issues with that caliper, it could also likely be a stuck piston or that the caliper needs some lubrication!

BTW - hooked/grooved discs are a waste of time. Outgassing is not an issue anymore, and all grooves/holes do is create weak spots and actually reduce braking contact area. Race cars use drilled/hooked and grooved pads for heat dissipation and to brake more efficiently by 'cleaning' the pads. The grooves on the disc eat the pads whenever you brake, and this might actually be the cause of the grinding (yes I know yours are hooked, however it's the same principle).

If you are "up for it", you could buy in a set of dust seals and calliper - piston seals, and get the piston out and see if you can polish it clean again. I've suffered a seizing rear calliper on a 2015 VW Polo a couple of years ago, which was a bit disappointing, due to wanting to get the car back running asap, I just bought a re-manufactured Pagid Lucas/TRW calliper via Halfords, then got round to buying in a couple of seal kits and some new aluminium fluid line sealing washers - I really should complete that job this year as if one side had ended up corroding its piston, then the other side must be doing the same thing!

I've bought, maybe M16 nuts to act as spacers, so that I can secure the brake discs snuggly on the hub using either wheel bolts or other suitable bolts, so that I can check the discs for "run out".

Grooved discs, I bought them for one car as it suffered "brake wash out" in winter, which was a bit scary and VW sorted that out with later models, but, I did end up finding the need to replace one axle set of ATE Power Discs just because corrosion had started to "range out" from each of the grooves probably due to that car only getting used once every 4 weeks in winter, as I was in a "car share" for commuting to work! That was a bit more than annoying.

I used to recon calipers as they were a few years ago expensive to replace plus you had to send the old one back if you bought new ones to get a discount. I now just replace them as they seem to be fairly reasonably priced. Last one for me was about £70 for front and £45 for a rear. VRS might be a bit more.

1 hour ago, OccyVRS said:

Squealing is the result of contamination, or a knackered braking system (glazed, worn, etc).

In road cars generally yes, but some track pads can squeal especially when cold, so pad material is a significant factor.

Update!

So I thought the sound had gone, but it hasn't its just intermittent. I have been doing a few new mods today and had the wheels off which gave me a chance to see if they were catching, they are! Both rear discs are slightly rubbing on the pads when spinning the wheels, hence I can only here it when driving and not braking. What's the best course of action to fix this?

Are they rubbing all the way round or just at certain points. If its just at certain points I would check the trueness of discs. If the pads are new they may be slightly too thick if the piston is wound all the way in until they wear slightly?

Alasdair

That's worrying. Two things to check:

1) Can you make sure that the backing plate for the disc is absolutely flush. You may need to get in there with a wirebrush and get off any corrosion, then try and remount the disc.

2) Can you put the disc onto a true flat surface and then go around with a flash light and make sure that the disc itself is not warped.

On 01/04/2025 at 20:43, petrolbloke said:

In road cars generally yes, but some track pads can squeal especially when cold, so pad material is a significant factor.

Of course, although in this case that's not relevant. Performance pads can make noise either due to the compound, or simply because they don't have any shims or other NVH-reducing bits on them. I've found DS2500 to be quite good all rounders, but I had terrible noise from previous Yellowstuff pads in traffic.

3 hours ago, Alasdair1 said:

If the pads are new they may be slightly too thick if the piston is wound all the way in until they wear slightly?

Alasdair

Yes, although this would cause them to rub all the time (in theory), if it was a stuck piston or something.

I agree with @Ootohere - there's a reason garages use those hub cleaner wire brushes. OP, if you're sure that the discs aren't warped (they are new IIRC) then it might be worth investing in a hub cleaner bit for your power drill. Rather than taking the disc off, you could try (if you have one to hand) getting a laser level and trying it that way. I use one on mtb rotors.

Thank you everyone for the replies and useful info, I've been super busy so not been on for a while or had chance to sort anything with the car!

The problem is still there even after driving a couple of hundred miles and the brakes now squeak randomly, usually when going slow in car parks but not applying the brake.

I'm in no way a mechanic but every other mod I've done on the car has gone well so I like to think I'm pretty competent with things, with that being said excuse if any of the following are daft suggestions...

• I went at all 4 with a hand wire brush and meticulously cleaned each one, I know a drill brush would be more efficient. Thinking about it now the old back discs came off a lot easier than the front, however when putting the new ones on they seems to be very snug on the hub with some resistance when mounting them. I have a feeling this could be it if I am correct in thinking the hub might be pushing the disc forward slightly?

