Squeaky brakes

[Stivino]

I think you'll find that the materials used in the moving parts of brakes don't suffer from corrosion.

The pad in the picture is six years old, 2½ years on the car and 3½ years in the cupboard under the stairs, there's not a mark on it.

The clip is 14 years old, there no corrosion on that either.  It's stainless steel, it won't corrode.

I fitted a new brake fitting kit to the front of my car last month whilst doing a brake service.  I have a set for the rears for when I service the rear brakes.

"dirt is the enemy" is bang on.  What does grease do?  It attracts dirt.  That is why ball joints, C.V. joints etc are always sealed.

I too have been on factory brake training courses and, I've never been advised to put anything on or near the pads.

I also have a degree in engineering materials and components.  That means that I know and understand the qualities of materials, which materials, metals in this case, can be used in conjunction with other metals and what will happen when you do put them side by side.

 

[Max_Headroom]

You may or may not have a degree but your advice goes against one of the biggest car service centres in the country this is from Halfords site I can provide many more if you want me to.

 

Step 6 - Apply Grease

Apply a little copper grease to the edges and backs of the new brake pads. Avoid touching the friction linings

[Max_Headroom]

 

Grease Guide: What is Brake Grease Used For.

WHY PUT GREASE ON YOUR BRAKES?

It may sound counter-intuitive but brakes need grease.  I hear you asking - "But will that not stop the brakes from working?" - no, it won't.  There are a lot of moving parts and components within a braking system and like any other system with moving parts they need to be lubricated so that they can continue to move freely.  When we talk about applying grease to brakes we are not referring to lubricating the friction surfaces that contact the wheel drum.

https://www.greasemonkeydirect.com/blogs/news/grease-guide-what-is-brake-grease-used-for

 

[Stivino]

Do Halfords make cars, or brakes? No, but they do have an interest in selling car products.

Incidentally, I used to work for Halfords.

[TonyHSD]

Well, Halfords and even many garages , mechanics etc, plus auto journalists including car reviewers and AA or RAC specialists , I am sorry but many of those if not all has no clue of cars and understand nothing. They simply sell products and services to earn their living. The reality is different and in many cases there is difference between even the books and what happens in practice. Manufacturing processes are also specific and not always will represent exact how to when dealing with car servicing and maintenance.

I am a diy mechanic and driver as hobby and partly by profession, been in the trade for many years, not as mechanic but close enough, plus I always love to get my hands dirty, plenty of experience.

I can tell why we should never use grease on brake parts except if specified by the manufacturer or as problem solving. Even so best practice is to read repair manual first and then take decision whether to use grease or not. 

Grease on pads will accelerate dirt collection, plus when the car got washed all that dirt and grease mixture will contaminate the discs, result is noise, vibrations and squealing brakes as op had. Grease on discs mounting face and hubs plus wheels will off set the the discs position since the grease similar to water is not compressible and even small amount will cause the disc to fit unevenly and with wheel rotation after a while will cause DTV disc thickness variation , the most common cause of brake vibrations. Grease on the lug nuts will change drastically the torque settings, can cause even breaking in the thread or loss of the nuts as a result of wrong torque . 

Each car make and model has its manufacturer recommendations and service procedures for now the job should be done, if no repair manual available just reverse engineering , careful dismantling and watching what it has then clean and put back together same way, pretty much what stivino explained. 

No offence to any party or comments. Just my opinion, shared know how and experience . 👍

[Max_Headroom]

As the OP said he doesn't 

1 hour ago, Stivino said:

Do Halfords make cars, or brakes? No, but they do have an interest in selling car products.

Incidentally, I used to work for Halfords.

I assume these don't make money from their advice!

 

Where Does Grease Go on Brakes? 

There are several different parts of a disc brake system where it is important to apply grease, such as the brake pad, caliper pins, and brake clips. 

 

https://brakeexperts.com/where-does-the-grease-go-on-new-brake-pads/