• The discs are brand new so I don't think warping should be an issue, should it? I do have a laser level, how would one go about using it to test this?

• If I were to take the backs off again would rewinding the callipers back in fully be of any benefit? I think I'm right in thinking brakes somewhat self adjust when pumping the pedal so this would mean if it were the callipers they would be catching on the entire discs rather than just part of it in my case?

If all else fails looks like I'm going to have to take it to a garage, which I didn't really want to do as I like fixing (or breaking it seems) things myself and it would negate the cost of doing a DIY job in the first place.

The warping of a 340x30mm disc brake takes some serious braking. Seeing as they're new, the warping in this instance is likely the uneven build up of material, that occurred during the bedding in process. I highly doubt the metal is actually warped - VBT are normally rather good.

Both the mountain surface and piston questions are fair, but I still think they would be rubbing as the entire circumference of the disc passed through the caliper.

8 minutes ago, OccyVRS said:

The warping of a 340x30mm disc brake takes some serious braking. Seeing as they're new, the warping in this instance is likely the uneven build up of material, that occurred during the bedding in process. I highly doubt the metal is actually warped - VBT are normally rather good.

Both the mountain surface and piston questions are fair, but I still think they would be rubbing as the entire circumference of the disc passed through the caliper.

This is what I thought with regards to being warped very very unlikely being new, and they have been doing it since I replaced them so there would have been no build up initially. With it being both sides though I feel like it's something I have done wrong maybe or both callipers are knackered, also unlikely when the car has only done 20K?

It may be completely unrelated but the paint has flaked of both the rear callipers, nearly completely and there was a whiteish coloured waxy build up underneath the paint near the brake line as though something had leaked. It has been like that a long time though, over a year maybe 2 and the car has had services/Skoda health check since then.

I'm not sure about the brake lines, but I can confirm that both rear calipers on my 2020 vRS 245 were/are exactly the same. One was replaced by Skoda (well, I made them) as it looked horrendous and the other is pending replacement when I can be bothered. Annoyingly it started flaking a few months after I bought the car, and I don't have the energy to go back to them.

Both front calipers are absolutely fine, and seeing as they do 70% of the work and generate 70% of the heat, I'm not too sure how this is possible. The flaking looks pretty naff and it's not fixable by clear coating as it's large chunks that are lifting - it'll need to be repainted (or replaced). It's held up okay for the last 6 months, but I suspect come the first track day this year, it'll give up. If you google GTI/vRS caliper colour, you'll see it's a very common issue.

Interesting you mention about the car only covering 20k - mine is pristine and quite low mileage for its age, and it's just about to cross 40k! Having done 20k means it's only done about 4k per year - that's quite a lot of time with the handbrake (rear calipers) engaged.

Look at the price and you'll see why I'm holding off - https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/5f0615423-brake-caliper-rear-left-skoda-39953.html

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them - I loathe to see calipers painted with some masking tape over the disc.

Ah I thought it was just mine! They are terrible the paint must have not been bonded to the metal from the factory as it been flaking off in chunks since I bought the car. When I changed the brakes I peeled it all off as it was going to come off eventually anyway. Got a brake paint kit ready to do all 4 just haven't had time to do them.

I don't tend to cover much distance 4-5k is about average for me, now you mention it I did have an issue with the handbrake not disengaging fully for a while, which could have had a knock on effect.

I have seen the price of new callipers I researched them when I thought it was seized. Hopefully its not needed but if I need them then I need them!

I wouldn't have thought so, but I'd be inclined to look into a caliper issue than an issue with brand new discs from a decent supplier - especially if you've had sticking issues. Sure others will have more of an idea - just my 2c.

One caliper was silver when I bought the car, however the other side only started flaking in autumn. Having seen what a mess Skoda made of repainting the caliper, I think I'll just get a new one when the time comes. By the time I've got the caliper removed, stripped, prepped, got the exact paint (which, I should add, Skoda failed to do), painted it properly, rebuilt it and reinstalled it, I think it'll be as much of a pain as just sticking a new one on. I hate doing things half-arsed, so a job with masking tape won't do and I'm keen to prep the caliper properly so the paint sticks this time. Again though, I wonder why it's just the rear...

Update

So I've been on a bit of a long winded journey with this and yet still I have more or less the same issue...

Since last time I commented on here I have had the backs off again, bought a proper drill cleaner and got the hubs up like new. Fitted the brake again still catching and making noise! (So the issue is not the hubs)

I took this as a push to just buy new callipers, which I did. Skoda dealership (Penistone Road Sheffield) wanted £390 for each rear calliper, even the guy on the parts desk was shocked. Shout out to him, I didn't catch his name but he was incredibly helpful and looked up the parts on online for me to find a better price, £250 each sounded a lot better. I bought all new bolts for the calliper carriers and callipers themselves while I was there.

So 500 odd quid later and a couple of weeks wait the parts finally arrived and I set to work replacing both rears, which went pretty smoothly for once. After installing I bled the system with a pressure bleeder and all seemed well, but the pedal was a little spongy compared to before. Decided to bleed again as it was 100%, I'm glad I did as second time round I got loads more air out of the system and the pedal feel is so much better.

So has all this blood, sweat, tears and a fair amount of cash solved my problem? No!

Don't get me wrong I'm glad I have replaced them as they were in bad shape and they look so much better visually, However, they are still catching and making noise and have even started squeaking on random occasions when driving at low speeds but not applying the brakes.

I am at a loss, I have literally tried everything I can think of, as well as everyone's suggestions. The car is due its MOT and service soon so while its at the garage I will get them to look at the brakes and see if there's anything they can do.

After hub clean, brakes not installed.

After calliper replacement.

Okay. Firstly, nice job on the hubs and replacement calipers. No job is wasted - it's just one more thing to rule out.

That being said, I think we have found your problem. In the first video, you get the issue with the caliper off. That sounds to me like it's the wheel bearing. Normally you get a grinding noise, but the squealing can be an early sign of it going.

If it was on the front then that's a different story, but IMO I would take a look at the bearing.

IIRC I was quoted £380 from Skoda. Picked it up from Skoda-parts.com for I think £270. Cheapest was Fish Brother Skoda Parts in Swindon, which I think were slightly cheaper.

Do you have anything planned for the old calipers? Might be worth giving them a service and selling - manual handbrake 310mm calipers are quite hard to come by.

Edited 3 June, 20251 yr by OccyVRS

On 04/06/2025 at 00:44, OccyVRS said:

Okay. Firstly, nice job on the hubs and replacement calipers. No job is wasted - it's just one more thing to rule out.

That being said, I think we have found your problem. In the first video, you get the issue with the caliper off. That sounds to me like it's the wheel bearing. Normally you get a grinding noise, but the squealing can be an early sign of it going.

If it was on the front then that's a different story, but IMO I would take a look at the bearing.

IIRC I was quoted £380 from Skoda. Picked it up from Skoda-parts.com for I think £270. Cheapest was Fish Brother Skoda Parts in Swindon, which I think were slightly cheaper.

Do you have anything planned for the old calipers? Might be worth giving them a service and selling - manual handbrake 310mm calipers are quite hard to come by.

On 04/06/2025 at 00:44, OccyVRS said:

Okay. Firstly, nice job on the hubs and replacement calipers. No job is wasted - it's just one more thing to rule out.

That being said, I think we have found your problem. In the first video, you get the issue with the caliper off. That sounds to me like it's the wheel bearing. Normally you get a grinding noise, but the squealing can be an early sign of it going.

If it was on the front then that's a different story, but IMO I would take a look at the bearing.

IIRC I was quoted £380 from Skoda. Picked it up from Skoda-parts.com for I think £270. Cheapest was Fish Brother Skoda Parts in Swindon, which I think were slightly cheaper.

Do you have anything planned for the old calipers? Might be worth giving them a service and selling - manual handbrake 310mm calipers are quite hard to come by.

No issue with the brakes off, I think that was just the noise of my gloves when spinning the wheel!

I currently have the front brakes off as I haven't revisited them yet since initially changing them. I think I have found a issue but not sure how or why it's happens.

The front left outer pad has a large score mark in the centre of the pad. I don't understand what could have caused it as I couldn't see any trapped between the discs and pad?

Just now, sirhc93 said:

No issue with the brakes off, I think that was just the noise of my gloves when spinning the wheel!

I currently have the front brakes off as I haven't revisited them yet since initially changing them. I think I have found a issue but not sure how or why it's happens.

The front left outer pad has a large score mark in the centre of the pad. I don't understand what could have caused it as I couldn't see any trapped between the discs and pad?

Probably a small stone or piece of grit that caused the groove. It will be long gone now. I doubt it will cause any problems with brakes and should wear out eventually.

Alasdair